New to Cattleyas--Beginner Questions

[Reeses]

Hi all :,

I went to my local orchid show this weekend, and decided to branch out. I picked up a couple cattleyas, and I've never had them before! I have some newbie questions.

First--light. The vendor emphasized they like bright light. I currently have them by our large southwestern window. The view is currently unencumbered, but we will eventually have a pergola to break up the summer sun. Is this bright enough, at least for now? I'm planning on summering them outside.

Second--leaves. I got my mom a C. Bright Circle (she asked for a "red one" haha). It looks like it's unifoliate. I got a BLC hybrid for myself, and it is bifoliate. Is there a difference in care?

Third--reblooming. I can see old stems from previous blooms on the C. Bright Circle. Do old growths rebloom? Or do flowers only come from new growth?

Fourth--name. The BLC I got is called Your Mine. I'm a grammar fanatic, and this is curling my toes lol. I haven't been able to find this cross listed anywhere. Does anyone know if this is a typo (either You're Mine, or maybe Yours/Mine?) or if this is the registered name?

Thanks so much!

[silken]

Originally Posted by Reeses

Hi all :,

I went to my local orchid show this weekend, and decided to branch out. I picked up a couple cattleyas, and I've never had them before! I have some newbie questions.

First--light. The vendor emphasized they like bright light. I currently have them by our large southwestern window. The view is currently unencumbered, but we will eventually have a pergola to break up the summer sun. Is this bright enough, at least for now? I'm planning on summering them outside.

Second--leaves. I got my mom a C. Bright Circle (she asked for a "red one" haha). It looks like it's unifoliate. I got a BLC hybrid for myself, and it is bifoliate. Is there a difference in care?

Third--reblooming. I can see old stems from previous blooms on the C. Bright Circle. Do old growths rebloom? Or do flowers only come from new growth?

Fourth--name. The BLC I got is called Your Mine. I'm a grammar fanatic, and this is curling my toes lol. I haven't been able to find this cross listed anywhere. Does anyone know if this is a typo (either You're Mine, or maybe Yours/Mine?) or if this is the registered name?

Thanks so much!

Congrats on giving Catts a try. First off, your window may be plenty bright. You may even have to watch and be careful not to burn the leaves until you see how they do there.

Some bi-foliates can really sulk if re-potted at the wrong time. It is best to re-pot any orchid, including Catts just when new roots are starting. When that happens can vary based on what species is in them. However if they are in a bad mix and root rot is occurring, then don't wait.

Catts only bloom from new growths.

I found your plant's name in Orchid Wiz just as you have it, Blc. Your Mine. It also goes by Rth. Your Mine. It was only registered in 2014 tho. The parents are Rth. Fuchs Orange Nuggett x Rth. Wakurdal. There are no photos in Orchid Wiz unfortuntely

[Leafmite]

Congratulations on your first Cattleyas!
I find them very easy to grow in basket pots and LECA. That way, you don't need to re-pot them every year and disturb the roots. They like extra calcium, too. I agree with Silken. It seems like you have a good spot for them and it is best to re-pot them when the roots are just starting. If the bark (?) stays too wet or doesn't look fresh, just gently remove as much as you can to help get more air to the roots, then re-pot when the new growth begins to produce roots.
Good luck!

[tucker85]

I agree with the previous posts.
1. The light in your window should be fine for now and your idea of summering outside is a good idea in my opinion.

2. True bifoliates prefer even brighter light than the unifoliate cattleyas. They are also very sensitive to repotting and they can actually die if repotted at the wrong time. They should be repotted when new roots are just starting to grow. But your orchid is a complex hybrid with at least 8 species in it's background and it probably isn't as sensitive to repotting as other bifoliates.

3. Like Silken already said, cattleyas only bloom from new growth. Old pseudo-bulbs never rebloom. If you get two new pseudo-bulbs on a single lead, during the growing season, it may only bloom on the very last one. But some cattleyas will bloom on every new pseudo-bulb, even if it's not the very last pseudo-bulb. Those are the catts that really put on a show.

4. Again, like Silken stated, the name you have is the correct spelling. You never know what the breeder might have been thinking when they registered the name. The old classification, which is still used by many growers, is Blc. Your Mine but the new classification is Rhyncattleanthe or Rth. Your Mine. The breeders name is Jeff Newman, Newman's Nursery in Hawaii. It was registered in 2014. I would expect it to be some shade of orange since one parent is Rth. Fuchs Orange Nugget. Fuchs Orange Nugget was made by Robert Fuchs and it's a very popular orchid down here in South Florida.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Reeses

Fourth--name. The BLC I got is called Your Mine. I'm a grammar fanatic, and this is curling my toes lol. I haven't been able to find this cross listed anywhere. Does anyone know if this is a typo (either You're Mine, or maybe Yours/Mine?) or if this is the registered name?

Thanks so much!

Correct grammar is not fanaticism, it's just politeness to your readers.

It would make my toes curl too.

[Raqsharqi]

Think of it as "Your (Gold or Silver) Mine! Maybe when this particular orchid bloomed, the first reaction was "Eureka! We've struck it rich!"
I'm a retired language teacher, so that would make my toes curl too! An alternate interpretation may help! ;-)

[Reeses]

Thanks for your help, everyone! I always forced myself to walk away from catts before because we didn't have enough light in our old house. But now we have a huge window overlooking a golf course. I think they'll be happy

Thanks for the tips on care, also! I will wait until they are finished blooming and are putting out new growths to repot, then. They need it, though. The medium looks okay, but both of these little guys are trying to climb up out of their pots

Originally Posted by tucker85

Again, like Silken stated, the name you have is the correct spelling. You never know what the breeder might have been thinking when they registered the name. The old classification, which is still used by many growers, is Blc. Your Mine but the new classification is Rhyncattleanthe or Rth. Your Mine. The breeders name is Jeff Newman, Newman's Nursery in Hawaii. It was registered in 2014. I would expect it to be some shade of orange since one parent is Rth. Fuchs Orange Nugget. Fuchs Orange Nugget was made by Robert Fuchs and it's a very popular orchid down here in South Florida.

Appreciate the help in figuring out the name! I had to look up what Rth. was. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on names, they go and change things haha. The coloration is interesting on this one because the mature blooms are a faint yellow with a pink tinge, and the lip is purple. The new blooms are very yellow.

The grammar of the name is going to drive me nuts! But the pretty flowers will make up for it. Deep breaths haha

[Leafmite]

I just bought Blc. Your Mine 'NIJ" at our orchid show. It was so small, cute and fragrant!

[Reeses]

Aren't they adorable? Mine is Your Mine "NW." Wonder what the cultivar name means

[silken]

So any pictures of this adorable little thing anyone????