I Suck at Cattleyas! - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Bolero · #11 10-21-2008, 08:16 AM

I killed a lot early on but have become pretty good at flowering them. The humidity here is low in summer when they grow their best but higher in Autumn to Winter when most of them seem to flower. They seem to flower ok at any humidity about 40% but others may disagree.

The smaller compact growing hybrids will be ok if protected from a cold wind down to the low 30's when grown here. And they flower quite well despite the lower temps. I still get the odd sheath that doesn't result in a flower or two but then again who doesn't?

I think as long as your night time isn't too warm and the humidity levels are at least moderate you should be fine.

An interesting thing, I used to own an Sc Cherry Bee. It flowered amazingly well in an unheated glass house but the moment I moved it into a shade house the flower quality dropped away dramatically. I think there's a lot to be said for keeping plants out of hot and cold winds if possible.

linsoo · #12 10-21-2008, 12:34 PM

I hear your frustration but listen I have been trying to get my catt to flower for about three years and voila! I have one flwer out and another one just about ready. I will post pics tomorrow.
I am just a beginner so don't know if this has anything to do with it but I put my orchids outside this year for the summer and we had the wettest summer ever! I thought they would all die but they are doing better than ever. Even have a flower stock on my Vanda!
Go figure! Good luck - keep trying it's worth it!
Linsoo

hosshead · #13 10-22-2008, 10:20 AM

HAH!

I am pleased to report that the other buds on that Keowee did NOT fall off, and one of them is open this morning, the other bud is clearly "bursting at its seams" and will open as well.
YAY!

Now, if I can just figure out why that one did fine,(well, halfway, the other buds on the other growth fell off), I will be so happy and have more successful flowering!

quiltergal · #14 10-22-2008, 04:45 PM

Yay Sammy! Great news! Be sure and post

.

For me it's pretty much a crap shoot as to whether they bloom or not. I still haven't figured out which ones are supposed to create a sheath first and then buds or just buds. I have a Blc. Chia Lin 'New City' that I was positive wasn't going to bloom off it's new growth as there was no sheath. When I checked it this weekend it has 2 buds developing without a sheath!

It's a really big flower so I'm sure it will take quite some time to fully develop. I just hope I can get through to bloom. I have others that have made sheaths but there is no sign of buds yet and it has been months. One of them has been growing a new growth. Catts in general are a bit of a mystery to me. Sure wish I could figure them out.

hosshead · #15 10-22-2008, 08:12 PM

Finally figured out how to put the thumbnail thingie on here.

That's the Blc. Keowee.
YAY.

I still wanna know how people get that film-strippy deal going on....

Tommyr · #16 10-22-2008, 08:23 PM

Ooooh! VERY nice!

johnblagg · #17 08-13-2009, 12:42 PM

just curious do you heat with wood or gas ,,,
ethelene gas can be a issue with both as can ripening fruit in the room.

hosshead · #18 08-13-2009, 01:33 PM

I use a free-standing oil-filled electric heater.
One of those dealies that looks like a radiator on wheels.
No fumes or exhaust, just radiant heat.
It's sealed so it can handle wetness and it doesn't leak that oil- you'd have to puncture it in some way.
It won't melt down if it tips accidentally either.

I put a large slab of cinder-block on top of it during the winter, hose the cinder-block periodically,(once in the morning and once in the late afternoon), with water, so it becomes a humidifier as the heat evaporates the cinder-block.

No fruit nearby, not ever.

catwalker808 · #19 08-13-2009, 07:31 PM

Hosshead.
I really think that your cat bud blasting problem is due to insufficient water when the plants really need it. Several things you said stuck in my mind. You have nodosa type hybrids which are especially tolerant for you. You have long hours of warm daylight. Your plants are in baskets with little or no media. You water very sparingly when you feel that the roots are very dry.

Nodosa types are drought tolerant and very warm growing, which means they can withstand your infrequent waterings combined with the very warm temps. This doesn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't appreciate more water when it is warm and sunny. Other types of cats don't tolerate as much heat and drought combination.

It's true that the roots can stand to become dry between waterings. This doesn't mean that they thrive by drying out. Your baskets don't retain any water, so when it is sunny and warm your roots may dry out very quickly ... certainly within several hours. Then they might be faced with being without additional water for several days (or whatever the duration between waterings). Again, the plants might tolerate this but could use the additional water. When plants bud, they do need the additional moisture. With your baskets, I don't think you need to worry about overwatering when it's sunny and warm.

Also, as a precaution, I would skip the "tea" when plants are budding and more frequently refresh your plants with plain water.

shadytrake · #20 08-17-2009, 01:14 AM

All of my research on Catts and their crosses have said specifically that "too much Nitrogen suppresses blooming."

Chicken poop has a high N content so that may be your blast problem. Traditionally it takes 6 months to compost it. The horse manure at our barn takes 6-8 months to compost and that is with watering and turning it.

I'm currently giving mine a low N content fertilizer because I should be getting some blooms (fingers crossed) late this summer.