How to bloom all new leads at the same time

[MarinaDC]

C.Bob Betts has a wonderful plan to bloom from all 4 new growths. The bad part of the plan is that they will not bloom at the same time. The two in the back are way late, one with 3 buds and one with 2. Is there a way to bloom them together in the future? Should I give the ones in the back more light for now? I have a fixture that I can point at them...thanks!

[Ray]

I really don't think you can do much with the plant on a short-term basis. If you want to have a large blooming specimen, you need to grow it perfectly so that it develops into a super specimen with multiple, simultaneous leads.

[JScott]

I think orchids just do what they want whenever they are ready. I'm not sure about Bob Betts, but ones that bloom as soon as the growth is mature, or the buds start forming before the growth is even hardened off, it's hard to get all the growths to bloom at once, because all the new growths don't necessarily start growing at the same time, and therefore don't all mature at the same time, and so they won't all bloom at the same time. For the seasonal bloomers who harden their growths and then rest for a bit before blooming, there might be a trick to getting them all to bloom at the same time, but I'm not sure. As far as I am aware, they will just bloom when they are ready, and there's not much you can do to change that. Maybe somebody with more experience in this will tell you how you can fiddle with the light and temperature to get them to bloom together, but as far as I know, there's not really much you can do.

Does Bob Betts bloom as soon as the growths are mature, or does it take a rest period after the growths harden off before it blooms?

[MarinaDC]

Originally Posted by JScott

I think orchids just do what they want whenever they are ready. I'm not sure about Bob Betts, but ones that bloom as soon as the growth is mature, or the buds start forming before the growth is even hardened off, it's hard to get all the growths to bloom at once, because all the new growths don't necessarily start growing at the same time, and therefore don't all mature at the same time, and so they won't all bloom at the same time. For the seasonal bloomers who harden their growths and then rest for a bit before blooming, there might be a trick to getting them all to bloom at the same time, but I'm not sure. As far as I am aware, they will just bloom when they are ready, and there's not much you can do to change that. Maybe somebody with more experience in this will tell you how you can fiddle with the light and temperature to get them to bloom together, but as far as I know, there's not really much you can do.

Does Bob Betts bloom as soon as the growths are mature, or does it take a rest period after the growths harden off before it blooms?

Thank you. I thought so, too.
It does not rest before blooming.

[Fairorchids]

Many Catts grow only one new growth per year. On those plants, all leads should bloom more or less simultaneously.

Some plants grow two new growths per year (spring & fall). On those plants, spring growths always bloom 4-8 weeks earlier than the fall growths.

[JScott]

But when they bloom at different times, although it would be nice to see all the flowers open at once, this way you extend the total blooming season as the growths bloom at different times, so that's something positive about the situation.

[MarinaDC]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Many Catts grow only one new growth per year. On those plants, all leads should bloom more or less simultaneously.

Some plants grow two new growths per year (spring & fall). On those plants, spring growths always bloom 4-8 weeks earlier than the fall growths.

Thank you, Kim. This catt is the first case of your illustration - 4 leads produced at once. One is blooming now, others are still behind by not much, 2 weeks at the most. Maybe I will see them in bloom together