Is this a bud??
 

I bought this orchid 3 years ago, and it's never had flowers since I've had it. But I think this may be a bud sprouting.

What do you think??

Weehoo!! It's about time!!!! :banana: :cheer:

It's a Ctna. Jamaica Red x C. Penny Kuroda.

Is there anything I should do to ensure that the bud has the best chance of blooming?? How often should I water it?? Should I give it some fertilizer?? I generally water my orchids about once a week and I haven't used fertilizer in eons.

Congrats :clap: on your first catt bud/bloom. I would start to introduce the catt to weak/weekly fertilizer. Your watering regimen is good, your doing something right otherwise it would not show you how happy it is of it's growing conditions. :banana:

Is it me or does this plant seem small to be blooming?

:cheer: Bud for sure , the plant is a compact grower won't get tall .
Type the name in a search then click on images . the bloom is beautiful . Be sure to post a :photo: when it blooms . Gin

Thanks for the replies :) I was pretty sure it's a bud, but didn't want to get my hopes up too high without knowing for sure!!

20jlr, I'm not sure how big this orchid gets. But it hasn't really gotten any bigger in the three years that I've had it. Not sure how old it was when I bought it.

Gin, I'm going to wait till it blooms to see what the flowers look like. I've waited so long, it would be sort of anti-climactic to ruin the surprise now by seeing a picture :)

For sure I'll post some pics when it blooms. I can't wait!! :cheer:

Congrats on the buds! Looking forward to seeing the flowers.

Cattleytonia Jamaica Red x Cattleya Penny Kuroda = Cattleytonia Red Rum

There's a nice photo of Ctna. Red Rum at cloudsorchids.com

Most cattleytonias are pretty compact, and form many growths in a fairly small area. Of course, it depends on the parentage. A well grown Broughtonia sanguinea is a lovely sight and produces tons of flowers, and that's usually the broughtonia parent in the background of the hybrids.