Which Cattleyas species have you had the most/least trouble flowering?

[K-Sci]

I'd like to hear about everyone's lessons learned and how it was learned.

I had trouble getting C. walkeriana to bloom until I learned that they require high light levels and often fail to flower in insufficient light.

I had trouble flowering several Cattleya species when I first began collecting because I grew them indoors with almost no day-night temperature difference.

-Keith

[BrassavolaStars]

I second the issue with Cattleya walkeriana.

I have had four Cattleya walkeriana plants for several years.

Two of them have never bloomed. Oddly enough, the semi-alba ‘Carmela’ clone I have blooms twice a year along with another one ‘Estrada da Colina’. Yet, nothing on my ‘H&R’ nor my ‘Divina’ (which is very large in a wood basket). They all grow in high light outside during the summer and in a sunny greenhouse in the winter.

I think I may have been too harsh on this species overall when it is just particular stubborn individuals in it that don’t bloom. Maybe this species just has more stubborn individuals in it and it is just luck?

---------- Post added at 12:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 AM ----------

Additionally, my Rhyncholaelia glaucas have thrown a hate on me. My single Digbyana blooms often for me but I can’t get flowers out of 4 glaucas and 2 aristocrats. Brassavola fragrans/turberculata or whatever it is called now also is giving me a hard time unlike the nodosa and cucullata which are very free flowering for me.

---------- Post added at 12:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:50 AM ----------

Even though they are more temperamental overall, all the bifoliate Cattleyas seem to flower easily for me (i.e guttata, aclandiae, loddegesii, etc.)

That said, other than the loddegesii, my bifoliate Cattleyas are in the form of primary and very simple hybrids so maybe the pure species is different.

As mentioned before, though not Cattleyas per se, Rhyncholaelia digbyana, Brassavola cucullata, and Brassavola nodosa seem to be easy to flower.

[Shadeflower]

I've only managed to flower 4 Cattleya's so I can't comment yet but am up to 36 Cattleya's by now.

I think that should be taken into consideration. Like I know my collection is tiny and anything I report will be a random sample and some plants might just be in better condition than others which can make a big difference to success or failure.


The most tricky for me so far is a guarianthe aurantiaca, that's all I can say which really surprises me because aurantiaca hybrids in my collection seem really vigorous growers.

sophronitis coccinea has turned out easier than I was expecting but still early days with that one. It is a mini so that can pose separate challenges over a bigger plant.

Overall I'm very happy with Cattleya's. I've only lost tiny seedlings and one Brassavola Little Stars, otherwise I have been very successful with them compared to phalaenopsis where I have lost far more. The nice thing with Cattleya is they have a rhyzome so if one bulb gets a problem you can cut it away and still have an orchid left. Can't ever do that with a phalaenopsis. They have one stem and if that stem gets attacked by spider mites it will be affected far worse than a Cattleya.

Great thread btw. Already glad I never got a walkeriana

[DeaC]

All Catts. hate me. My success is abysmal. And I don't give up easily.

[K-Sci]

I probably should not have said Cattleya species, my intention was the alliance.

Originally Posted by BrassavolaStars

I second the issue with Cattleya walkeriana.

Walkeriana are also day-length and/or temperature sensitive depending on who you ask. This can be a significant problem for growing indoors, unless it is in an isolated room that gets warmer and colder than the rest of the house.
[quote]
...Oddly enough, the semi-alba ‘Carmela’ clone I have blooms twice a year along with another one ‘Estrada da Colina’.
I believe Estrada da Colina is one of the C. delosa 'Orchidglade', decedents, which would mean it is not 100% walkeriana. I don't know the genealogy of C. walkeriana Carmella. I love both walkeriana and semi-albas, so I'm surprised that I don't have this one, but I think I had one briefly as a Lowes bag baby a decade or so ago.

Yet, nothing on my ‘H&R’ nor my ‘Divina’ (which is very large in a wood basket).

I don't know the genealogy for these either.

They all grow in high light outside during the summer and in a sunny greenhouse in the winter.

Speculating, I'd guess that this could be caused by irregular day-length from artificial lights or a temperature increase, or light level decrease moving from outdoors into the greenhouse. In nature, walkers tend to get more light in the fall as deciduous trees lose their leaves.



Do your walkers put out two new growths on their stems every year?

Additionally, my Rhyncholaelia glaucas have thrown a hate on me.

I don't know anything about this one. I never had one.

My single Digbyana blooms often for me...

the nodosa and cucullata...are very free flowering for me.

I recently got a B. nodosa Susan Fuchs. It's a very small plant but has grown fairly well all summer. I worry about virus on these old clones, but it is still too small to cut a piece off of for testing.

Even though they are more temperamental overall, all the bifoliate Cattleyas seem to flower easily for me (i.e guttata, aclandiae, loddegesii, etc.)

I tend to favor the bifoliates because they are nicer looking plants. I especially like the tall C. gutata and C. tigrina (leopoldii) and their hard nearly oval leaves. My Tigrina buds got eaten by a bug this year. .

That said, other than the loddegesii, my bifoliate Cattleyas are in the form of primary and very simple hybrids so maybe the pure species is different.

Makes sense. Hybrid vigor.

As mentioned before, though not Cattleyas per se, Rhyncholaelia digbyana, Brassavola cucullata, and Brassavola nodosa seem to be easy to flower.

If we are patient, they are both likely to become Cattleyas, if only briefly. The science of taxonomy is so changing that it could be binned as a pseudo science along with the so-called political sciences.
-Keith


************************************************** ****
---------- Post added at 01:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I've only managed to flower 4 Cattleya's so I can't comment yet but am up to 36 Cattleya's by now.

I think that should be taken into consideration. Like I know my collection is tiny and anything I report will be a random sample and some plants might just be in better condition than others which can make a big difference to success or failure.

All the stories are good and there are no rules, so no worries. Have at it!

The most tricky for me so far is a guarianthe aurantiaca, that's all I can say which really surprises me because aurantiaca hybrids in my collection seem really vigorous growers.

sophronitis coccinea has turned out easier than I was expecting but still early days with that one. It is a mini so that can pose separate challenges over a bigger plant.

Overall I'm very happy with Cattleya's. I've only lost tiny seedlings and one Brassavola Little Stars, otherwise I have been very successful with them compared to phalaenopsis where I have lost far more.

This is the opposite of their reputations, but recently I've also had more trouble with Phalaenopsis. I've lost three in the last three years due to stem infections. My mistake was, I believe, water remaining too long in the crown or leaf axils. They grew very well, but died suddenly.

The nice thing with Cattleya is they have a rhyzome so if one bulb gets a problem you can cut it away and still have an orchid left.

You couldn't be more right. That's the problem I had.

Can't ever do that with a phalaenopsis.

Usually that's true, but I've had phalaenopsis branch. It hasn't happened for me often, and only on very large plants.

Great thread btw. Already glad I never got a walkeriana

Ohhh, but you just have not yet realized that you neeeeeeed a walkeriana.

I love them, but they were not flowering for me for several years.

-Keith

---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

************************************************** ****

Originally Posted by DeaC

All Catts. hate me. My success is abysmal. And I don't give up easily.

Sometimes I think orchid hobbiests have to be a bit autistic to be succesful.

-Keith

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

Do your walkers put out two new growths on their stems every year?

Speculating, I'd guess that this could be caused by irregular day-length from artificial lights or a temperature increase, or light level decrease moving from outdoors into the greenhouse. In nature, walkers tend to get more light in the fall as deciduous trees lose their leaves.

The ones that don’t bloom put out 2 or so growths a year. The blooming ones grow more slowly. The blooming ones also both seem to bloom in the dead of winter around late January.

Carmela and Estrela de Colina for example circa 01/14/21

[BrassavolaStars]

Not to change the topic, but the orchids that really won’t bloom for me are Oncidiums and Paphs.

Additionally, the Oncidiums die on me when the Paphs generally don’t. Especially the odder Oncidiums like those Trichopilias. I have killed more Trichopilias than anything else besides Phals.

Also, I have had an Osmoglossum puchellum for years which has done nothing and a Sharry Baby that bloomed once and hasn’t since 4 years ago.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by BrassavolaStars

The ones that don’t bloom put out 2 or so growths a year. The blooming ones grow more slowly. The blooming ones also both seem to bloom in the dead of winter around late January.

Carmela and Estrela de Colina for example circa 01/14/21

Love the photos!



It sounds like the two that don't bloom may be put out an extra vegetative growth instead. That suggests that the flowers weren't set just before the second round of growths/spikes started growing, which would, perhaps, September-October-November. Out of curiosity, does that roughly correspond with when you move them into the greenhouse?


-Keith

[YetAnotherOrchidNut]

Originally Posted by BrassavolaStars

Not to change the topic, but the orchids that really won’t bloom for me are Oncidiums and Paphs.

Additionally, the Oncidiums die on me when the Paphs generally don’t. Especially the odder Oncidiums like those Trichopilias. I have killed more Trichopilias than anything else besides Phals.

Also, I have had an Osmoglossum puchellum for years which has done nothing and a Sharry Baby that bloomed once and hasn’t since 4 years ago.

Weird. I wonder what you are doing wrong, I found of almost all the plants I have grown oncidiums are the easiest to grow (besides a few Dendrobiums that are like weeds) and the quickest to flower. I grow in my living room with low humidity and bottom heat as my plants are directly on a heater bench. The oncidiums love it, I just use fine bark, water weekly, and sometime spritz them when the top layer looks too dry during the week. Are they growing pups at the same time but not flowering at all? Maybe too high nitrogen?

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by BrassavolaStars

The ones that don’t bloom put out 2 or so growths a year. The blooming ones grow more slowly. The blooming ones also both seem to bloom in the dead of winter around late January.

Carmela and Estrela de Colina for example circa 01/14/21

Ironically, two of my walkers already spiked early this year. Initially I thought it was a fluke, then it occurred to me that there may be a reason or reasons.

Artificially shortened days: There is a dense line of trees along the east side of my property. They effectively delay the sunrise by about 20 minutes. Likewise, my new greenhouse is on the west side of the house. This may have the same effect, except that sundown comes earlier.

Light intensity: I began rolling back my shade cloth about six weeks ago. I rolled it back on the east end first to increase light levels for the first couple hours after dawn (my thread about shade cloth and light levels was made later when I began contemplating rolling it back along the roof).

-Keith