Quote:
Originally Posted by SADE2020
Call me whatever you want, but i don't like Catasetum 
The flowers are gorgeous...but the plant itself is really like having a dead thing hanging around 💀 |
For me, I think that was a huge part of the appeal. There's something really cool about having a plant laid bare with a cluster of flowers. There's also the idea that I can take a "vacation" from caring for them for a good few months every year; It's all of the benefit and reward of caring for a plant 12 months a year, but for about 8-9 months of actual care and attention.
For me, cattleyas are one of those plants that I sometimes find less rewarding because of the care during winter. All winter long (depending on the type, obviously) they have no flowers, and they have some "not-quite-so-pretty" leaves and a handful of shrivelled bulbs. Their care becomes harder because of the low humidity and the lower temperatures; My goal is to just keep them alive and monitor them from November through March. It's like dormancy, but without the ability to completely write them off. They still need light and water, but not too much water. Having a clear "you are dormant, I can forget about you" phase, is a refreshing change of pace.
Additionally, as some have called out, some bloom with new growth, so they're not all in the same boat; there's a lot of diversity in this group. I have a cycnoches I spoke about on another thread that is pushing two spikes now with almost all of it's green leaves, and down lower on the plant it has another two spikes forming, which will likely bloom during winter. So it'll be blooming, more than likely, from October through February / March - half of those flowers will be happening while it's dormant, so I can place it anywhere in my house for display without worrying about watering it or giving it sunlight... All of that for 6-8 months of active growing season.
Threaded Mode
