New Order arrived, yay!!!!

[NYCorchidman]

so true! Every time I walk by it, it's like being in the spring garden full of little narcissus.

By the way, the other cattleya, George King "Southern Cross" isn't making any progress. The little empty sheaths are just sitting there. Well, I'm still hoping for a nice surprise though. It's supposed to have a very large flower, so will be quite interesting on this tiny plant.

[camille1585]

Sometimes sheaths can sit there empty for a long time before they fill out.

[NYCorchidman]

How long is long time?

Last summer, I ordered two cattleyas, SF cinnamon stick and Kuwale Gem Shin Shin (just like Toshie's Magic except it's white with red lip and much larger flower)
both in sheath emerging from the center of the leaf.

Over the course of the following month or two, cinnamon stick grew one bud in the sheath and eventually bloom. The other one had large green sheath for a while like three month before it slowly turned yellow, then brown. By then, it was growing very healthy thick new lead emerging at the base. I dumped the plant for no flowering, but maybe I should have kept it at least it had such a nice new growth.
My cinnamon stick on the other hand, continued to grow rather weak growth and no more flowers since.

So, can sheath just sit there more than 3 months?

[camille1585]

It can sit there, or it can eventually just die. I don't know how long, I'm not a Catt person. Don't toss the plant though if it does nothing, sometimes the change in conditions when you get a plant makes them skip a beat.

[james mickelso]

Yes. Catts and laelias often grow sheaths but do not initiate bud formation for a number of reasons. This could be not enough light at the right time. It could be genetic. It might be that it wasn't ready to bloom because it had too few bbulbs which supply the new lead with energy. The usual way the plant grows is to put out a new lead which then flowers and when the flower dies back the lead will then put out roots. This is not cast in concrete but with most of my catts and laelias this is pretty standard. If the plant has fewer than 3 or 4 mature bbulbs the plant doesn't have enough energy to produce a flower. That said, it will produce a sheath but at a critical time when the bud primordia starts to form, there is something that inhibits this from happening. What I have done is once the new lead is halfway through it's growth phase I switch to a high phosphorus/potassium fertilizer and finish the new growth using that. Also temperature is a critical factor. For some Catts to bloom the temp has to be around 70-80 degrees with a 15-20 degree drop at night. So I hang the stubborn catts high in my GH (top of the window you are growing near) and at night I put it on the floor to help it get cooler (in the garage). I know that Toshie Aoki and those crosses act like this. Light is also critical. Some orchids need as bright a light level as possible short of burning the leaves. Just some things to consider. But please, if you have something that doesn't suit yours needs or desires, don't throw it away. There are lots of us out here that would love the challenge so give it to us. There is soemone in your orchid club who would love to have your castoffs.

[NYCorchidman]

The one I threw away, Blc.Kuwale Gem had lots of pbs like 8 at least, but never flowered before.
My susan fender cinnamon stick flowered last summer and grew and grew lots of new leads with no sheath, not empty sheaths but no sheaths at all. and they are smaller and smaller. I suspect something is very wrong with that plant.
My Lc. Golden Sands is growing its new lead as big as (if not larger) the previous one. I grow everything the same way.
They get lots of light, nearly full sun. there is a temperature drop at night.

So high phosporus fertilizer does work for some plants I guess? I've never tried because I read many times how they are useless.

My susan fender cinnamon stick is opening up those folded up leaves on the new leads and I do not see any sheaths in there again.

[james mickelso]

I have a few catts that have never flowered. I don't know their names or parentage so I can't see what the growth conditions need to be. For instance I have a catt schilleriana that needs a dry dormant period and water at the right time to flower. It will make a new pbulb which will flower if conditions are right, then make new pbulbs which won't flower. If it has water duru=ing the dormsnt period it will make pbulbs and not flowers. You may have not given it what it needs at the right time. Also the change in conditions from where it was grown to your place may have been more than it liked and it will skip a season or two then flower for all it's worth. The orchid that grows more and smaller pbulbs most likely is getting too little light or food or both. I know this isn't great help but try and find the parentage of the cross and also call the grower for more specific info on that plant.

[NYCorchidman]

Thanks for the input.

The grower told me that most of his hybrids are grown at the same facility and easy grower & bloomer.
Oh, well... that leaves me pretty much on my own.
It's funny because those smaller pbs grew during the winter with not enough light, so I thought it was the light. now it is growing under full sun (filtered by the window if any) for at least half day. and the new leads are as small as the past ones.
Well, I will give it another season and that's it!

[james mickelso]

The grower has the perfect growing conditions for that plant and when they send the plant to you it can have advese effects on it and stunt it for a season or two depending on your growing conditions. Like phals shipped and the buds or flowers all fall off. I would just give it all the light it can use, after the time the grower said it should flower I'd keep it dry for awhile then start watering slowly. Once the new growth is almost mature, I'd switch to a high phosphorus/potassium food and finish the growth with that. Some catts and laelias grow a sheath, then take a few months to begin to grow a bud. Please let us know what happens. I will look into my extensive literature and find something for you.

[Vanda lover]

It's gorgeous! I can see why you recommend them.
I have bought orchids on ebay with good results too. This week I received a tolumnia from vanda-diffusion. I have bought at least 5 times before from them and have been happy with what I bought. The tolumnia has at least 15 fans and is healthy.
Unfortunately there are few Americans who sell to Canadians.