Factors affecting number of buds per inflorescence

[NYCorchidman]

I think it would be better to put it this way, larger and older plants can bloom better under good culture.

With everything done right, it is still the correct light that bring out the best flowering out of plants.

No matter how old the plants are, no matter how many leads there are ( I guess you are talking about cattleyas), watering and fertilizeing done right, only higher light will bring out better flowering.

Many people here talk about plants they had for years in the wrong spots bloom poorly (if ever in the shade), but then they bloom like crazy once they are moved to a brighter spots.

Same is true for all my dendrobiums and phals. They moved from North (and north east window) to South.
It made a world of difference.

Of course, watering was done properly. Fertilizing, not so much. I am very light on fertilizing if ever.

[james mickelso]

That's the point. With good culture, all things being equal, older plants produce more flowers per inflorescence. A first or second bloom plant produces fewer flowers per inflorescence than an older more established plant. In the same light. The same watering schedule. The same fertilizer regimen. The season is simple. There is more energy as a whole in an older plant with more pbulbs than in a younger plant with fewer pbulbs. Cattleya, dendrobium, phal. Larger phals with more leaves and root mass produce inflorescences than younger plants. Phals store their energy in their root mass and leaf mass. All other factors being equal.