blc memoria robert strait "islanders delight" help

[dolphin13]

Hi I have had this orchid for about two years and although it seems to be growing well, (two new pseudobulbs are emerging) I have not had luck with it blooming. Does anyone have any tips or any detailed information about this particular plant's culture? Which other plants is it similar to in terms of culture? Thanks!

[tucker85]

I have the same orchid and I have noticed that it sometimes doesn't bloom if it's recently been under stress. Mine skipped a year of blooming when I repotted it. It also didn't bloom one year when I went on vacation and it didn't get watered for a few weeks. Otherwise I think it just needs normal cattleya care. You may want to try giving it a little more light if possible. That could encourage blooming. Mine usually blooms in the fall. Good luck.

[silken]

If it is mature enough to bloom and isn't, often it is not enough light. According to Orchidwiz, this hybrid is half walkeriana which won't bloom without high light. The other parentage is a mix of various species, but the general culture notes are high to medium light and warm to hot conditions rather than cool. The winter temps aren't much cooler but the nights are shown to drop a little more than summer temps. These are in its natural habitat of the species that make up this hybrid, so it doesn't mean that it cannot adapt to slightly diffferent conditions. It's basically a cattleya hybrid with their general cultural requirements but leaning toward high light and warm temps. Generally you can give a cattleya as much sun as it can take withough burning the leaves, but introduce more light slowly so it adjusts. Good luck!

[Oscarman]

I have noticed that many of my cattleyas are growing better and blooming more frequently since they have been getting brighter light and warmer temperatures. Important to note that they benefit from a temp drop in the night, with a minimum of 10° being the norm.

[dolphin13]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I will definitely try to give it more light. What about fertilizer? Is there a particular one that works well? Should I fertilize every week or about every two?

[silken]

Weakly weekly is often a rule to go by when fertilizing your orchids. Especially in the warm growing season it wouldn't hurt to fertilize every week. Usually 1/2 to 1/4 the strength recommended on the container. A good balanced fertilizer is best but MSU is a well known one. If you know it's bloom season you can always give it a bloom booster fert. (larger middle number) a few months in advance to encourage a bloom sheath.

[tucker85]

When my cattleyas have new growth, I like to fertilize at about 1/4 or even 1/2 strength every week and I flush the medium real well with plain water at least once a month to remove excess fertilizer salts. Fertilizing every two weeks would be fine also if that fits your schedule better.