Cattleya (Hsin Buu Lady) won't bloom

[Maryanne]

Hello-
I also have L. Hsin Buu Lady and it is mounted on an oak stick. (The roots want plenty of air.) It's been mounted at least 6 or 7 years. I treat it like my 12 year old L. anceps. It's the "Freeze it and fry it" method. Outside all summer in full sun with lots of water and generous fertilizer. Inside the teeny g'house by the first week of October, which is kept cold! Temps fall to lower 40s in the Fall/Winter. Decreasing the water and no fertilizer. (Maybe some seaweed occasionally) The setting of spikes actually happens in late summer and they gradually develop over months. Hsin Buu Lady blooms for me much later than L. anceps...Anceps in January/February and Lady in spring.

Good luck!
Maryanne

[Possum-Pie]

Originally Posted by Maryanne

Hello-
I also have L. Hsin Buu Lady and it is mounted on an oak stick. (The roots want plenty of air.) It's been mounted at least 6 or 7 years. I treat it like my 12 year old L. anceps. It's the "Freeze it and fry it" method. Outside all summer in full sun with lots of water and generous fertilizer. Inside the teeny g'house by the first week of October, which is kept cold! Temps fall to lower 40s in the Fall/Winter. Decreasing the water and no fertilizer. (Maybe some seaweed occasionally) The setting of spikes actually happens in late summer and they gradually develop over months. Hsin Buu Lady blooms for me much later than L. anceps...Anceps in January/February and Lady in spring.

Good luck!
Maryanne

Thanks Maryanne. I put it out on the "sunroom" table. That room gets lots of light all year round, but does go into the low 50s at night. Perhaps a bit of temperature stress may help it.

[malteseproverb]

Possum, cattleyas will only bloom from new growth so if it didn't put out new growth in the past year you can't expect it to bloom, unfortunately. I live in PA and have bloomed plenty of catts by keeping them in eastern window sills but I don't use curtains. If your phals are blooming and not burning while sitting next to your cattleya, then you need to up your light for the cattleya. How far away is this table from the window? Something else that was mentioned is to make sure it gets enough water in the spring and summer. Catts can dry out but do so much better when they get some extra water when the sun is strong.

[Possum-Pie]

Originally Posted by malteseproverb

Possum, cattleyas will only bloom from new growth so if it didn't put out new growth in the past year you can't expect it to bloom, unfortunately. I live in PA and have bloomed plenty of catts by keeping them in eastern window sills but I don't use curtains. If your phals are blooming and not burning while sitting next to your cattleya, then you need to up your light for the cattleya. How far away is this table from the window? Something else that was mentioned is to make sure it gets enough water in the spring and summer. Catts can dry out but do so much better when they get some extra water when the sun is strong.

My eastern window has trees in front, but my southern windows get plenty of sun. My Phals are not stressed from the full sun, maybe the Cattelya needs supplemental grow light. I water weakly/weekly and it is in woodchips. Never looks leathery or dehydrated. Looks as healthy as when I bought it a year ago, but no sign of blooms. BTW my Miltonia that I bought at the same time looks great...but no sign of it blooming this year either. It gets less light, and is 2ft away from the window instead of on the sill like the Cattelya