Sophrolaeliocattleya Hsin Buu Lady Hardly Any growth in the past year

[glassfern53]

Hello Everyone, I'm a real "newbie" when it comes to orchids. I bought the above named orchid from a very reputable orchid dealer and it was supposed to be of "blooming size" when it was purchased (one year ago.)

In this past year it has put out two long new leaves. What I thought was a flower bud in the center of the plant when I bought it turned out to be a broken leaf. The entire plant hasn't grown at all, only the two new leaves.

I planted it in large chunk bark and give it ice cubes twice a week. It sits in a west window and the leaves are not a bright green, more of a muted, faint yellowish mixed with green.

I have Phaelenopsis that are growing huge and have sent out flower stakes.

I'm using orchid fertilizer on all the plants ... weak strength, every other week.

Are Cattleyas so slow growing? I'm 65 and wonder if I'll see a flower before I die... LOL.

[Leafmite]

Cattleyas need more light than Phals. In the colder months of the year, I grow them in a South-facing window and in the summer, they go outside (gradually introduced to the light so they don't burn) where they get direct light all morning and bright shade at noon until late afternoon.
Cattleyas also need fertilizer (half the recommended dose) and an extra source of Calcium (for healthy new growth).
Re-potting these is usually done when new growth begins, before roots develop.
As for watering, it is best to use room-temperature water as colder water stresses plants. The ice-cube technique was developed, I think, to prevent people from killing their orchids by rotting out the roots or giving their Phals crown rot. Many people have trouble figuring out how to water Phals.
Hope this helps!

[silken]

Welcome to Orchid Board.
A picture of the pot and plant would help. But as mentioned, ice cubes is not a good way to water any orchid. They are tropical plants that never see ice or snow. New bark is not good for holding moisture so I suspect if you are not giving it a good flush with room temp water on a regular basis, it is likely slowly dying of thirst. You can post a picture after 5 posts , so make a few more comments on this or other threads and then post a small picture for us to look at. Tips for posting Photos

[glassfern53]

I truly appreciate your suggestions. I will try to post a picture after I continue posting.

[Optimist]

It could be that your cattleya is still a juvenile. It takes several years to bud the first time. I have a few I got as "seedlings" that have leaves 12" long that have not yet bloomed and others that have. There is also a large size range in cattleyas. The non-miniature plants get very large.

Another situation may be that cattleyas need nearly full "outside" light to bloom. Is yours in your house? If you are giving the cattleya the same light as the phal it will not bloom. Just as there are low light and high light plants, there are high and low light orchids. (The same goes for other plants too, if you plant Iris in the shade, you will not get flowers). Phalenopsis and paphiopedalums need low light, but cattleyas need about the highest light available for an orchid. So, if you have a porch or a tree with about 25% shading (the moving leaves of a tree are great for this) you should see a bloom. Also all of mine bloom in the winter, I do not know about yours but fall-winter is about average bloom time for cats. Phals on the other hand are spring bloomers, so you have blooms now. So give more light, water well and make sure you have good drainage and in November you may see blooms.

P.S. Ice cubes are not supposed to be used to water orchids. I know that there is a company that states this. This is a way to convince people that orchids are easy to care for. Most people get good results with phals for a while, but then the ice cubes kill the roots. The American Orchid Society, and other orchid societies recommend flooding the pot so that it drains freely (over a basin) to remove toxic salts. Tepid or room temperature water is recommended temperature to water with. These are plants that come from Borneo, the Philippines, Madagascar, Africa, they do not come from the Arctic or any place where their cells would be developed to handle cold or ice water. 62 degrees F is about as cold as they can handle (the phals) without cellular death beginning).

[Cntry]

I can also tell you no ice cubes at all. I killed my first Phal by using ice on it. My brand was called " Just Add Ice" and that is what they tell you to do. Which is so wrong. Use warm water let it run only into the media your using and not on the crown of your orchid. Let the water run completely through the pot and coming out the bottom for a few minutes. You can even let it soak in a little water if its really dry but not to long. Water your orchid in the morning so it has time to dry before night fall. Happy Growing!

[Pat'sCatt's]

And you are only 65, so you will see lots and lots of flowers on your Cattleya with all the good care tips from the other members! And if you are ready please post a picture, love to see your Catt!

[silken]

I'm also curious how you are fertilising this one if you only water with ice cubes? is it mixed into water and then frozen into ice cubes? A picture would definitely help.