Blooming Catts

[Roberta]

In response to the request from Dollythehun, here's a new thread on Catts.

They are wildly varied - so here are a few thoughts to get the thread started.

First, pot when rooting... ideally just when roots are starting, so you don't have to worry if a few tips get damaged, there will be more. When does this happen? It depends... best bet is to just observe. Some root before they put out new growth, some put out new growth and may not root for several months (like C dowiana and its hybrids... a reason why they have a reputation for being difficult, it is counter-intuitive to pot them in the fall after they have bloomed from growths that they sprouted in the spring/summer but that's when they root...) L. anceps and relatives do new roots, new growth, and bloom in the fall/winter. L. purpurata doesn't get going until late-ish spring. So clearly, the rooting, growing, and blooming are all over the map, but the basic principle is the same - pot when you start to see new roots and the rest will probably take care of itself.

[Dollythehun]

Like Cheddarbob14, I wonder about the blooming parts. Long ago, you all told me how to rescue and repot but, each plant is so different, I can see why knowing he parents might help.

In spite of my protests and best intentions, a few have followed me home...and I got one to bloom, so now I need to learn. Rbarata's posts were helpful because he went step by step.

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Cattleya alliance plants usually bloom from a sheath produced from the top of the pseudobulb, inside the topmost leaf. It looks something like a leaf, but is hollow inside, and most of the time is smaller than the leaves. The sheath is usually visible as the new growth is developing. If a growth does not form a sheath, it is almost certainly not going to bloom.

Some Cattleyas flower soon after the new growth matures. The sheath remains green. The buds enlarge inside the sheath, emerge and then open.

Other Cattleyas wait a while. The wait can be several months. The sheath may stay green, or may dry and turn brown. When the plant decides it is ready to flower, the buds enlarge and push through the sheath.

As an example, my mom's plant of Lc. Irene Finney has two sheaths now, on this summer's growths. This plant normally blooms around Mother's Day, which in the US is the second Sunday in May.

A given plant will follow the same sheath behavior most of the time. The rupicolous Laelia hybrids I have normally have sheaths that dry out well before buds emerge. Floofy Cattleyas usually bloom from green sheaths.

A plant with buds may abort them if kept too dry for too long, or if the sheath gets sunburned.

[Dollythehun]

So, I gather if you see a sheath, you should up the water?

Is it common (I think I've seen this on the OB) for a first bloomer to abort buds?

Do they bloom more than once from the same sheath? (I would guess not).

How do we know when growth is mature and not going to bloom?

My Lc mini Blue Hawaii bloomed this year. The buds snuck up on me and out of the two, one aborted. That could have been first bloom cycle? Too little water? Or getting placed too close to the lights?

[Roberta]

I have never adjusted water other then to cut it back when the weather is cool just because they dry out more slowly. So when it's hot, I'll water every other day or so. In winter I cut back to every 3 or 4 days. The goal is to get the wet-dry cycle. C. walkeriana would probably bloom better with some winter drying-out but I think most other Catts really don't care.

Another "bloom pattern" is for the hadrolaelias (including Sophronitis and a few others like L. pumila) that bloom out of the new growth - the leaves open and the buds pop out. No sheath at all. And then there's C. walkeriana and hybrids that my bloom either out of a "normal" growth, or may bloom out of a skinny pseudobulb with just a tiny leaf.

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Originally Posted by Dollythehun

So, I gather if you see a sheath, you should up the water?

Not up the water, but don't let it stay dry for long. A larger plant has more reserves than a first-blooming seedling, or a division growing from back bulbs, so you have to be more careful with smaller plant.

Is it common (I think I've seen this on the OB) for a first bloomer to abort buds?

Yes and no.... Sometimes a plant may actually set more buds than it can support, but I doubt this happens often. I suspect most of the time the problem is with the grower, not the plant. Small first-blooming seedlings need steady moisture, proper temperatures and proper humidity to mature and open buds. Inexperienced or time-limited growers may not be careful enough to give the plant what it wants.

Do they bloom more than once from the same sheath? (I would guess not).

No.

How do we know when growth is mature and not going to bloom?

Sometimes the sheath is very small, and cannot be seen until the new growth is fully expanded. With unifoliate Catts, though, you can usually see a sheath well before the growth has fully expanded.

My Lc mini Blue Hawaii bloomed this year. The buds snuck up on me and out of the two, one aborted. That could have been first bloom cycle? Too little water? Or getting placed too close to the lights?

It could have been all the above. Best guess would be not enough water or too close to lights / too hot. Lc. Mini Purple 'Blue Hawaii' is a primary hybrid between C. (or L.) pumila and C. walkeriana. It likes to be very well-watered in the growing season.

[Dollythehun]

It's pretty pale, might stand to be a few inches further away. But, it's grown into a huge plant and still growing, so it might have needed more water. For sure it's grower error.

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That's a problem under lights... needing to be closer to get more light, but so close it gets too hot. A stiff breeze helps in this situation, or different light technology.

[Dollythehun]

LEDs, ceiling fan on high. Will move it, it's pretty bleached.