A question for experienced catasetum growers

[Junebug]

I've owned my Catasetum pileatum "oro verde" for a year now. This time last year she was in spike and then she sent out another spike a few weeks later. She then developed a late growth as her big bulb was loosing leaves and going dormant. I withheld water during the cooler months in spite of the new growth.

In Spring she still had leaves on her last late season growth and began sending out another new one. I repotted her when her new roots began developing. After the repot her new growth rapidly developed but the late last season growth remained stunted and it eventually shriveled and lost it's leaves.

Her new bulb has surpassed all her others in height and circumference. She gets plenty of water and sunlight and her bulb has grown so fat that it looks like it could pop. There's just one problem, though. She hasn't spiked. There are a couple of areas near her base that looked like the beginnings of spikes or growth but they shriveled and I think I made a mistake that may have caused this problem. A few months ago as I was grooming her I removed the papery stuff covering the base of her bulb. Maybe I shouldn't have done this on a catasetum, because the growth buds were under there and they were green and healthy at the time. They didn't start to decline until after the paper was removed.

Did I make a mistake by removing this stuff and if so is there still a chance that she could spike this season? The photos were taken late in the day so they are a little dark. She's growing side by side and a little above my cattleyas.

[isurus79]

There is still a good chance that your plant spikes this season. Sometimes they just go later than normal. Peeling the dead leaves off is not a problem either. As for the unusually timed growth from last year, if your plant wants to grow, then water it. Let your plant tell you when the growing season is, not vice versa! Its just easier that way! lol The aborted growth thing is pretty common for Catasetums. Sometimes they just abort a new growth for no reason I can discern. I have noticed, however, that if you move the plant at the wrong time, the new growth gets aborted for some reason. My Cat. tenebrosum is VERY sensitive to that actually! Your plant looks happy and healthy and I would not worry about it.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by isurus79

There is still a good chance that your plant spikes this season. Sometimes they just go later than normal. Peeling the dead leaves off is not a problem either. As for the unusually timed growth from last year, if your plant wants to grow, then water it. Let your plant tell you when the growing season is, not vice versa! Its just easier that way! lol The aborted growth thing is pretty common for Catasetums. Sometimes they just abort a new growth for no reason I can discern. I have noticed, however, that if you move the plant at the wrong time, the new growth gets aborted for some reason. My Cat. tenebrosum is VERY sensitive to that actually! Your plant looks happy and healthy and I would not worry about it.

I agree... however, I would recommend not to peel the "papery stuff covering the base of her bulb." as they are there to protect the growth and spike buds, not only from dessication but also to mechanical damage... if you are no watering very frequent at some point and it gets very hot, this can cause dessication of the buds. Not that this happens every time, but it has happened to me in some plants in the past.... otherwise, don't worry about your plant, I am sure it will bloom sooner or later The plant below, normally blooms around October, but last year it decided to wait until February, after it had been without leave for about 3 months

Catasetum pileatum 'Christina' by kavanaru, on Flickr

[Junebug]

Thank you both for your responses. This is my one and only catasetum and I just groomed it like I would a cattleya...to keep the bugs out. Thought I was doing her a favor, but maybe not. I hope my ingnorance didn't ruin her chance to bloom.

I didn't know they could bloom from naked bulbs. Thanks, Ramon.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Junebug

Thank you both for your responses. This is my one and only catasetum and I just groomed it like I would a cattleya...to keep the bugs out. Thought I was doing her a favor, but maybe not. I hope my ingnorance didn't ruin her chance to bloom.

I didn't know they could bloom from naked bulbs. Thanks, Ramon.

you have species that bloom when the new growth is still very small, other bloom when teh PB is mature but still have leave, others bloom just after the leave are lost, and other produces spikes at different times... and other just do whatever they are in the mood of it in a particular year (like my plant above)

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by kavanaru

you have species that bloom when the new growth is still very small, other bloom when teh PB is mature but still have leave, others bloom just after the leave are lost, and other produces spikes at different times... and other just do whatever they are in the mood of it in a particular year (like my plant above)

Even more valuable information...thank you. I didn't mention it, but the aborted growth also shows evidence of two undeveloped tiny spikes or growths. I didn't notice them until recently. The plant was moved indoors as the aborted growth was growing. A sudden, freaky 3 week freeze forced me to bring all the chids indoors last January and there was no way for me to duplicate mother natures sunlight. There was no gradual temperature decline. It just went from Spring-like to frigid. Most of my phals were affected too. They either never grew spikes or aborted them in their early stages of development. The few phals that did bloom were well established mounted specimens. I can only assume that their exposed roots were more sensitive to the minor fluctuations in temperature during late fall and early winter.