Cattleya not growing, no more bulbs

[MakiWaki]

Hello, do I just give up on this cattleya? It has done nothing for a year, no growth. But it hasn’t died either. What can I do to make it do something?

[DirtyCoconuts]

its certainly not dead.

I would maybe give it a course of Kelpmax

do you fertilize it? if not, maybe a light fert could help it.


A single pbulb like that does not have a lot of stored plant energy so it might just be working quite slowly for the new lead.

if it is really just doing nothing for a year it might not like the growing conditions....not enough light, too cold, etc.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by MakiWaki

Hello, do I just give up on this cattleya?

Maki --- orchid growers shouldn't give up on any orchid, unless there are satisfactory reasons for it (such as the orchid getting a so-far uncurable virus - but even then, if we are able to grow a virused orchid in isolation, then maybe one day there will be a cure).

The roots look quite good, and the plant looks good too.

If we observe an issue, then we simply attempt to determine possible approaches towards overcoming the issue.

If you didn't see any root rot, then maybe one of the extra components needed is higher light level, or even longer duration of lighting exposure. If the leaves are relatively dark, then maybe the plant isn't getting enough light for getting energy to make the orchid grow in the way you want.

It will be beneficial to provide a good description of your growing conditions and growing method (media type and size, pot size, pot drainage details, air-movement details, fertiliser and supplement schedule, temperature range, lighting levels and duration, growing area details etc). The details may help to determine what needs to be done to help the orchid's growth rate along.

Also - what is that segment coming out? Is it a flower spike? And when did this segment start to form? Click Here

[rbarata]

Maki --- orchid growers shouldn't give up on any orchid...

While there's green, there's hope!
We need more info about your growing conditions and, if possible, what orchid is it.

[MakiWaki]

Thank you for your reply.

You are right, the reason I asked for suggestions is that I'm curious as to what may be going on. The truth is, this cattleya was kind of being neglected by me on my orchid table, which is in my north facing balcony on a 13th floor in a Caribbean Island. It gets bright light, but never direct sun/brightest of lights which I think is one of the main reasons it is not growing. It potted it in a mixture of coco chips, laica beads and a little bit of sphagnum moss and watered/fed it weekly. It never occurred to me that some of my orchids may need the help of grow lights, but I'm also observing a bigger cattleya which flower spikes simply arrested while developing. What you see in these pictured was a flower spike that stopped growing. I removed the dry sheath and was surprised it was still so green. So yes, yesterday I repotted it, moved it to a brighter location (a south facing window) and will give it a boost with kelp. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[rbarata]

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Even without direct sun, moving from a north to a south window may be too much if the move is abrupt, especially in a caribbean island.
You should move it gradually to a brighter location.