BLC Lawless Zauberflote "Rainbow" - Orchid Board

james mickelso · #1 07-26-2013, 11:24 AM

This just opened yesterday. This will last about 2-3 weeks. This languished for years without blooming. Then I switched to a different strategy in feeding it. I change NPK ratios when the new pbulb is about half matured. It has bloomed every year since then. This orchid has a heady fragrance about mid day. I have another division from this one that has yet to bloom. So I will switch ratios for this one as it has 2 nice new pbulbs growing and is almost half grown. Not very scientific. I'm just saying.....

silken · #2 07-26-2013, 11:29 AM

Very nice. I've heard yellow Catts are harder to bloom, but don't know if it is true.

What did you do different with your NPK ratio? I have several stubborn ones that haven't bloomed despite fairly high light. I do use bloom booster when the pseudo bulbs are maturing. Maybe too late or too early, who knows.

james mickelso · #3 07-26-2013, 12:25 PM

I read an article in AOS (late 80's early 90"s) by an old grower of catts and he espoused increasing the phosphorus/potassium levels and decreasing the nitrogen levels when the pbulb was about half matured. He said that the plant was starting to initiate flower forming (I can't remember the term he used for this) at this time and a change in the ratios was the trigger. He wrote that in the wild while it rained (where the plant gets most of it's nitrogen) the ratio of N to PK was high and when it stopped raining the PK levels started to rise. The PK could build up in the detritus and dust lodging in the root mass. It's interesting that the level of dust from far off sources can impact an area like the amazon, southeast asia and even as far removed as the andes mts. And that is where most orchids are located. Dust blows all the way from africa across the atlantic to central and south America and southeast asia and india from the chinese landmass. Anyway I digress. The article went on to state that changing the ratios of N to PK at this time triggered flowering. So I've tried it and it seems to work somewhat. I have yet to try it scientifically but when I have it seemed to work. Others here have a difference of opinion (see the 'what orchids eat' thread here recently).

flexdc · #4 07-26-2013, 12:54 PM

James
Thanks for the insight. I have a Cattleya noid that all the sudden started to bloom this year. It might also be the beneficiary of this feeding regiment.
See, I thought I was feeding with a high Nitrogen orchid feeder all if last month but discovered that it was actually a bloom booster for my garden plants. I am notorious in not labeling my fertilizer containers! And it started to put out two huge buds. I will post pics when they open. Now I know that there is a scientific reason for it, and not just dumb luck lol.
Thanks
Andrew

james mickelso · #5 07-26-2013, 01:23 PM

There is a lot of controversy whether in fact changing the ratio changes the flowering. Like I said I haven't done any work regarding it. But when I have changed the food I seemed to have gotten blooms off orchids I hadn't been able to bloom before. The article was very good in explaining why and it seemed to make sense from what I understand about plant physiology. If I were more anal about keeping records and such I could better make a judgement. But I can barely keep the names of my chids right. The atmosphere is where most of the nitrogen comes from. Dust and decaying plant debris is where most of the P and K come from. So it seems to reason that when the rains diminish there is more dust and plant debris accumulating on the surface where the orchids roots are growing. I'm sure there are other avenues by which a plant can get P and K but if I can change the ratio then what the heck. I am trying to get two plants from the same compote so I can really try it out.

RosieC · #6 07-26-2013, 02:43 PM

Wonderful colour!

WhiteRabbit · #7 07-26-2013, 08:29 PM

Awesome!

james mickelso · #8 07-27-2013, 03:20 AM

Thank you. Thank you.

Picotee · #9 07-27-2013, 06:53 AM

Wow, James, that is 'no way you can ignore me' color. Just gorgeous!

tucker85 · #10 07-27-2013, 09:53 AM

Very pretty, James! Great colors! After several years of using low phosphorus (MSU) type fertilizer, I realized that I wasn't getting as many blooms as I used to, even though the plants were very healthy. Last year I used a my standard fertilizer during the summer and started alternating it with a bloom booster, starting in October. Most of my cattleyas produced more blooms than in the previous years. I know that experiments have shown that bloom booster does not initiate blooms in phalaenopsis but some of my other orchids, including my cattleyas, seem to bloom better when I use it. I know several old time orchid growers, here in South Florida, who still swear that bloom booster works for them.