Vexing Catasetum Monnierara Millennium Magic 'Witchcraft'

[MJG]

This is my first catasetum and it's causing me heartburn. I started a thread about it in June and received lots of help. I could use another round of help now please.

First. It went from fully leafed out to having just a single leaf about 6 weeks ago. For 6 weeks it's looked like the pic below. One leaf. It didn't flower.

For the last 6 weeks I've been watering it like I don't know whether it's dormant or not. I give it a little bit of water 2-3 times a week. I don't soak it, just keep its roots from drying completely out. It gets some late afternoon sun, nothing too intense. At what point do I declare this to be dormant and stop watering altogether? It seems too early in the year from everything I read. But I don't want to rot the roots by watering it when the leaves are mostly gone.

Second question. The 2nd picture shows a little nub that I found today when I was gently picking around its base to see if it has any live roots left. What is it?? Could it be a flower spike?

What should I do with this plant? Thank you.

[estación seca]

I would keep watering as you are, and give it as much warmth as you can. I think that's likely a new growth but I'm not sure. As it grows roots you will water more and more.

[MJG]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would keep watering as you are, and give it as much warmth as you can. I think that's likely a new growth but I'm not sure. As it grows roots you will water more and more.

Wow. By a new grow, do you mean a new bulb?? That would mean there's been no dormancy period between bulbs. Or do catasetums sometimes produce sequential bulbs in the same year?

[DirtyCoconuts]

A pbulb of that size should flower. That’s odd. The dropping of leaves is not

I think this is a situation where it is good to see what the “book” says to do. That would be, reduce watering until oct and then stop (adjusting the normal December cal two months early for this early dormancy) and wait for next year.


I grow these plants very differently from most people so I can comment on why yours didn’t bloom but I would treat this new growth like any other and wait until it is a bit bigger and then water away.

I don’t think this is a spike

[estación seca]

They regularly make more than one new growth, which develops into a pseudobulb, per season, if temperatures and water are correct. Not every species, but many hybrids.

[isurus79]

New growth. By looking at that pot and media, it probably gets too dry, which triggered dormancy. This is the perfect time to repot into something more water retentive. Hopefully the heat and long days of of summer can rush this new growth along before it gets chilly up there. You can either keep it dry until the roots lengthen or keep watering at this time of year.

[MJG]

Originally Posted by isurus79

New growth. By looking at that pot and media, it probably gets too dry, which triggered dormancy. This is the perfect time to repot into something more water retentive. Hopefully the heat and long days of of summer can rush this new growth along before it gets chilly up there. You can either keep it dry until the roots lengthen or keep watering at this time of year.

The potting medium is 50% sphagnum and 50% bark mix. When I soak it, it stays pretty wet for a few days, but not wringing wet.

During its high growing cycle are you supposed keep it WET all of the time? I let it go moist before I soaked it wet again.

Thanks.

---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

PS: I subscribed to your YouTube channel a couple of days ago after watching all of your videos about the PET method. When I get a little more comfortable with catasetums I intent to try it out.

[Roberta]

I water the heck out of my Catasetinae all summer. (After hearing a talk from Fred Clarke, I hear his "Water like a monsoon" echoing in my ears) Somewhere around October (or for some as late as December) when leaves start to yellow a bit, I start cutting back. For those that haven't gone dormant by January, I stop watering anyway and push them to dormancy.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by MJG

The potting medium is 50% sphagnum and 50% bark mix. When I soak it, it stays pretty wet for a few days, but not wringing wet.

During its high growing cycle are you supposed keep it WET all of the time? I let it go moist before I soaked it wet again.

Thanks.

---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

PS: I subscribed to your YouTube channel a couple of days ago after reading all of your videos about the PET method. When I get a little more comfortable with catasetums I intent to try it out.

Excellent! Let me know if you ever have questions!

And yes, my plants are permanently soaked from the time they get watered in the spring/summer until the time I back off watering in October-ish! This group has a very different watering and growth cycle compared to most other orchids.

[MJG]

Originally Posted by isurus79

New growth. By looking at that pot and media, it probably gets too dry, which triggered dormancy. This is the perfect time to repot into something more water retentive. Hopefully the heat and long days of of summer can rush this new growth along before it gets chilly up there. You can either keep it dry until the roots lengthen or keep watering at this time of year.

I took your advice and repotted into pure sphagnum in a more water retentive pot (plastic, not the ceramic pot in the pictures). I was able to see the roots and the new little pbulb.

Based on the current state of things, I could use some more input.

Our days have already grown shorter and cooler. I brought this plant inside, set it on a heat mat and put it under a HPS light. Seeing the little pbulb starting, I'm trying to fake it into thinking it's growing season. Is this a good or bad idea?

Here is what the overall plant looks like:



Here are a couple of close-ups of the roots and new little pbulb:





The pseudobulb is putting out roots! Should I treat this like we're heading into spring, especially with the artificial heat and warm bright grow light? How much should I be watering (or not?) now.

Thanks!