Help me pick some new mini/micro-Catts!

[Fran20]

LOVE the humidity trays on the shelves in your growing area!

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by Fran20

LOVE the humidity trays on the shelves in your growing area!

Thank you! It helps me contain my mess when I water.

[DrDawn]

Soooooooo, I had my fingers crossed that this would be the year! And then this sheath opened and... I got a leaf? Does that mean no flower this year? (Am I correct to assume that if it was going to flower, that I would be able to see the bud already?) This is C. Sierra Doll 'Newberry'.

OMG I'm such a newbie with Catts (I can tell whether a Phal has a root or a stalk from 1mm of growth!) but I have no idea what to look for here.

[SouthPark]

DD - for your Slc. Sierra Doll ----- it may not be over yet.

That is a new leaf forming. It is still in the flat stage.

Assuming this particular orchid has sheathless flowering, then what you will do is to just keep looking every once in a while - eg, every few days ----- to see if anything starts to emerge from the depths of the leaf (within).

When the leaf starts to get longer, and develop its final shape, you will eventually be able to peer with your eyes down far enough - to see whether the base of the leaf has a little stub (or not). A little stub just means not a flowering bulb.

But if you see a sheath, or an actual spike ------ then that bulb could have good chances to go on towards producing buds and flowers.

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

But if you see a sheath, or an actual spike ------ then that bulb could have good chances to go on towards producing buds and flowers.

Ah, ok, I think I thought the whole new pseudobulb growth was called a sheath, and so I was very sad when it opened and was just... a leaf. But I will (attempt) to be patient and watch the leaf develop - it definitely has a ways to go until it is anywhere close to as long as the other leaves on the plant! And then I will look more closely at where the leaf meets the pseudobulb and keep my fingers VERY crossed!

Thanks so much for the info!

[JScott]

I don't have any specific plants to mention to you that haven't already been mentioned, but if you're looking for small/miniature Catts, check out Sunset Valley Orchids. Fred Clarke specializes in hybridizing Catasetinae, but he also specializes in compact to miniature Catts. I've bought a lot of mini Catts from him (actually just placed an order for about ten plants today hahahahaha. He sells them young, so they're only like 10 or 15 dollars a piece, which means you can buy a lot at once, but since they're miniature, they'll bloom in pots as small as two to four inches, so you don't have to wait long for the first blooms). And they're mostly seedlings of his own crosses, which I think is fun, because it's always a fun surprise when the plant blooms for the first time and you finally see what it is going to turn out to be. I love his mini Catts, and I've never got a bad plant from him, so if you're looking for a good source of mini Catts, I would start with Fred Clarke at SVO.

---------- Post added at 08:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 PM ----------

Oh, and also look for hybrids that have a lot of walkeriana or nobilior in them, or even either of those species themselves (although I hear the species can be tricky to grow). There are a lot of really nice blues/lavenders with walkeriana in the background. I have Lc Love Knot 'Blue Moon' and the growths are barely four inches tall, but the flowers are easily four inches, and when it blooms en masse, there are so many flowers, you can barely see the green plant underneath.Cattleya Mini Purple is another good Walkeriana hybrid. IT's a primary hybrid between Walkeriana and Pumila, and it's small with big flowers from blue to pink.

---------- Post added at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 PM ----------

LC Paradise Beauty 'Golden Angel' is a fantastic yellow. It's a little taller, around six inches, but the flowers are big for the size of the plant, and they are waxy with heavy substance and last a long time, and are a beautiful rich golden color with a blood red margin on the lip. It blooms several times a year. It is spectacular.

[Keysguy]

Dawn- I'd second a vote for Lc. Love Knot. Puts out nice sized flowers on a very compact growing plant. Here's a pic of mine. The leaves are maybe like 3" long. You're looking at a piece of cork that's about 6x8".

Another suggestion, if you don't have any, are walkeriana. Several colors available, nicely compact plant and heavenly fragrance. 2nd pic.

[Keysguy]

Well, it's unanimous.
JScott and I think alike.

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Another suggestion, if you don't have any, are walkeriana. Several colors available, nicely compact plant and heavenly fragrance. 2nd pic.

Oooh, I was just eyeing the walkeriana and the sincorana from Gold Country... Thanks for the info!

[estación seca]

Most people will find hybrids much easier than species to flower on windowsills. These small hybrids have been bred to be easy to grow.