More Catasetum Questions

[Chlorophile]

I'm really finding catasetums interesting, they seem so different from every other orchid (granted, every other orchid to me is a phal). What I can't seem to find out is what happens to the old psuedobulbs. What I understand is that each year the orchid produces a new psuedobulb and the leaves and flowers come from this new growth. Do the old bulbs do anything or do they just act as nutrient storage? Can you remove an old bulb and plant it and start a new orchid and if so, why would it flower and produce leaves as a new plant but it won't if it stays attached to the other bulbs?

[jcec1]

Yes the old pseudobulbs act as a nutrient reservoir for the new bulb. This is extremely important since they have a dry dormant period and start producing new growth before the rains come in their natural habitat.

I have used back bulbs (older growths) to produce new plants. They will have dormant eyes that will produce new growth if the lead growth is removed. There will be an inhibitory hormone(s) produced by the lead growth that suppress the dormant eyes (like when you pinch out the growth point of a plant it will then produce side shoots).

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Many Catasetinators recommend leaving 3-4 pseudobulbs per clump when dividing. Such plants grow and flower without setback. Single-pseudobulb divisions may not grow as well for the first year, and there is a chance they will not grow at all.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Chlorophile

Do the old bulbs do anything or do they just act as nutrient storage?

A few years late here ------ but it is a good question - and I can say that they don't necessarily just act as nutrient storage.

One of my Fdk. After Dark (hybrid type catasetum) only started to produce a flower spike ----- not from this current growing season's green leafy bulbs ------ but instead is producing a flower spike from one of last season's bulbs. It is expected to be like an 'SVO Black Pearl' in shape and colour --- the flowers that is ----- except it's not an 'SVO Black Pearl'.

So - basically, I was expecting a spike to come from the large bulb (still with leaves) from this season's growth. However, the spike is clearly coming from last season's leafless bulb.

I will later take some pics to show what I mean.

[SouthPark]

Just uploading those pics now. The Fdk. After Dark is in the black coloured plastic pot.

There are two bulbs from this season. The bulb with the dried up remnants of leaves from the previous growing season developed a spike. And during all this time, I was looking out for spikes to come out of this year's bulbs ----- especially the fairly big bulb from this growing season.

This Fdk. has been growing in 100% scoria for approximately 2 years ----- could be more than that. I just water it every morning - with a garden hose. And I give it weak fertiliser and weak mag-cal ----- once a month.

[ap_orchid]

Hi all. I've been trying to find out more about catasetum pseudobulbs to no avail and I finally came across this forum =))

I have a Fdk. After Dark Black Pearl close to 3 years now and it is the first time the plant is blooming.

On top of the usual shrivelling, 3 smaller pseudobulbs went totally dry and yellowed over a couple of weeks. Is that normal for smaller pseudobulbs to get totally spent and die out?

I'm afraid the whole plant will run out of energy and die. I have tried watering it, but it does not seem to help.

In previous years, this orchid would have keikis and shrivel but I have never lost any pseudobulb.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by ap_orchid

On top of the usual shrivelling, 3 smaller pseudobulbs went totally dry and yellowed over a couple of weeks.

It can happen. The colony might even be directing the energy of those older small ones to the production of the spike and buds. It will be fine.

Just avoid having the roots and base of bulbs cold AND wet for relatively long periods of time. As your orchid has so many bulbs, just allow the orchid to keep developing the buds without moving or touching it too much.

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

You should not be watering your Fdk... wait for the new growth. Losing those small, old pseudobulbs is, I think, just force of nature. The plant is done with them. If it is blooming, it is fine (Some of these do bloom while they are dormant) If they don't drop leaves, dormancy needs to be forced by stopping the water (like now, or better about a month ago)
Do check out the culture notes from Sunset Valley Orchids (owner Fred Clarke, the namesake of the genus Fredclarkeara, the origininator of Fdk. After Dark) Catasetinae Culture

There are also a lot of notes in the Catasetinae sub-forum. Enjoy!

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