a mounted Catasetum experiment.

[DirtyCoconuts]

last year, jerk face lizards ate all the spikes on my entire catasetum collection.

i had one plant, Monn millenium withcraft which had 4 spikes eaten....i was particularly upset about that one.

for some reason I chose that plant for this experiment.


i do not call this concluded as this season is not over and i do not know if it will flower which will be a huge factor in evaluating the experiment.

I feel that it is a failure already since the pbulb last year was 14" long and none of this years are even close to that...but it is a drastically different culture and there are three growths instead of one.


i will say for sure...the plant likes to grab the mount and look for water...the Areca palm totem is great

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr




i have a basket of leca, sphag and rockwool around the base of the plant and i water it daily (ish)


more pics once it stops raining

[Roberta]

It's gotta love that rain!

[DirtyCoconuts]

here is the plant in totu

note the massive pbulb coming at the camera from last year...i think all three of the new ones miiiight add up to that size but i dont believe that is how the process works.

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


i will be continuing this and maybe making another mount with a cyno instead of a monn

[Roberta]

That looks to me like a happy plant! Hey, don't forget, Catasetinae species in nature are epiphytes. Growing on trees. They grow in climates where rain is very seasonal - dry, bright winters and monsoonal summers. South Florida may not get as dry as the habitat, but I think that some seasons get a lot more rain than others, right?

[DirtyCoconuts]

Correct. The winter is decidedly drier. I will move it out from under the palm tree to full sun then. Good thinking

[isurus79]

Looks pretty happy!

[estación seca]

Your climate is almost exactly what they get in nature, except you can get a little colder in winter.

[SouthPark]

Excellent growth!

[DirtyCoconuts]

i am not calling this a success...BUT, with a full period of growing new leads (x3) and now spiking....a mounted cat is a proven working concept (proof of concept stage) and i HIGHLY encourage other, smarter and better orchid growers to try it so i can copy your improvements


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

[Roberta]

I would definitely call it success! There is no reason why a Catasetum wouldn't grow mounted as long as gets adequate water and humidity - you have plenty of both! That's how they grow in nature...nobody puts them in pots in the jungle! The "secret sauce" is in your signature...Or, Location, Location, Location.