Bloom Watch - Black Pearl

[Roberta]

When in active growth, Catestetinae are "hungry" - they want lots of light (make their carbs by photosynthesis) and can utilize lots more fertilizer than most orchids. Fertilizer isn't "food" (the plant takes care of its own carbs), it's "vitamins", minerals that help the plant grow new tissue. Which unlike most orchids which are slow-growing (producing new tissue slowly), Catasetinae reinvent themselves every year - growth pattern is more like a tomato plant than an orchid, they grow so fast that you can almost watch them do it. Fred Clarke (Sunset Valley Orchids) increases the amount of daily (with watering) fertilizer that his plants get. I can't do that so I supplement the "regular" fertilizer that they get with a top dressing of a time-release fertilizer (amount released increases with temperature). In the US some brands are Osmoctde, Nutricote, Dynamite. I am sure that there are EU equivalents. So not particularly precise, but these rapidly-growing plants get the extra nutrients that they need, without making me work harder. (They also want lots of water in the growth phase... I don't think that you can overwater a plant in this group while it is vigorously growing)

Also check out the videos from isurus79 on the PET method - another approach to giving Catasetinae the extra boost that they need.

Just a slightly off-topic FYI, I also use a top dressing of time-release fertilizer on my Cymbidiums in the spring for the same reason - they're growing fast and are large.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by tmoney

not expecting any blooms this year from our poor babies. honestly feeling defeated when we look at pics

Sounds like you'll be getting flowers very soon! With these sorts of plants - they can handle some serious sun. And when their growing activity is in full swing - you can just keep that media nice and moist. And just apply fertiliser as usual. The high lighting level really bumps up the chance of flowering ----- production of flower spikes.

Even if not fully sun-hardened (the leaves) ------ a large plant can casually shrugs off some leaf scorch when transferred to full sun. That is - it might get leaf scorch - but it will just keep growing and keep going.

When I had the bulk of my plants under bright lighting conditions - but shaded from full sun - not much activity with spiking. But ------ when I transferred the bulk of them to full sun --- they all produced flower spikes. There was a very clear pattern. And they can seriously handle full sun. Even quite intense sun.

Also - when the plants are out 'early' ----- as in they get sun-hardened earlier in the season --- they may not even get leaf-scorch at all. And they will very likely flower when provided with a substantial amount of light.

[nemesis]

GOOD-NESS!!!![/COLOR]

[Leareu]

Woahhhhhhhhh

AWESOME