Fdk after dark black pearl

[sbrofio]

Here they are!
Unfortunely, taking the plant inside with heat (8-9°C to 17-19°C; 47-48°F to 63-66°F) let some blossoms to drop. They're getting darker: these pics are maid 2 days ago and now they're darker. The second stem is getting bigger and will flower about 2 weeks after the oldest one.
Have a nice day!

Filippo

PS Edit: a new pic just done added: is it opening!?!?

[isurus79]

Nice! If I recall correctly, mine took a long time to fully open, but it stayed in bloom for many weeks.

[Lars Kurth]

It'll probably take another weeks untitl they open. Each flower lasts about 3 weeks, but they tend to be darkest at the beginning and then get a maroon reddish tinge as they age.

[unsardonic]

Ooh! Ooh! I know it's possible you posters already know this but, no one's mentioned it so... since these postings occurred, the AOS published their special supplement, October 2012, "Cycnoches Species & Hybrids." In it, Fred Clarke publishes an article entitled, "Growing Cycnoches as Mother Nature Would."

He provides exTREMEly detailed (nonpareil) instructions, photographically illustrated, on how to deal with the unique dormancy requirements of Cycnoches and the group of plants containing them, the Catasetinae. He says in the article, it applies equally to Catasetum, Mormodes, Clowesia & their offspring, i.e. ..."Fredclarkeara." I mean, if you want to know how to grow that genus, may as well go to the guy it's named after, eh? So combine the beginning info from the "sunsetvalleyorchids.com" site with the AOS Supplement - available for a few dollars from the AOS website (they're advertising all the supplements in the AOS Journal this month)

I'll summarize the Bullet Points as briefly as possible:

SPRING: Do NOT water when new growth is just starting.

LATE SPRING: Continue to withhold watering when new growth and new roots are still about the same size as their most recent (dormant) bulbs.

SUMMER: Begin watering when the new growth & roots are 3-5 inches long.

AUTUMN & EARLY WINTER: Yellowing leaves indicate the first signs of dormancy. At this time, reduce watering by 50 percent.

DORMANCY: Do NOT water when all the leaves fall; plant is dormant.

My Fredclarkara After Dark is just now now opening a stalk of some 30 flowers yet, there are NO leaves left. They were full and green just last week & the buds were not open and, within a few days, the leaves yellowed & dropped very quickly & now the buds are like half-open tulips yet, Fred says, "NO WATER!" It's going to bloom for weeks, even months yet to come but, I'll also trust the guy who created the genus. He plants in 100% New Zealand Sphagnum (supported by some styro popcorn) so, although I ended water last week, that sphagnum is still medium moist and, as the plant is dormant, the moss should retain enough moisture to satisfy the blooms for their lifetime.

Maybe I'll send some photos when it's fully open...

[Lars Kurth]

The AOS special does not yet seem to be available on-line, but seems to say what the articles here say. Although I always struggle with restraining myself and may start watering a little too early.

[unsardonic]

Hi Lars, There's a place in Fred's articles in the Supplement where he addresses that urge. He said it's the hardest thing - it just seemed totally unnatural to withhold that water, like you said but, he says you've got to suppress the urge and starve them or they'll root-rot, & who needs that? He says the hardest is to restrain yourself in Late Spring; he says you MUST withhold water into the Late Spring until both growth & roots are over 3 inches long. I won't have too much problem with this because I grow various Amorphophallus &, you just have to learn to get disciplined & not give them water until they tell you... & they'll stay disturbingly dormant for up to 3 years!

He said, also, that he divides all these plants bigger than 4 pseudobulbs. He said once they get bigger than 4 pseudobulbs, the backbulbs just rot & that's pointless, as they would continue to grow when the plant is smaller.

He told me that, in fact, the outRAGEOUS Cyc. cooperi "SVO III" FCC/AOS that won a CCE, put out that famous flowerfall of 100+ large blooms on only 3 pseudobulbs... I was duly impressed!