Cattleyas light cycles and blooming

[rbarata]

Repot is done but all the plans went down the drain.
Didn't took pics to the roots 'cause I was too busy trying to untangle the roots...lots of healthy thick roots "glued" to the medium...trying not to damage any...basically, now the plan't natural position for the rizome is vertical. I simply couldn't put it in another position.
I've used the same medium (6 months old) and added new one to fill the pot (medium size bark and LECA).
Conclusion, everything's the same except the pot, which is bigger. At least now I don't have stability issues, no need to put stones to make weight.

Advice needed about watering it now. Should I wait a few days or not? I soaked the roots to make them more flexible and release some of the medium.

Some pics:

[Becky15349]

I know this post has many replies, but I've been growing cattleyas for 15 years and this is what I've found: cattleyas perform best when they are given as much light as they can tolerate without burning the leaves. Each type of cattleya is different, and will bloom at a different type of year depending on its parentage - but I personally think light year-round is important. That being said, I live in a suburb of Chicago and our winters are very gloomy, we don't have much sun at that time of year, but I am still successful at blooming cattleyas. During your sunny season, give them as much light as possible without burning the leaves. Keep a fan on them to keep the air moving, the leaves are less likely to burn. I have found that light is the most important factor in blooming cattleyas. I hope that helps! ~Becky

---------- Post added at 03:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------

That repotting looks good! Next time, you could choose to put the rhizome a little further down into the media if you wanted; I have found that with such an airy media, it won't adversely effect the rhizome or cause rot, and it will be more stable in the pot. I am happy you have chosen to grow cattleyas! They are my absolute favorite and continue to captivate me!!

[rbarata]

Thanks for the advise, Becky.
In fact this is my first Catt which I'm using to determine if I have the conditions to grow them. So far it's going well.

That repotting looks good! Next time, you could choose to put the rhizome a little further down into the media if you wanted;

That what I was trying to do with this repotting but the plant adapted to this position and I couldn't do it without damaging it.

[rbarata]

Update on the new growth...
Doesn't it look good?

[gngrhill]

looking good !

[No-Pro-mwa]

It's doing great and don't you just love the red spotting on the leaves.

[rbarata]

Love them, that's the best sign I could have at this point.
I'm really eager to see how the flowers look like.
If this one flowers, it means I have the right conditions for catts...and I've found a store that sells agricultural items. Among the pesticides, corn seeds, wheat, etc, there are a lot of catts in need to be rescued.
Do you see my plan?

[Gthumbz89]

I just provide as much light as possible without burning them. Unfortunately I don't know if there is a critical time to provide good light for blooming. From what I have seen on my cattleyas they like high light all the time so that they can maximize their vegetative cycle before blooming. Some cattleyas need changes in day length to bloom though....Those ones make sheaths and just sit there until they get that cue.

---------- Post added 06-14-2016 at 12:10 AM ---------- Previous post was 06-13-2016 at 11:59 PM ----------

Your plant looks great by the way. I see lots of freckles from good light which is a good sign. Be patient, fertilize with proper pH, and water when dry. Eventually it will get its act together.

I had to wait years for some of my cattleyas to start blooming. I almost threw some of them away until one day they just exploded with flowers. Turns out they were too young to bloom and had just reached maturity.

Moral of the story is....you have to wait for the plant to bloom....there is no forcing it.

[Jenascrich]

I got it! Yes. That's what mine looks like! Doesn't it seem to happen overnight? So has anything new happened?

[rbarata]

Hello, my friends

Update on the new cane of my catt...it's looking good!



The sheath is growing fast... I wonder how much time it will take to bloom from this stage.


And the rhizome is growing fast too, as well as lots of roots that I mist almost everyday to prevent theyr death.