C. percivaliana 'Summit' FCC/AOS first bloom

[silken]

Originally Posted by Pat'sCatt's

What a beauty, love the darker contrast with the lip!

Thanks. This improved its looks after a few days. richer colour I think. I wasn't real thrilled with the blooms at first!

---------- Post added at 02:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:42 PM ----------

Originally Posted by BettyE

Beautiful mid-winter orchid, Silken. By the way, my female cats' name is "Silky." She is a real diva! More light & some 10-30-20 should do the trick. (only after growth is mature) Works for me...BettyE.

Thanks BettyE. One of our female cats is named Silken, which is why I chose the name for here. She is very special to us and quite the diva herself. Almost purebred Abyssinian and a little beauty!

---------- Post added at 02:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:44 PM ----------

Originally Posted by isurus79

Very nice! What do you think of the scent? I always thought it was reminiscent of a stinky Bulbo, but I know some people like it!

Thanks. It hardly smells so far but I certainly don't care for the scent. But I set it beside my C. jenmanii which is still in bloom so it should help deal with any bad smell it gives off I actually have to stick my nose right up to it to smell the rather musky smell.

[No-Pro-mwa]

What a Cat that smells bad....NO...please tell me it isn't true. It is pretty however.

What kind of water are you using? I was wondering if I used the ph down stuff if I could use my well water? At lest for some. I use to use it which may be one of the reasons I lost so many.

[silken]

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

What a Cat that smells bad....NO...please tell me it isn't true. It is pretty however.

What kind of water are you using? I was wondering if I used the ph down stuff if I could use my well water? At lest for some. I use to use it which may be one of the reasons I lost so many.

Unfortunately it is known for its less than pleasant scent. Mine's been in bloom for close to a week and there is no scent unless you stick your nose right close, and it is kind of a musty or musky smell. Not a lovely flower smell.

I just use tap water. But our pH averages 8.5 to 9 which is very high and the water is fairly hard. I think there would be more minerals etc. in well water, but you'd likely need to have some testing done. I gave the rainwater option a good try. The first year was pretty good. But the 2nd year I seemed to always have some algae in it. It may have been harmless but partway thru the winter, what I collected would smell dank, so I just gave up on that. As well, I have 140 orchids to water, so collecting enough was not always possible.

[brsucculents]

Very nice. I keep hoping to find an afordable mericlone seedling but no luck.

[gngrhill]

Originally Posted by silken

I was beginning to give up on this one. I bought it in 2011 supposedly as bloom size. It put out several small sheaths since then but never developed spikes. So finally I am seeing some results and it is right on schedule. This species is known as a Christmas blooming orchid. These buds opened on the 31st of Dec. I am hoping for more blooms on each spike next year. Again, I have to wonder if my addition of a Cal/Mag supplement beginning 6 months ago is playing a role here. I am seeing lots of first blooms on stubborn Catts these last few months

I have read some about adding Calcium, and I have a question. I have hard water from my well, leaves Ca deposits everywhere when it evaporates. I am currently mixing my well water and rain water 50/50. Do you think I should use straight well water on my Catts ? How do I find out how much is in my well water, and how do I know how much the Catts need ?

[silken]

Originally Posted by brsucculents

Very nice. I keep hoping to find an afordable mericlone seedling but no luck.

Thanks.

I bought this as from a private vendor in Canada a few years ago so I can't even point you to one.

---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 AM ----------

Originally Posted by gngrhill

I have read some about adding Calcium, and I have a question. I have hard water from my well, leaves Ca deposits everywhere when it evaporates. I am currently mixing my well water and rain water 50/50. Do you think I should use straight well water on my Catts ? How do I find out how much is in my well water, and how do I know how much the Catts need ?

If you have calcium deposits you maybe have enough calcium. I think the only way you would know how your well water compares to average tap water or how high or low the calcium is, would be to send a sample to a lab for testing. If you are not having problems, I wouldn't change. I was having a number of my Catts getting black rot spots and that is why I began adding more calcium. I also knew that my water had very high pH which might be making nutrients unavailable to them.

[isurus79]

Remember that you can have tons of calcium, but without magnesium its a moot point! We have liquid rock here in central Texas, but my Catts were still showing signs of Ca deficiency. I now add Cal/Mag supplement to the mix with 50% tap water to 50% RO/DI purchased at the store. Everything is growing like crazy now.

[gngrhill]

Thanks Silken

[silken]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Remember that you can have tons of calcium, but without magnesium its a moot point! We have liquid rock here in central Texas, but my Catts were still showing signs of Ca deficiency. I now add Cal/Mag supplement to the mix with 50% tap water to 50% RO/DI purchased at the store. Everything is growing like crazy now.

I agree. And I now use a pH down product in our water, which likely added to my growing improvements along with the Cal/Mag supplement.

[No-Pro-mwa]

I do the rain water when I can. I have just run out of it. In the summer I have a big black barrel that it is stored in but for the winter I put it in gal jugs or I also have some of those bigger plastic cat litter jugs. They work great, but then I have a garage in the basement that I can put them in. I also don't have 140 orchids to water thank heavens.

I only have around 45 so far

Years ago I had the water tested and it was 7. something. I can't find the paper for it. I was just reading before I got on the forum this morning an e-mail from Jerry Baker, you know the garden guy, anyway it was saying you can put lemon juice in your water to bring down the PH. Anyone ever heard of that one?

I have to haul water for my humidifiers and now that I am going to have to start hauling it for my orchids also it is going to get to be a pain in the you know what.

I have sometimes mixed the RO water with mine for some of my orchids, I probably should have done it more. I have been using Epsom salt mixed with gypsum for extra cal/mag. I think my David Sanders is still showing signs of deficiency.