Sounds good Jeff. Not cutting both will give useful information. All systems are GO!

I was looking around... have 2 plants, not finding them at the moment so I may miss this season... Usual pattern is first the purpuratas (May-June-early July), then tenebrosa (July into August), then crispa (now into September). Of those, the others have nicer form (line breeding probably involved, crispa less interesting to a breeder)... so don't be surprised or concerned if the segments (especially the sepals) are narrow and sort of rolled up... that's what they do. But lip color and pattern give a gorgeous contrast to the white segments. (Found one, no sheath on it... but I found sheaths on a bunch of other things, so consolation...)

I don't stake unless they look like they need it. Spikes are not as long or heavy as purpurata and tenebrosa, so less likely to have to stake. Another reason not to cut sheath... it provides some support to the emerging spike. Don't do anything unless it looks like it is having problems.

Just added the above for flow-continuity.

Me too - I generally don't use 'hardware' unless the pseudobulb or the spike grows at some angle that might be predicted to become an issue of any sort - including for photographs, flower viewing.

The hardware can sometimes be applied early - or it can be applied late. This morning, I noticed an opening flower of a mini-catt, and its next door neighbour unopened bud was a bit too close to the opening-flower, so could impede the full spread of one petal of the opening flower. So something "make-shift" (a light-weight insert) needed to be jammed between the two bud stems (that comes off the main flower spike). The insert I used was the equivalent of a wide-diameter piece of fish-tank tubing. I couldn't find my large diameter tubing (misplaced it!), so just used three smaller diameter ones bundled together with garden tie wire.

The wedge between bud-stems doesn't have to be permanent. The idea is --- hopefully the bud stems conform to the positions after a little bit of time (eg. a few days) ----- and could probably remove it again once everything is 'set'.

I normally don't need to do that sort of thing. But looks like - sometimes - a little tweaking can be done for certain reasons. But - naturally - care should be taken while tweaking - as in - careful manipulation and tweaking to avoid ending up with broken spikes/buds etc.

This google drive link (Click Here) shows a pic before the insert (piece of tubing) was inserted. The stake was only for raising the buds further a different leaf so that there wouldn't be a clash between leaf and buds.

i really like the above post ( thanks SP) for a few reasons...the most important is the need to have a lot of parts and pieces around at your disposal and a lot of creativity....if you watch the plants the way we all do we will usually see subtle changes early and have lots of time to act (or just obsess). i have used tubing, packing peanuts, a band-aid, rubber bands, wire, zip tie, duct tape, rocks, wooden shims, a piece of a tire, bike spokes, and probably more to help my plants with various goals LOL

... something's poking out.

surprising how these delicate buds can push its way out of such a thick hard sheath, much unscathed. I guess that may sound obvious but it's still exciting to observe!

Buds! Won't be long now!

yes!!! looks like a triple at least!!!! nice restraint!

One more point in favor of not being too eager to ease the emergence of the buds (as long as they don't show evidence of being trapped) - they are likely to emerge stronger, and therefore less in need of staking, from the effort that they have to exert to be born. Mother Nature is wise!

That's awesome DC. Thanks for mentioning the items you use as well! I will keep those in mind!

For my catts, I generally just take catt flower pics as-is ...... but for experimentation and sometimes for just being able to do it (haha) ---- I have tested out some 'undivine intervention'.

I've used the 'helping hands' tool once before. And just trying it out again now. I also tell people that I use it whenever I do heheh (for catt flowers that is).

The idea is that if a petal is out of alignment, or a lip, or something ---- then the helping hand can help get in there to prop something up when the flower is still fresh and new - and then hopefully after some amount of time ----- the flower parts 'set' and stays in place. Then remove the 'helper' after that.

There might be only particular situations where the helping hands can work - so it will just require a little assessment before using it.

Just this morning, I notice that the fold - right in the middle portion of a catt flower lip ----- was a bit off-centre. So ----- undivine intervention time haha. There are other sorts of helping hands (ones with like 6 arms etc) ..... so anything is possible!

helping hands image link

In the above pic, the left-hand flower has the off-centre middle-portion fold of the lip. So the helping hands is just temporarily helping out - until hopefully the flower 'sets'.

And multi-arm sets can do things like spread-apart 'uneven' looking petals ----- to improve symmetry - all superficial things haha.

One example of where I didn't use it (but could have) - was for a flowering of a Rth. Dal's Emperor 'Michelle' --- where we can see the right-hand lobe of the lip is further-in than for the left-hand lobe. A set of helping hands could definitely even-up the lobe angles.


That's the thing Jeff. Those buds are not so delicate for strong plants. They are like a freight train moving in slow motion. A sheath will be no match for the strong buds coming through. Exciting times to come!!!!!!

...growing quickly in 10 hours. The other sheath is breaking open.