Yellowing Cycnodes Jumbo Puff

[Jun]

Hi, the leaves on my Cycnodes Jumbo Puff are turning yellow. It hasn't shown signs of any flower spike growth yet.
I dare not water too much as i read that less is always better, right?

What should I do? Should I continue watering, or should i cut back and prepare for dormancy?
I know its too early in the year for dormancy.. but what can i say, the weather is screwed up. We are experiencing cooler and wetter than usual hot june/july weather. Not sure if that is a reason.

Do you think she will flower this year?

[AvantGardner]

I'd say prepare for dormancy. The plant is obviously headed that way. If it warms back up it might just put out a new growth or two.

It's hard to speculate on the blooming. It's hard for me to get perspective size on the plant from the photo. How big is the pot? If I had to guess, it looks big enough to bloom. But the strange weather patterns might throw it off.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[isurus79]

Yep, looks like dormancy to me. The shriveled backbulbs make me think this might not have gotten enough water during the growth period, which could be the reason for early dormancy. What media is this planted in and how often do you water?

[Jun]

She is planted in spag moss. I water it 3 times a week.

[fishmom]

Three times a week in sphag seems like it would be adequate water, but I agree that it really looks like it is going dormant. Did you find that it dried out on that watering schedule? I try not to let my cats dry out. Next year a pot that is a bit larger might help with that.

I don't have any cycnodes, so I'm not clear on when it should be spiking. It's too bad if you have missed a bloom, but these plants have minds of their own. I will bloom when it is ready.

[Jun]

I've got good and maybe bad news.

Good news is that she is growing 2 nubbins which i think are flower spikes. yay!

Bad news is that i noticed there are spots on the top of the stem. What do u think they are?

[isurus79]

Tough to tell, but it kind of looks like sunburn. Are the spots crispy or squishy?

[NYCorchidman]

Also, you might want to check for thrips and spider mites. These two seem to love catasetum orchids.

Congrats on the spikes!