cattleya - how to tell if it previously bloomed

[SamandAnne]

Hello,

I have a new cattleya slc best friend 'cleopatra' orchid, purchased with two blooms about two weeks ago. There are 5 stems on this orchid, with the 1 tallest stem blooming. How can I tell if the shorter stems have bloomed previously, or if these will bloom in the future? (I forgot to ask the grower when I purchased it at the Orchid Society of Western PA Orchid Show).

The tall stem that's blooming has a dried leaf sheath surrounding the base of the flower spike. Some of the smaller stems also have this dried sheath leaf at the junction of their leaves. I can try to post a photo later on. Thank you for your help!

[buckie]

Ok, there is no clear cut answer to this, I would say that the back growth's won't flower now if they havn't before, look for a stem coming out of the old sheath's, if there isn't any then it's a good chance that this is it's first flowering, ( does this matter to you? ) In the future you will probley get a new growth with a sheath, if this doesn't develop buds don't panic, LEAVE the sheath alone and wait, sometimes this can take 12 mth's and a new growth and then the old sheath and new can flower together. There are some many things that can effect this, new owner = different conditions.

Warren

PS. hope this has been some help, just contact me if you need more help.

[orchidsamore]

Cattleya grow in one direction along a rhizome.

The smallest pseudobulb is the oldest and they go from there.

Your photo looks like you have one aborted sheat (the second youngest) and the most current in bloom.

If it had flowered before you would find a dried stem in the second youngest which is the previous flowering.

All flowering will come from the newest growth. As soon as these flowers die you should see new growth start out of the base of the current pseudobulb in bloom and new roots should start from the base of the new growth.

The dried sheat will not bloom. The plant was too young when it formed and it aborted. This happens on most young Cattleya. You can expect every new growth to flower from now on. Old sheats can flower as late as a year after forming but I never see it happen if a younger pseudobulb flowers first as your's has.

Sophronitis which is the S in Slc like to grow a little cooler than other Cattleya alliance orchids but Best Friend is one of the easier ones to grow and you do not need to do anything special for it.

[SamandAnne]

Great, thank you very much for your answer. Being a beginner, I assumed the older growth was the tallest, but you tell me it's actually the other way around! That will be good to know when it comes time to repot this orchid, to give more space for new growth in by the tallest one. I'm glad to hear this is one of the easiest to grow, this is our second orchid after purchasing a phal a few months ago.

Thank you again for your help, I think I understand now how this orchid grows and blooms.