Laelia tenebrosa - Stalled growth

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Anyway, I tried to open the leaf just to see...suprisingly, putting a sheet of paper in the crack, it opend really well (5 seconds was enough). Maybe it was about to open or it was a "sticky substance" issue, i.e., low humidy.

Nicely opened. Usually, the leaf after prying will just pop open, and then remain half-folded like that. But that's no problem at all. Fully functional healthy leaf.

[rbarata]

Update on this one...after the struggle of the stalled leaf that was refusing to open, a new growth emerged.
This time the new leaf grown really fast and opened as expected (but no sheath inside).

What have I done differently?
Put the plant to spend the nights in a bathroom with HR>70%.
The new leaf is bigger than the previous ones, as expected.
Needless to say this plant is a root manufacturing machine. The white roots near the pbulb base are all new and have grown in a matter of 3 weeks. Really fast!

Some photos:

[rbarata]

Finally...after 3 years of heavy root growing and new leaves, here's a sheath.
I'm not that confident because my humidity is too low and I'm strugling to get lower temps together with high humidity at night. During day time I've been misting the whole plant and roots 3 times a day but I think I will start to leave it near an open window at night.

If everything goes well, in 10 months approx. it will bloom.

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[DirtyCoconuts]

Nice work. Very steady and patient. And it looks like the payoff is coming

[Jeff214]

Congrats on the sheath. These Brazilian Laelias sure are teasers... They sleep for half a year and wake up with a bang!

[SouthPark]

A sheath is a great sign. Also a great sign is the health of the orchid - as in it is growing very nicely.

[rbarata]

Here's the sheath...it's a really big one (a photo with my hand for comparison).

[Roberta]

Nice! It will tease you for many months... I expect blooming maybe June or July... Maybe you'll be luckier, but for me they sit there and sit there and sit there. Bloom about the time I'm ready to give up.

[rbarata]

I think it will stay green until blooming, right?
If it gets dry, I suppose it won't bloom.

[Roberta]

Not necessarily... I don't recall the behavior of L. tenebrosa, but some orchids bloom from dry sheaths. (I think that is supposedly a difference between C. loddigesii and C. harrisoniana, which are very similar, often confused, and often subject of debate. I don't recall which is which)