Winter light requirements for Catesetums?

[Cymbaline]

My Millenium Magic Witchcraft / Catesetum lost it's leaves and it's spike after the spidermite infestation here on this thread Spider Mites on Catesetum

I hoping next year I do better for it but since it's leaves are gone, does it need the same amount of light as it did when it had leaves?

[Ray]

AOS Culture Guide

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by Ray

AOS Culture Guide

Hmm so just to be sure. The part where it says light should be strong near the end of the growth period applies to when it's not growing?

I looked at a few websites before asking here and that maybe where I'm missing the info. I was thinking that the plant is dormant so not growing and "growth cycle" doesn't apply.

LIGHT should be strong, especially near
the end of the growth period.
Early in the
annual growth cycle, plants will tolerate
less light, from 1,500 to 3,000 foot-candles.
Plants grow best with light levels of 3,000
to 6,000 foot-candles, or one-half to three fourths full sun. As pseudobulbs mature,
harden them by giving slightly more light.

[mook1178]

From my understanding and 2 years experience, light does not matter when dormant.

I have talked with people that cut roots once all leaves have fallen and placed them in a drawer, like a tulip bulb. I do not do this, but I move mine from a windowsill to a shelf that is not near a window at all. They do fine. Once I see the new growth, I'll repot and move to a window and eventually outside in full sun.

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by mook1178

From my understanding and 2 years experience, light does not matter when dormant.

I have talked with people that cut roots once all leaves have fallen and placed them in a drawer, like a tulip bulb. I do not do this, but I move mine from a windowsill to a shelf that is not near a window at all. They do fine. Once I see the new growth, I'll repot and move to a window and eventually outside in full sun.

That makes sense! Thank You. I'm probably going to place them in another location to make more room then.

[Subrosa]

You can winter them in your sock drawer. The first year I kept them was in my old house that I heated with wood. I unpotted them and hung them in foyer where the woodstove was. There were no windows there, and it was very low light.

[SaraJean]

I asked Fred Clarke about this when he was giving a talk in Mississippi a few weeks back. He said that if they can get some sort of light just to get the seasonal variation (I.e. shorter day length moving into longer days in the spring), that’s ideal, especially if you have some that are reluctant to break dormancy. However, they can and will break dormancy with no light in the winter. I kept mine in shoeboxes under my bed the last few years with no issues. They don’t fit in the shoe boxes now, so I’m keeping them in a closed up semi-see through Tupperware bin on the floor of my greenhouse this year. It will be extremely shaded but he said that would work fine.

Edit: while it’s in spike, I would still give it some light though

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

I asked Fred Clarke about this when he was giving a talk in Mississippi a few weeks back. He said that if they can get some sort of light just to get the seasonal variation (I.e. shorter day length moving into longer days in the spring), that’s ideal, especially if you have some that are reluctant to break dormancy. However, they can and will break dormancy with no light in the winter. I kept mine in shoeboxes under my bed the last few years with no issues. They don’t fit in the shoe boxes now, so I’m keeping them in a closed up semi-see through Tupperware bin on the floor of my greenhouse this year. It will be extremely shaded but he said that would work fine.

Edit: while it’s in spike, I would still give it some light though

Nice! Thank You. Yea mine lost it's spike Not sure why but fingerscrossed it will be better next year.