Pot. Love Passion - Blooming cycle tips?

[alexharisiadis]

Hi gang,

I have a Pot. Love Passion unifoliate cattleya ("Orange Bird" variety, I believe) that I acquired in spring 2015 and I could use some tips and information about this particular plant's blooming cycles. There is not a ton of readily available information about this particular plant.

At the time I got the plant, it had two spikes in bud and I had it located in a western exposure in my apartment at the time. Since then, it lived in a northern exposure in my current building from June 2015 until Feb. 2016. From then on, it has been in a southern exposure with my Blc. Waianae Leopard 'Ching Hua', a Sweet Ears oncidium, my Psychopsis Mendenhall, and a recently acquired Banfieldara Mystic Maze.

The Pot. has not bloomed since that time. It has grown 5 new bulbs and sheaths during the time I've owned it, but two of those sheaths apparently burned and turned black, one simply dried up, and one is currently healthy looking but isn't doing much. The healthy sheath actually came out of a pbulb with two leaves, and I just noticed that another lead is emerging from this particular pbulb.

So, this leads me to wonder with so much activity in terms of bulb production, why hasn't this guy bloomed yet and how long can it take to develop flowers? I'll note that the Blc. currently has a full sheath with buds inside. One additional note is that the plant is probably due for a repotting, because the newest lead's roots are growing over the edge of the pot.

Thanks!

[estación seca]

If it's in a warm south window, the likeliest reason for shoots or sheaths turning black is not enough water. Cattleyas need plentiful water when developing shoots and flowers.

[alexharisiadis]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If it's in a warm south window, the likeliest reason for shoots or sheaths turning black is not enough water. Cattleyas need plentiful water when developing shoots and flowers.

Ah, understood. That's a simple enough fix. I've always been sensitive to over-watering cattleyas because my understanding was, when in doubt, to wait to water one more day until the medium is rather dry.

The current black sheath makes sense because I did have a family emergency recently that kept me out of town for almost two weeks and when I returned, I noticed the one sheath had started to blacken.

[Optimist]

Thinking aloud. So you are getting a sheath, so that is the first step in the flowering sequence. That means that the plant hormone florigen has been initiated. So why does it abort the sequence? Florigen is initiated by the photoreceptive period, and temprature. And you say the other cattleya types are blooming well enough. Mystery. Since most cattleyas originate from near the equator, there is less importance to photoreceptive period, and more emphasis on tempreture. Many growers will cool down/chill the orchids to get them to flower. If in an apartment and exactly the same temp, day in and out-- Maybe this particular plant is more sensitive, and must be cooled down. Possibly stick in refrigerator for a while? I know people who have greenhouses who do have refrigerators for orchids. Lets see... (thinking)...

The typical reason for not blooming or giving an "empty sheath" is not enough light. 2000 to 3000 footcandles are needed. One experience I have had is with Iris. I planted them under a tree in the shade, and they did not give me any flowers, but they grew well (vegetative growth). Once I moved them into full sun, they started to produce flowers. I wonder if this is something similar.

[alexharisiadis]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Thinking aloud. So you are getting a sheath, so that is the first step in the flowering sequence. That means that the plant hormone florigen has been initiated. So why does it abort the sequence? Florigen is initiated by the photoreceptive period, and temprature. And you say the other cattleya types are blooming well enough. Mystery. Since most cattleyas originate from near the equator, there is less importance to photoreceptive period, and more emphasis on tempreture. Many growers will cool down/chill the orchids to get them to flower. If in an apartment and exactly the same temp, day in and out-- Maybe this particular plant is more sensitive, and must be cooled down. Possibly stick in refrigerator for a while? I know people who have greenhouses who do have refrigerators for orchids. Lets see... (thinking)...

The typical reason for not blooming or giving an "empty sheath" is not enough light. 2000 to 3000 footcandles are needed. One experience I have had is with Iris. I planted them under a tree in the shade, and they did not give me any flowers, but they grew well (vegetative growth). Once I moved them into full sun, they started to produce flowers. I wonder if this is something similar.

While I am open to all possibilities, the significant fact is that the Blc. and the Pot. sit right next to each other on the same windowsill and have more or less the same watering and feeding regime. But one is definitely going to flower this season and the other seems relegated to vegetative growth as you noted.