Catasetum - To water or not to water ?

[orchidsarefun]

Photo updates

[orchidsarefun]

These are a couple of backbulbs that I potted up and early watered when growths about 1/2 inch. They've been outdoors, rained on.

[orchidsarefun]

I took a look at my records. These bloomed last year late November after being outdoors all Summer.
This year the bulbs are already fattening up/maturing so it's going to be interesting to see when they spike. Is it the weather, as in cooler, that promotes spiking or does it happen after bulbs mature and that usually coincides with cooler weather? I sort of know the answer but will wait for confirmation. It would be great if these lost all their leaves by the time I have to bring them indoors.
I have 20 Catasetinae that will need space. All of these were watered prior to the "wait until roots are 3-5 inches" generally accepted rule.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by orchidsarefun

I took a look at my records. These bloomed last year late November after being outdoors all Summer.
This year the bulbs are already fattening up/maturing so it's going to be interesting to see when they spike. Is it the weather, as in cooler, that promotes spiking or does it happen after bulbs mature and that usually coincides with cooler weather? I sort of know the answer but will wait for confirmation. It would be great if these lost all their leaves by the time I have to bring them indoors.
I have 20 Catasetinae that will need space. All of these were watered prior to the "wait until roots are 3-5 inches" generally accepted rule.

I'm curious to see if you get another growth coming from this since its still relatively early in the growing season.

[AvantGardner]

I have a couple that look fattened to the max starting a second growth. I've had it happen before as well. The second growth ends up going into dormancy early or not at all, and then leeches off the rest of the plant all winter.

Don't know what triggers flowering in Fdk. but I've never had one start a spike in the middle of summer. Always a new growth. It might have something to do with the clowesia grandparent, because I do have a Catamodes in low spike now, I think.

[orchidsarefun]

I've never had new growths initiate towards the end of the season, interesting. This year a pileatum started a new growth off of an immature bulb mid-season. I have always assumed spiking follows bulb maturity, we'll have to see.
My Millenium Magic had so many new growths that I propagated 8 new plants in total, from divisions and then backbulbs. A macroglossum is spiking earlier than usual. Last year I had 2 spikes in succession so this may be a candidate for a new growth.

[orchidsarefun]

Well the good news is that both plants are spiking. This is 2-3 months earlier than usual so a prime objective of this has been met, at least in my opinion. Hopefully this also means that dormancy will also occur earlier and I won't have space problems. These plants are huge.

Darn. Back to square 1 with photos. I'm unable to upload attachments.

[orchidsarefun]

Tapatalk back?

Nope, sorry

[orchidsarefun]

Figured out how to post photos again. Deleted the Tapatalk app.!

3 spikes developing. I counted over 20 buds on the one spike. That plant is massive....

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by orchidsarefun

I said I would experiment with my After Dark catasetums because of my "contrarian" watering. They are grown in the same conditions and are roughly the same-sized.

Around 2 years late here with my post. But after seeing advice/recommendations about watering new root growths will kill the roots etc......... I just had to have a serious think about the validity of it ------- and I'm just thinking about what happens in nature..... or what could happen in nature.

This kind of experimenting --- ie. watering new roots --- is definitely welcome. And more results from other people investigating into this will also be very welcome - so that we can get to the bottom or root of this avoid-watering of new roots recommendation.

I'm thinking along the lines of what Ray says about air-circulation. As long as the water isn't allowed to stagnate in any particular section around a root, and new air can get to the water and flow over or around it, then things should be ok.

One way that I avoid water-logging and/or water stagnation is by having my bundle of spaghnum moss surrounded by scoria rock, and having big drainage holes in the pot, and using a drainage grate for water to leave the pot.

Obviously, catasetum are very successfully grown in 100% spaghnum in the whole pot --- but definitely need to control the amount of water put in for this case - otherwise it increases the chance of drowning.