New to Catts... tips on blooming?

[Gwenchanter]

Hi,
I've been growing phals and dendrobiums for a few years and this year I thought i would try catts.

So far I have three in the cattleya alliance.. a potinara, a blc and an slc. I've had the pot. for several months and it wasn't doing anything.. no new growth at all, no flowers, no nothing... but wasn't decining either. When I got it, it was in a teeny pot with newspaper and tape all over it so i put it in a clay pot with aliflor. Then last week I hung the pot from my oak tree because I thought maybe it wasn't getting enough light, and today I noticed a new psudobulb nubby!

The blc and slc I just bought at the Miami Fruit and Spice park orchid show, and they are packed super tightly in really hard bark in plastic pots. Are they ok like this? I try to repot my phals and sometimes my dens when I get them home but I'm not sure about these Catts.

None of the catts I have were in bloom when I bought them. What causes catts to bloom and what can I do to get them to do so? As a phal/den grower, is there anything I should know about catts in particular that is very different? Can I use the same fertilizer as I've been using on the dens and phals? What are the first signs that a Catt will bloom and is there a particular time of year they like to bloom? Is there a way of knowing how many blooms to expect? It seems like they don't have as many blooms as dens and phals.

It's kinda too late to ask this but do you guys think Catts are a good next step for me or should I try something else before I buy any more catts?

[Orchidophile]

Catts rebloom if they have alot of light and cold nights for a while to simulate winter (maybe around 65F nights)

[Gwenchanter]

Hmm.. we don't get many nights that cold around here except for a month or two in the winter but the cold spells only last a week at a time ususally. We keep the bedroom airconditioned at 68 degrees though.. I wonder if I could put my three catts on the dresser at night to "simulate" winter and move them back outside during the day? Anyone ever tried something like this?

[Lorraine]

Hi Gwen,

Your Catts should be fine blooming whenever they want to outside. I'm in Boca and you are slightly warmer in the winter than us. Mine only come inside during 40ish and winds or you know the "H" word we won't say

Some will bloom only once a year others are more free flowering. It depends on what you have. They do like more sun than the phals for sure. Give them as much sun as possible but not that they will sunburn. (No coppertone for these guys) If you have a screened in area that is sunny that would be great but hanging from a tree or bush with filtered light works too. Just move them to the sunny area slowly. Mine tend to like the east side. But it still depends on your growing area. I would take a look at the potting material. You can slip it out of the pot and put back in if ok but I like using my own mix. That way I know how much water retention it has. I've lost a couple early on because of root rot. I was really a newbie. Let me know if you need more info.

[Royal]

That's good advice. Just watch the leaves. A light, almost pale green is a sign that it's getting good light. Deep, dark green leaves look pretty, but is a sing of too little light. Just take it slow like Lorraine said.

I too, have mine in an area with eastern exposure. They are on a table under the east side of a fig tree. FULL sun for almost 4 hours, then dappled bright light for the rest of the day. None have really burned, yet.

[quiltergal]

When your leaves get a slight reddish tinge to the edges you'll know your light is about right.