sheath development

[diego_p]

Hey guys, in September I bought a brassavola nodosa from orchids limited in Minnesota. I pretty much got the idea on how to cate for them and that they are easy and good for beginners. I just want to know annoy the sheath development. Like, how long does it get? Does it swell up right before it "pops"? Is there any extra care to provide? And other things that for some reason made more sense in my head than it did typing it out. So I'll just leave those out. Lol.
I'm pretty excited about it. It'll be the first orchids that I actually get to bloom rather than buy one that is already blooming or budding out.
Anyone and everyone that has something to say please do. I don't mind learning more or reading about other members experiences.

[Tschimm]

That's what it looks like one week after the spike appeared.
It's a B. perrinii though

Sorry for the colors.

[WhiteRabbit]

My nodosa, the sheath doesn't get very big, spike emerges with very small buds (if I remember correctly)

[katrina]

B perinni and nodosa bloom a bit different from each other. The perinni will have a longer spike than the nodosa but w/both you will see the spike emerge w/very small buds clustered together closely and then as the spike elongates the buds will develop...eventually opening. You won't see a swelling sheath in either case...or w/any Brassavola species. The spikes emerge from a thin and short sheath...then buds. I hope that makes sense.

I think it's a bit late for perinnii...mine usually blooms in the summer.

Here's my nodosa...you can see the flowers are closer to the foliage. This pic is from the '13 blooming...I missed getting pics this year.


This is my perinnii...this is an awful pic (which is why I didn't post it) but you might be able to see the spike area in the left group of flowers...you can see the browned and dried "skin"...that's where that spike emerged. Some are longer than that but I think it can help you see how they emerge...long spike before you see the buds swell.



I have a couple of other Brassavola species that are just starting to spike...I can get pics and share them if you think it would be helpful. LMK.

[Tschimm]

Thank you very much for sharing !
Good to have other Brassavola lovers here.

My perrinii ist still a baby and it will be the first time to bloom for it (hopefully). It's under lights since the end of september, so it's still summer in my growing space :-)
We've had a very wet and cold summer outside, that's maybe the the cause for the "delay"...

[diego_p]

That is so cool. Now I just can't wait for my nodosa to bloom. I have about five to six leaves that have their sheath.
One of these look a little dried up, is that bad or would it still produce a spike?
What kind of things would cause the plant to not spike? I know I've read so much but I still continue to question myself. Maybe it's because it's my first time actually getting an orchid to bloom. Lol.

[katrina]

There are likely a number of things that could cause a plant to not spike...the two at the top of the list (IMO) would be it's too young or not enough light.

Sounds like your plant is old enough so if you gave it enough light then I'm sure you'll see spikes before too long. And when it does...make sure you have it in the house at night because the fragrance is amazing.

Good luck!