Fdk After Dark 'SVO Black Pearl'

[JScott]

This is my first Catasetum type plant ever. I bought it last winter while it was dormant. It started growing in about February, and once the roots started growing, I potted it in the same mix I use for my Cattleyas (medium pine back, charcoal, stalite, LECA). Over the summer, I grew it standing in a tray of water. That seemed like a bad idea to me, but my best friend in Brazil grows his standing in water (he uses empty soda bottles and plants the plants in there, and then cuts some holes a few inches up from the bottom so that the bottom few inches of the bottle holds water, but doesn't overflow), and he said that is the way to go, so I did it. It grew beautifully, and the new bulb is much bigger and fatter than the last one.

A few weeks ago, the leaves started to yellow, so I cut back on the watering. I took it out of the tray of water it was standing in, and watered it by hand from time to time. Lately, I've been watering it maybe about every 10 days (remember, I have it potted in a mix that dries out fast, and within about two days after I water, it is completely bone dry, as I still have it outside and it has been pretty warm, but I probably will bring it in and put it under my T5 light setup here in the next few days). It has two spikes started now, and as you can see from the pictures, the final three leaves are yellow, and I expect them to drop any day now.

My question is when should I start withholding water entirely. Once all the leaves are gone? Or should I continue to give it an occasional watering while the spikes are developing? I certainly don't want to overdo it with the water and rot the plant, but I want to make sure it has what it needs as the flowers develop. What do you guys think?

[orchidsarefun]

My Fdk After Dark are both indoors with 6 spikes between them. The leaves are still green. I've given each about a cup of water per week to no ill effect.

[JScott]

Thank you for the reply. I brought it inside today, as the night temperatures are about to start dropping slightly below 50. I guess for now I'll go ahead and give it a little water occasionally, making sure it dries completely for a few days before I give it any more. The spikes are growing quite nicely, so I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing, as it seems quite happy.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by JScott

This is my first Catasetum type plant ever. I bought it last winter while it was dormant. It started growing in about February, and once the roots started growing, I potted it in the same mix I use for my Cattleyas (medium pine back, charcoal, stalite, LECA). Over the summer, I grew it standing in a tray of water. That seemed like a bad idea to me, but my best friend in Brazil grows his standing in water (he uses empty soda bottles and plants the plants in there, and then cuts some holes a few inches up from the bottom so that the bottom few inches of the bottle holds water, but doesn't overflow), and he said that is the way to go, so I did it. It grew beautifully, and the new bulb is much bigger and fatter than the last one.

A few weeks ago, the leaves started to yellow, so I cut back on the watering. I took it out of the tray of water it was standing in, and watered it by hand from time to time. Lately, I've been watering it maybe about every 10 days (remember, I have it potted in a mix that dries out fast, and within about two days after I water, it is completely bone dry, as I still have it outside and it has been pretty warm, but I probably will bring it in and put it under my T5 light setup here in the next few days). It has two spikes started now, and as you can see from the pictures, the final three leaves are yellow, and I expect them to drop any day now.

My question is when should I start withholding water entirely. Once all the leaves are gone? Or should I continue to give it an occasional watering while the spikes are developing? I certainly don't want to overdo it with the water and rot the plant, but I want to make sure it has what it needs as the flowers develop. What do you guys think?

I'd withhold water completely. Orchidsarefun has had success with continuing to water Fdk through winter, but I'd caution against that since you're new to the group. My advice is to learn the basic do's and don'ts before you start tinkering with advanced winter tweaks to culture.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by isurus79

I'd withhold water completely. Orchidsarefun has had success with continuing to water Fdk through winter, but I'd caution against that since you're new to the group. My advice is to learn the basic do's and don'ts before you start tinkering with advanced winter tweaks to culture.

The final two leaves have fallen off now, so I believe I will follow your advice and cease watering completely until the new roots start in the spring. Thank you all for your suggestions! I'll definitely post pics when the flowers open.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by JScott

The final two leaves have fallen off now, so I believe I will follow your advice and cease watering completely until the new roots start in the spring.

One more quick piece of advice: Wait until the new roots are 4" long before watering. Also don't worry about bulb shriveling, even if it looks severe. They are perfectly adapted to this and will swell within a week or two of getting water. I've got a thread showing just how much bulb shrinkage can occur:

Still not watering...

[JScott]

Thanks for all of your suggestions! I'm very happy that it has done so well so far, being my first one of this type ever, so I will just follow the conventional wisdom and leave it alone for the rest of the winter. Thanks guys! I can't wait to show you the blooms.