Cattleya luteola—my first bloom of my only Catt

[whygreenberg]

I am so thrilled! Cattleya luteola is the only actual Catt I have, partially due to space considerations. I was so concerned that she wouldn't bloom for me this go-around because her sheath dried up, and I started her winter rest late (causing the loss of a leaf or two).

I am curious about two things...I wasn't expecting her color to be so green, and I'm wondering if she'll open up a bit more than this. Or is that the usual for luteola?

In any event, I'm still delighted!

[Roly0217]

Yvan that is a gorgeous little thing !!!! Congrats !!! Mine is in sheat too and it seem to be swelling at the base. It would be its first time blooming and I'm ohhh so very excited.

[Lagoon]

I think you should be, Yvan. Its very pretty
I've been going back and forth on this one (don't have it)
Any culture advice to spare for lil ole me?

[Ethan]

Congrats on your first catt bloom, Yvon. That first bloom that you can call your own is always so exciting!!

As far as the green - I've noticed on a few of my orchids that the ones that open green usually fade to a yellow or white, especially yellow. I recently bought a green/purple catt and it was only green for the first week. The last three weeks it was yellow and purple!

[boytjie]

Congrats, Yvan! Mine's also got a sheath, first time in two years since I got it. The poor little thing had a rough start, and it's my second attempt at a luteola. And everyone says they're supposed to be easy...

[Rosim_in_BR]

Beautiful luteola, Yvan!
Sometimes these flowers open a little greenish and then fade into yellow. As for your second question, luteolas most of times don't fully open in the sense that they are flat flowers.

[Don Perusse]

Looks like a nice one. Congrats! Yes, they usually fade somewhat as the bloom gets old instead of increasing in color. However, the opposite is true of most whites.......open a little on the pale yellow or ivory side and increases in its whiteness as the days pass.

[SP2340]

Ooooooh, very nice, congrats!!!

[whygreenberg]

Thank you all for the kind words! I thought that it may be the case that the green would fade to yellow, but didn't realize it might that long to do it.

Gloria: Any culture advice to spare for lil ole me?

Gloria, et al...I'm growing it under a 100W compact fluorescent, about 8 or so inches below so that the leaves are a pale green and a bit of purple to the undersides. When it was growing, I was watering approx. every 4 days, so that it would be completely dry for a day or two between...it's in a 2.5" plastic pot, but growing on a single large irregular chunk of what is probably fir bark. It does apparently need a winter rest, and as I said before, I started her rest too late...kept watering and lost a couple leaves. For the winter rest, I gave the roots a very short, fine misting once every 7–10 days, and put it in the windowsill to get some cooler temps. Dunno how helpful all that is for anyone else, but it apparently worked out ok for me.

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[Virgil]

For the real beauty of this flower spread the lip and look inside it is beautiful