Cattleya Sheath-No Spike Yet

[kcole321]

I have 2 mini-catts that both developed a flower sheath about 2 months ago. The sheaths seem like they are starting to turn brown, but there's no sign of a spike developing inside. How long should I expect it to take before I can detect a flower spike? These chids summer outside and then go down the basement under T5 lights. Temps are cool. I allow the medium to dry between waterings and fertilize weakly weekly with a bloom booster fertilizer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. These are my first catts.

Thanks

KC

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Some catts will make a sheath, but the buds won't start to develop for maybe a couple of months. Don't remove the sheath unless there is signs of mold. I learned this the hard way and removed the sheath of my C. Loddiaca and the buds died before they had a chance to develop!

[Orchid126]

Catt sheaths can take forever before buds come. They can fool you and dry out, making you think they are dead, when in reality they're playing hide-and-seek. Sometimes they pop buds right after the sheath forms and sometimes buds come without a sheath. Some buds come depending on the length of day, either short or long. Go figure. Much patience is needed. Don't ever cut off a sheath, no matter how dry or how long it's been on the plant.

[tucker85]

I agree with both the other posts. Cattleyas can do all kinds of crazy things with sheaths. Buds can form in sheaths right away or several months later. They can form in green sheaths or dried brown sheaths. sometimes no buds will ever form in the sheaths and sometimes buds form on psuedobulbs that don't have sheaths. Don't expect buds to form in every sheath. You can have a plant with several sheaths and maybe get buds in one or two. I keep notes on when my orchids bloom so I don't waste time watching for buds when the orchid is going to bloom six months from now. Don't cut the sheaths off. Good luck.

[florafan]

Wow, good to know. I have a catt with 2 dried brown sheaths, will just wait and see what will happen.