Full sized catt. questions....
 

So I got to go to my first orchid show this weekend... and AMAZING experience. I walked into the door knowing I wanted specifically a white catt... the bigger the blooms the better! I ended up getting Catt. Swingtime 'Dancer'. For those who are unfamiliar with it, it is an old hybrid. HUGE white flowers that smell of something between lilac and honey. (needless to say, the huge flowers are dwarfed by a HUGE plant :).

I have been growing a potinara since around january beginning of February now. Is there anything that I should be doing different with this large catt? I have also heard that they need cool offs to bloom which scares me. I am a windowsill grower... it simply doesn't happen that way in a house.

Thanks for the help!

Here is some pix to drool on! (sorry that the flowers are a bit old, Unfortunately that is what they had at the time, but I knew I wanted it! it was whispering my name from the parking lot) The pix dont do it justice! This sucker is about two feet tall

Gorgeous!

I can't help much with your culture questions, other than to say that it's possible it may need more light than a Potinara ...

Hopefully some of our members who are dedicated big Catt growers can chime in!

Oh my gosh that is a beautiful and very large plant! I always thought that it was weird that people called the six inch or so tall catts "mini catts" now I know why!

Thank you for sharing the pics! I wish I could help, but I'm just getting to the place where I think I might feel up to trying a potinara.

such a beauty!! I love the old crosses too....with this one, don't expect to be able to keep it in greenhouse condition....it will have to practically jam up against the window (try not to actually touch the glass) to get enough light to bloom again....and don't water too much! they really need to dry out a few days before watering again! I am glad to see its in clay, that will help to keep the roots healthy as well as stabilize all that weight....if you can get it outside in the summers, do so! it will be a challenge to give it enough light, but you can if you try hard....put it on a big pan filled with gravel too, and put it in the shower when you can to water it....feed it well...once you have new buds, don't shower it anymore to keep the buds from rotting....repot every couple years, and just go with bigger pots, don't try to divide it, the show will be spectacular! enjoy!

Most hybrid cattleyas don't need a wide temperature change in order to bloom. Blooming is usually triggered by the photo-period (length of daylight hours). Most large cattleyas do require lots of good light in order to bloom. I have no experience trying to grow them indoors but if you could give it some time outdoors during the summer it might increase your chances of re-blooming. Good luck. It's a beautiful orchid.

You guys are scaring me... Do you think it is possible to grow this then in my house?

I keep my cattleyas inside all winter and then put them outside for the summer as soon as night temperatures stay over 45'F and days are over 60'F. At the end of summer, I bring them back inside (along with all my other plants and orchids). The extra light helps the pseudobulb grow better and improves your chances of having nice blooms. If you have lots of little squirrels and other critters where you live, see if you can buy a second hand bunny cage to put your orchid inside for protection.
If you don't want to put it outside, on Amazon, they have clip-on grow lamp kits for about $27.
Good luck!

Yes, they like it outside.

So you went to the show! I thought about getting one of those. What time and day did you go? I'll have to meet you next year. I was at the show the whole time except Saturday afternoon, you can see what I got in the paph section. Next year the show will either be the last week of February or first week of March. Is this all you got?

beautifull !!

Ha ha, ohhh yes I went . My family felt as if I walked out with the whole sales section. I have a thread below this one that has pix of the plants I bought. I was wanting to meet you there also... Shoot. I was there sat:biggrin: morning @ 11.

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In the summer where should I place it? Would the east side of a house be good? Also, how often do you guys water? It can be terribly hot In the summer in Nebraska. Im scared I'm gonna kill the poor thing :( it was definitely a buy now and think later choices. Out of curiousity how do you guys treat potinara compared to this Catt?

---------- Post added 04-02-2014 at 12:01 AM ---------- Previous post was 04-01-2014 at 11:59 PM ----------

Third thought... Maybe this was meant to be... The nobile I just bought needs outdoor growing also :)

Do you guys just put your plants out In the summer or try to harden them gradually to the amount of light you feel necessary?