this one is a new growth from the PB and yes, robust plant can send up multiple growth in a single growth cycle.
a root keiki is much smaller in size and the initial appearance is something like those plantlets that we deflasked.

cat-ian - do you know anything about seed pods on catasetums ? I was curious as to how long these take to develop and what happens to them when the plant goes dormant. Do they continue developing ?

the longest i had was about 7 mths before i harvested it as green pod and the fastest one i got is 3 months 4 days, when it started to crack (and yes, i did double check with microscope, inside it is all embryonated seeds). in the internet, some site stated there time for maturity is 8-9 months.
the seed pod continue to mature while the plant goes dormant.
and i do not know if it is a coincidence, but the one where i harvested at 7mths old seed pod is from dormant plant while the other one that ripe at 3 mths age is from an active growing plant. perhaps plant growing activity had an influence on pod maturity time?? very hard to conclude from such small sample size

Interesting! I know that some Phalaenopsis species can do this as well!

I suppose I should start a separate thread, but....a question on pollination. These have male and female flowers ( sometimes not both ) - to get pollination do you have to do a male/female cross, or does the female also have pollen?

I like catasetums because they take up no space in our Winter and I can have them outdoors all summer !


I found your blogpost on pollination - but still am curious about the male/female flower angle - as opposed to the female/female pollination.

catasetum-ian: pollination

only the male flower has pollen. and since you may not have both present at the same time, male pollen can be harvested and kept covered by a paper towel and then stored in the freezer in a airtight container. it can last for at least a year.

"but still am curious about the male/female flower angle - as opposed to the female/female pollination"

don't really get your meaning on this part ??

you answered my question by saying you need a male flower for pollen - unlike most other orchids where you can self as the flower contains both pollen and stamen.
Probably explains why I read that some growers use an aluminium foil covering over the bud to to produce a flower of the opposite sex, if I remember correctly to produce a male flower. Maybe I will try that method, no harm.

I have done it and it works. You have to get the tinfoil on as early as possible and you have to do it so that the spike doesn't break! It can be tricky!

very true. its fun but i use a styrofoam cube and dig a hole in the center and they are basically weightless and they do not get heated up under the sun

ok, so this is my effort with Cat. Planiceps.
I think the aluminium cap is "light" enough to grow with the spike. I suppose I will have to make it longer/bigger as the spike grows. I modelled the cap around a pen. Its not tight even though it looks like it is.
- when can it be removed ?
- does it seem OK ? I tried other methods but this was the least invasive for the plant.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/13/pepebabu.jpg


looks like a toadstool.....:rofl: