Newbie - Unable to get blooms =)

[Jessica.Durham1]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to the forum. I've had a Cattleya hybrid for over a year now, maybe even 2 years, and I have yet to get blooms or spikes at all. Surprisingly, I've had many new leaves pop up over the time I've had it. But a couple months ago, all of a sudden, leaves began turning brown and falling off without changing any of the routine. Yesterday I trimmed the dead section off, including dead roots and repotted in a smaller pot. I typically would water every 1-1.5 wks, but I've recently upped the frequency to every 3 days or so, bc the leaves seem to be shriveling a bit. The Cattleya was in a 55 gallon tank w/ a 40 watt fluorescent bulb above and located next to a big window. But I've since moved it to a bookshelf beside a window with a tray of pebbles underneath. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Without a pic it's hard to nail it down specifically, but I can say a few things...

1. It's most likely not getting enough light.

2. It was probably a good thing to increase the water to once every 3 days.

3. It was most likely unnecessary to grow it in an aquarium.

4. How certain are you that this Cattleya was blooming sized?

[Jessica.Durham1]

Well, I really don't know what qualifies as blooming size...I'm sure it isn't any longer, but before the leaves started falling off, It had about 10-15 large leaves, now I'm down to like 4 or 5 with 2 new spikes growing out of the base of one. I've attached some pics...thanks!

[Eyebabe]

It is hard to see if you have the rhysomes covered by the bark media but I would make sure they are not covered.

Most likely you have some root rot which is why the Pbulbs began dying off.
I would treat with a copper fungicide both the media and the plant...it takes about a week for the "medicine" to work.

You can actually water a cattleya as much as you want IF the roots are permitted to DRY in between watering. I think of it as a wet/dry cycle. Bark does not dry as quickly as hydroton/Prime Agra which is what I use. And for example, a mounted cattleya would dry out daily. So you have to adjust your watering to the media.

Bark is difficult to use in low humidity environments(read: a home) as the outer bark will dry(dessicating and damaging roots) when the inner bark is still wet(causing rot)....and it makes for a plant that can go downhill quickly when it goes
Bark is nicer for phals imho as they are not suppose to completely dry out in between watering. But being that it is readily available you can use it successfully if you keep in mind that cattleyas absolutely require a wet/dry cycle.


I would also soak the bark mix in some water with KLN solution. You only need about a tsp per gallon and one application is enough. This will help to stimulate root growth.
Make sure you remove the dead roots and use a rhysome clip if necessary to hold the plant in the media.
The plant will be more likely to root down if it is firmly set.

Your cattleya needs high indirect light(3000-4000 candles) and good air movement. Humidity also needs to be around 60% or more.

Furthermore, to bloom you also need diurnal temp fluctuations of almost 20 degrees. Sure you can get a bloom without the temp changes....but not as reliably or as well.

Hope that was helpful and good luck

[Jessica.Durham1]

I just read a reply where someone mentioned rooting hormones. Would this be a good idea for me...seeing as how most of the roots had rotted and I only have like 1 or 2 good roots left.

Thanks Eyebabe!!! That will definitely help...I think my biggest issue is: I've moved back home from school, where my orchids were loving really bright indirect light bouncing off white walls and a warmer room in general. And now they're stuck in a house that doesn't get great light anywhere, or good humidity, or good heat. So that was my reasoning for the aquarium, I thought it would retain some warmth better.

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by Jessica.Durham1

I just read a reply where someone mentioned rooting hormones. Would this be a good idea for me...seeing as how most of the roots had rotted and I only have like 1 or 2 good roots left.

Thanks Eyebabe!!! That will definitely help...I think my biggest issue is: I've moved back home from school, where my orchids were loving really bright indirect light bouncing off white walls and a warmer room in general. And now they're stuck in a house that doesn't get great light anywhere, or good humidity, or good heat. So that was my reasoning for the aquarium, I thought it would retain some warmth better.

I noticed you are in zone 7B!
After Mother's Day you can probably set your plant outside in a shaded area for more light...
And you are welcome, b/c I LOVE catts