Catasetum Flower Spike Development

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Congrats, great blooms! I think it helps orient the blooms if there is clearly darkness below them and brightness above them. I mean this in the most sincere way. I used to have my whole collection on a white table and the spikes grew into sideways, twisted monstrosities. Once I put a dark tarp under them, however, the spikes started growing out beautifully.

Ohhh, now that's a useful tidbit of information!

[WaterWitchin]

Indeed! All my Ctsm sit on a black tray, but it sure wants me to move one to a white table just to experiment.

[My Green Pets]

Could be an interesting test of the theory!

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Indeed! All my Ctsm sit on a black tray, but it sure wants me to move one to a white table just to experiment.

[mopwr]

Update: Some good news, my unnamed cycnoches hybrid has finally openned it's flowers - though the bad news is that this thing was so top heavy with flowers that it fell at one point, ejected a lot of it's pollen and lost a few flowers before I could take a picture.

Also, totally unexpected, but when I went to go check to see if I could cut back the old flower spikes off of my Fdk black pearl, I noticed that it's now sending out yet another spike - 4 now from this one bulb.

I'm going to use this as an opportunity for experimentation and I will have the spike grow with light above and a dark tablecloth underneath. We shall see how it grows this time.

[mopwr]

Ok, so these plants are so strange. That's probably why I feel so at home with them, ha.

So anyways, my other 'SVO Black Pearl' bought locally, seemed to be doing quite well, grew nice and big, and started entering dormancy all on it's own (thank goodness) and then I saw what looked like a spike forming about half way up the bulb. Figured everything seemed to be progressing like normal, all good, nothing to see here... Flowers in a month or two, yada, yada.

Then the flower spike grows a TON of roots... Then it gets pointy like a new growth, leaves start to unfurl... At this point, I'm damn near certain this is now a new growth. Now I'm starting to try and figure out what I'm going to do with a growth up this high on the plant, happening at the start of dormancy no less.

Well, after all that, it now looks like (pretty certain, though my track record isn't great right now) that it's going to be a flower spike... The strangest one I've ever seen. Adding two pictures, the first, you can see why I was certain it was a growth, and in the second you can see the darker colored cluster of buds emerging from the center.

Weird, but I guess it's doing what it's supposed to so we shall see. Who knows what I'll get out of this thing, the spike seriously is almost as thick is some of the backbulbs.

[Fuerte Rav]

Wow!
That qualifies for the 'Root Porn' thread!

I just love seeing all these different things happening with orchids - you all allow me to experience so many different orchids vicariously! Thank you.

[My Green Pets]

That is pretty weird.
Maybe it will start asking you for blood soon.

[mopwr]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

That is pretty weird.
Maybe it will start asking you for blood soon.

Ha, I like the reference. These plants are really interesting and keep me guessing. Their biology is fascinating to me.

Tangent, but did you see the thread I posted about Cattleya Rex? You're the best source of information on those I've found to date, super interested to learn more, but I've not had good luck finding any sources (other than what you've published).

[My Green Pets]

I just saw it and responded. You and me both, getting reliable information about this species in my opinion is only by talking to the Peruvian growers. The published info I've found is really scarce and with few details.

Originally Posted by mopwr

Tangent, but did you see the thread I posted about Cattleya Rex? You're the best source of information on those I've found to date, super interested to learn more, but I've not had good luck finding any sources (other than what you've published).

[mopwr]

Some updates, my Ctsm. Memoria Dorothy Wells looks like it might maybe be throwing a spike on it's second bulb after finally starting to go dormant (it really didn't want to).

On an unrelated note, I posted a second picture with what looks to me like a completely disconnected "catasetum looking" sprout, that popped up on the edge of the pot, far away from where the main growths are... Is this possibly a completely separate seedling that sprouted? It doesn't look connected to the main growth in any meaningful way.