Why does my cattleya not flower?

[LauraN]

Do you know the name of your cattleya ? Some varieties have to be larger before they decide to bloom...
Like you I leave my roots growing outside the pot and haven't had a problem with it, as mine still bloom and grow fine that way. It actually give me a chance to see that the roots are progressing. I also mount a lot of my catts, so they get watered more often.

[Ray]

From a very basic perspective, the reasons orchids won't bloom are usually:

1. Insufficient light
2. Insufficient nutrition
3. Improper nutrition (excessive nitrogen).

I agree with King that the light level appears to be OK, but the dark green color suggests it might be low - and it is possible that some species in the hybrid's background could require that it be grown brighter.

You said "I'll try some fertilizer this year." What have you been doing about nutrition until now?

The problem is likely NOT too much nitrogen, as the leaves would be a bright, emerald green color.

[jordi]

Try to change location. My "hospital" place is near the ironing board. In the room where I also clean the clothes. It's a high humidity area and when I iron, the warm vapor helps to increase the temperature and the humidity... like a tropical forest.

Hope it will help!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Kath

I just thought I'd "put a cat amongst the pigeons": if nature put roots dangling in the air on the Cattleya, shouldn't one respect that and leave them where they are, dangling in the air!

Well the answer to this question is a bit complicated.

The simple and confusing answer is "yes and no".

Yes: technically, an orchid's roots are able to handle "dangling in the air".

But...

No: your growing environment may not favor the roots staying alive for very long if they were to be left dangling.

And...

Not all of the orchid's roots dangle in mid-air. Some do, but most are attached onto the growing substrate. In nature that would be the tree or rock (for Cattleyas).

Many of the roots that are attached onto the tree stand a better chance of surviving than the ones dangling in mid-air. The ones dangling in mid-air risk dying off if the conditions are not right or if conditions change. Dangling roots in nature also stand a higher risk of being mechanically damaged by animals passing by. The roots attached onto the tree are a bit more protected.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Kath

I'll try some fertiliser this year. Does that sound ok?

Ughh...

I didn't catch this one.

Thanks to the people who did.

So...this means you haven't been fertilizing the plant for 5 yrs?

Hun, you gotta fertilize the plant. The nutrients are what helps the plant's biological processes along. If it's malnourished it won't bloom.

Fertilizer is technically not food, but there are certain nutrients a plant needs to synthesize certain things.

For example:

Phosphorous and Nitrogen...

These are major elements in every living organism. A cell's plasma membrane (aka cell membrane) is composed of a bilayer (two layers) of a kind of fatty acid called phospholipids.

The chemical component of a phospholipid is:

1. phosphorous
2. nitrogen
3. carbon
4. hydrogen
5. oxygen

This is an image model of a phospholipid:

http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/al-saleh/P...ospholipid.jpg

This is an image model of a cell membrane:

http://www.dejacool.com/images/cell_membrane.gif

I hope this wasn't too technical.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I just found what Potassium does for plants on Wikipedia. Here it is:

"Plants require potassium ions (K+) for protein synthesis and for the opening and closing of stomata, which is regulated by proton pumps to make surrounding guard cells either turgid or flaccid. A deficiency of potassium ions can impair a plant's ability to maintain these processes.

The deficiency most commonly affects fruits and vegetables, notably potatoes, tomatoes, apples, currants, and gooseberries, and typical symptoms are brown scorching and curling of leaf tips, and yellowing of leaf veins. Purple spots may also appear on the leaf undersides.
Deficient plants may be more prone to frost damage and disease, and their symptoms can often be confused with wind scorch or drought.

Prevention and cure can be achieved in the shorter term by feeding with home-made comfrey liquid, adding seaweed meal, composted bracken or other organic potassium-rich fertilisers. In the longer term the soil structure should be improved by adding plenty of well rotted compost or manure. Wood ash has high potassium content, but should be composted first as it is in a highly soluble form."
(Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassi...ciency_(plants)

[Kath]

All that was most instructive, and although I've been fertalising them, it's probably not enough or correctly. The cyms outdoors got fed once a month, and this is the first year they're going to flower, so I'm obviously getting it right somewhere!

Thanks for your advice, and I promise I'll try and feed my 'chids more regularly!

[Kath]

By the way, I don't know if it has a name. It was just pretty! That's why I bought it!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

PS: Like LauraN mentioned, if you know the name, it could be helpful.

[Kath]

I don't know the name, but here is a pretty picture taken last year. Who knows, someone out there might be able to put a name on it - apart from NOID!