Millennium Magic Orchid Skipping Dormancy or Needing Forced Dormancy?
 

Hi All!

I need some help/advice for my Millennium Magic orchid since she is new to me (and my first Catasetum). I got her several months ago, she is in spangum moss (how I got her) and I keep her well-watered like I read you're supposed to. She gets plenty of light as I have her in a south facing window. It is December in SE Texas and has been around 80 degrees with some days/nights dropping into the 50s recently.

Today I noticed that it looks like she has a new growth... but she still has not entered her dormancy period and dropped her leaves. My understanding is soon she should start dropping her leaves (and then I should stop watering) until early spring when *then* she puts out new growth and I start watering again when the growth looks established. My concern is that she somehow skipped her dormancy period and thinks it is spring and the coming cold months (January and February for us) will mess up her growth cycle and this new growth.

Should I stop watering now and force her into dormancy? Do I need to do anything different? Did I mess up and should I have stopped watering a while ago despite it not really being cold here yet?

I appreciate any and all advice or insight!

First... it might be a spike. A number of Catasetinae flower in the winter, when leafless. If this were a growth, most Catasetinae would have begun forming new roots as well.

Have you read the growing instructions on the Sunset Valley Orchids Web site? Fred Clarke recommends stopping all watering by the end of December for all plants.

I would stop watering now, until any new roots are the length described by Fred in the cultivation information. I would expect the leaves to drop. The spike should be fine.

I recently purchased the same kind of orchid and it also put out a new growth that’s growing very well. I live in California so there isn’t a pronounced winter period. There’s a guy on YouTube that specializes in catasetums (Steven I think?) who says you can either force dormancy or keep it growing. I chose to keep growing it, since it only had one cane and I figured I’d rather have a healthy plant to bloom in a couple years.

Orchids “don’t read books” and who knows what conditions it was coming from? It might take a few years to settle into the rhythms of your local seasons.

That same guy may just answer the query here. It's our own Isurus79.

I have the same plant of same size relatively new to me too. It also keeps growing strong and stays thirsty. I am not sure I want to force dormancy either....

I think so. If it keeps growing strong, and provided that the temperature of the media (and the roots) don't get 'relatively' cold (actually - cold and wet ------ because relatively chilly cold plus wet can be a killer of orchid roots and orchids) ------- then it should be ok to keep the plant growing. But if the temperature is cold all the time - like air-conditioning cold, then simply stopping the watering should be enough - as the leaves would fall off by themselves eventually. And how long it takes for the leaves to fall off doesn't matter. They will certainly all fall off - eventually.

But - manual leaf removal is ok too. These sorts of plants are quite tough. They can handle it. That is - if conditions are provided that avoids rotting of any portions of the plant ----- then it's ok to go either way ----- manual leaf removal, or just natural leaf drop.

I would be inclined to start to "push' dormancy.. reduce water for a week or so, then stop it. (So it will be January when you stop watering, which is Fred Clarke's recommendation for plants reluctant to start dormancy) Let the plant know that the "rainy season" is over. I don't think that cutting leaves is necessary, just send the the "naptime" signal to the plant. Like a little kid who says "But I'm not sleepy".

I wonder if seedling size plant requires the same interval of dormancy also? I don't expect mine to flower until after at least two years, actually.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Without photo, don't know how small a seedling... typically they can bloom on the first full-size growth after the baby one.

Here is my seedling. Thanks!