ON THE SUBJECT OF SHEATHS

[dounoharm]

it has been on my mind recently, that there is a lot of confusion about sheaths....

yes, most cattleyas form sheaths, from which the buds rise. sometimes with mature plants, you will get buds coming from new growths with NO sheath....and sometimes you get a dry (non-flowering) sheath....sometimes you get a dry sheath which sits around a bit and suddenly pops out some buds! for sure, cattleyas can be mysterious!

what concerns me, is that I see folks selling plants 'in sheath' excitedly....implying that the plant is about to bloom....most of the time with these ads, the plant in question IS STILL IMMATURE!

my point being that we need to create more of an understanding of the life cycle of our lovelies....
1) in truth, it takes 5-7 years for an orchid to grow from seed to maturity. there are no quick methods.
2)an orchid WILL NOT BLOOM TILL MATURE!
3)it is normal for immature to form sheaths! this type of sheath will not make buds. it will not bloom until mature!

I am sure there will be more commentary and discussion on this subject, and I hope there will me wiser heads commenting on it also. I add a picture of an immature plant in my collection with 3 small sheaths.

[Bohata]

I might add that often, when there is a delay between sheath formation and blooming, the plant may require short daylength and/or cool night temperatures to induce bud development.

[Dollythehun]

Dounoharm, could you post a picture of the whole plant? As a complete novice with Catts, I am still unsure what I am looking at. However, your explanation of blooming age tells me I gave up way too soon.

[No-Pro-mwa]

They sure are mysterious. I never know if they are going to bloom until I see a bud. Waiting on a couple right now.