Phals and Catts

[Optimist]

Catts can be "ignored" far more than other orchid types. They need less water, less humidity, less fertilizer than many other orchids.

Regular sized Catts can get rather large, but so can other house plants. It really depends on what style of a collector you decide to be. Some people want hundreds of plants, some are happy with only a few. I personally decided to reduce my collecting habit a bit because my lifestyle does not really need an hour a day of plant watering.

I personally like larger plants.

[RandomGemini]

Ok, I'm sold. I need a few mini catts!! Now, to find a few that I like...

[Corsetière]

I have a big Catt and it is doing great inside my house. It is a real space hog but it's just such a robust interesting looking plant that I don't mind it's sprawling size. I've actually had much more positive results with Catts than Phals in my growing conditions.

[RandomGemini]

I'm limited on space. I have one shelving unit, and I want to space out when I have plants in bloom. There seem to be a lot of catts that are winter bloomers. As far as the big, showy plants, I have three large Oncidium hybrids and room for about three more plants of that size. I'd rather have six compact plants.

Humidity here is really low, it's worse since I grow indoors. I can get it up to 50% but more than that requires terrarium growing. Oh wow, this might be a really good fit for me! So excited!

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

I'm limited on space. I have one shelving unit, and I want to space out when I have plants in bloom. There seem to be a lot of catts that are winter bloomers. As far as the big, showy plants, I have three large Oncidium hybrids and room for about three more plants of that size. I'd rather have six compact plants.

Humidity here is really low, it's worse since I grow indoors. I can get it up to 50% but more than that requires terrarium growing. Oh wow, this might be a really good fit for me! So excited!

I absolutely understand the excitement about their not needing as much care, I could tend well to these!!!

It makes me sad that they don't flower longer however and that they only flower from new growths. Of course you have Phals that MIGHT give you two spikes, perhaps three if you're lucky, but compared to the plant their flowers stand out and they last the longest. Whereas the Catts will get bigger and while having more flowers probably than when they're small my question became, "So what about the growing part so the plant that "don't do anything"? I almost feel bad saying this as though I discriminate, but what can you do!

The other thing though that I try to remember is that it's not like blooming trees in the spring; the whole thing blossoms and the whole thing stops about the same time some couple of weeks later (I'm thinking about my lovely Magnolia tree, lol). Whereas, the particular plant I picked out has 4 open flowers at the moment with more 3-6 buds hanging out and looking around I found probably 3-6 more buds coming up from new growths. So if you think 2-3 the flowers live, then the buds take some time to open, so now you've got 2-3 weeks all over again a week later! That is if I've got this right. Lol.

I got some new Phals (so pretty, I gotta get pics up) that are in flower (had to!) with a budded spike yet to open. SO those flowers opening later will prolong the overall flowering time! (A little math helps everybody...) And that was what I looked for when I dug through the Catts in the Greenhouse, plants with flowers, but with buds and new growth as well. As opposed to smaller plants with flowers on all their new growth.

[RandomGemini]

That was a very good idea, IMO. My daughter got a cattleya last fall and it's very pretty, but she didn't look for a plant that was just budding, this one was in full bloom, so we didn't get to enjoy it for very long.

This is hers: Potinara Chief Sweet Orange:



My photo doesn't do the colors on this justice. The lip is a very deep purple. Really lovely flower.

I'm considering trading some of the phals out for more paphs. I have two and I love the leaves on them. They're more interesting to look at when they're not in bloom. This is one of my paphs when I got it back in December.



They're more work than phals, but not by much. They do need a good watering twice weekly, fertilize once weekly, weakly, repot at least yearly, because they like fresh medium and that's about it. Not too bad on the time needed to keep them happy compared to some other plants I have tried.

I have a dracula lotax that I mist several times a day, if I forget about it for a day it pouts and leaves die. Talk about fussy!

[Optimist]

Catt family plants also include plants having many small flowers rather than one large. And the brassovolas, encyclias, epidendrums, lalias, and others.

[RandomGemini]

More to research! Thanks!

[plantbuddy]

Hah!

I can reply to this one. I have an east facing plant window and my favourite plants are mini-catts.

Some require less light that it supplies, but during the winter months the cold coming off the window affects them detrimentally. They lose roots and go dormant. Maybe 10'C at night for months.

During the summer they need shade and grow exceptionally well.

I'll have to work on heat supplementation during the cold periods and increase their growth. Nothing stopping them.

[heatherb]

Thanks for the help!