light orientation and growth of new pseudobulbs

[beaniebeagle]

is there any correlation with which way the light is oriented and where the new growth starts???

It seems that the new growth has been on the opposite side of where the light or morning sun shines on some of my catts and laelias.

I am trying to keep as much growth towards the center of the pot and not over the sides.

[phalaephila]

As Cattleya-alliance plants are sympodal, new growth mostly starts from the last (most recent) psuedobulb to grow. Sometimes new leads will start from older growths. See attached picture I found through googling.

What you describe often happens to me, as I have the blooming growth facing into the room while the plant is in flower. I then turn it so the subsequent new growth has good light. Once they start growing out of the pot, it is time to repot. Hope this helps!

[Ray]

Trying to keep the growths "centered" goes against nature. Think about a "colony" of plants. They will naturally expand outwardly as they add pseudobulbs, so as to not compete with older growths for resources - water, nutrition, and even light.

Granted, when we pot them up, we are throwing nature out the window, but there are other considerations.

Your comment that the new growth is on the opposite side of the light source makes sense if you think about the plants in nature: These are epiphytes that grow on trees, so a new growth is likely to be oriented to where the tree is for "grabbing hold of" as it grows roots. If the light is coming from one direction, the tree is most likely in the opposite one.