Cattleya Story Time My first extreme cattleya success sto...
Cattleya Story Time
My first extreme cattleya success story. May I introduce Rosamond Oliver? She is my only really real flouffy "cattleya" cattleya. For all intents and purposes, she should have a horrible time in my dreary old German apartment, though I try and compensate that by showering her with love and artifical light. and now I think something beautiful is happening that I really didn't expect. I think I might have gotten her to produce a sheath. In record time given the circumstances.
She came to me only last summer in the most interesting medium ever (compared to the normal ones on the European market). Just tightly bound in two big pieces of bark. It looked absolutely fascinating, and I would have loved to leave it like this but no way I could make that work in my surroundings. So I repotted. Immediately on arrival. Had to even pry her loose at some spots and put her into " normal"bark. If you know anything about cattleyas, you can imagine my fear concerning the timing, the effect on the roots and setback. And sure enough, many didn't make it. However, I was left with two small viable ones, after all which apparently were enough to hydrate it.
Then, only after some months, I noticed the snails. I had proactively treated against them during the repot, but must have missed some eggs. They had been munching on the emerging pseudobulb since then (which I knew I needed to protect at all costs given the state of the roots) and the remainder of the roots. I first tried to treat them superficially to avoid another repot, but in the end, had to repot again to get rid of them. A second repot within a few months. No new roots in sight for half a year. Transplant stress. Snail damage. Subpar light conditions. Cattleya novice.
And now, after considering all that: look at that new pseudobulb. It grew so fast. It is so much bigger than the older ones, no sign of setback whatsoever. Even without the sheath, I'm over the moon with that result.
And as for the sheath itself, I'm not certain, but it might even be growing a spike inside. I'm beyond words. Under the best conditions I could give, I was uncertain I would get it to bloom and was prepared for lots of wait time and a huge learning curve. To have it grow a big new PB in little more than half a year and maybe even produce a spike on the first try is beyond my wildest dreams.
So, #orchidlovers, go forth. Get wildly inappropriate species. Give it your all and see what happens. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your #happyplants. Because seriously, #plantsmakepeoplehappy.
My first extreme cattleya success story. May I introduce Rosamond Oliver? She is my only really real flouffy "cattleya" cattleya. For all intents and purposes, she should have a horrible time in my dreary old German apartment, though I try and compensate that by showering her with love and artifical light. and now I think something beautiful is happening that I really didn't expect. I think I might have gotten her to produce a sheath. In record time given the circumstances.
She came to me only last summer in the most interesting medium ever (compared to the normal ones on the European market). Just tightly bound in two big pieces of bark. It looked absolutely fascinating, and I would have loved to leave it like this but no way I could make that work in my surroundings. So I repotted. Immediately on arrival. Had to even pry her loose at some spots and put her into " normal"bark. If you know anything about cattleyas, you can imagine my fear concerning the timing, the effect on the roots and setback. And sure enough, many didn't make it. However, I was left with two small viable ones, after all which apparently were enough to hydrate it.
Then, only after some months, I noticed the snails. I had proactively treated against them during the repot, but must have missed some eggs. They had been munching on the emerging pseudobulb since then (which I knew I needed to protect at all costs given the state of the roots) and the remainder of the roots. I first tried to treat them superficially to avoid another repot, but in the end, had to repot again to get rid of them. A second repot within a few months. No new roots in sight for half a year. Transplant stress. Snail damage. Subpar light conditions. Cattleya novice.
And now, after considering all that: look at that new pseudobulb. It grew so fast. It is so much bigger than the older ones, no sign of setback whatsoever. Even without the sheath, I'm over the moon with that result.
And as for the sheath itself, I'm not certain, but it might even be growing a spike inside. I'm beyond words. Under the best conditions I could give, I was uncertain I would get it to bloom and was prepared for lots of wait time and a huge learning curve. To have it grow a big new PB in little more than half a year and maybe even produce a spike on the first try is beyond my wildest dreams.
So, #orchidlovers, go forth. Get wildly inappropriate species. Give it your all and see what happens. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy your #happyplants. Because seriously, #plantsmakepeoplehappy.
21ft to light, indirect
5” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
12
@Araceae sorry, not sorry 😅 (what a genX/ millennial thing to say. Sorry 😉)
How are your TCs doing? I assume they are all breathing sweet fresh Singaporean air right now and are thriving? It's been a while since your latest update.
As for the toppling: Hey, they are creative. Those sideshoots sound like a terrific solution. Mine, sadly , aren't as creative. I can not count the number of spikes I and my dog have snipped this flowering season out of sheer clumsiness. And my plants refuse to find a solution to make up for it. However, they do have a good work ethic instead, and all of them are working on substitute spikes as we speak.
How are your TCs doing? I assume they are all breathing sweet fresh Singaporean air right now and are thriving? It's been a while since your latest update.
As for the toppling: Hey, they are creative. Those sideshoots sound like a terrific solution. Mine, sadly , aren't as creative. I can not count the number of spikes I and my dog have snipped this flowering season out of sheer clumsiness. And my plants refuse to find a solution to make up for it. However, they do have a good work ethic instead, and all of them are working on substitute spikes as we speak.
Just held up the sheath against the light, because I considered whether I should cut it open. Good thing I did: I'm sad to report, no spike on Rosamond Oliver as of yet. But I'm patient (sometimes😅). Even with a potential empty sheath, that growth is a veritable success story. And even if this PB stays flowerless with that rate of growth, I still have another chance in less than a year, which is amazing in and of itself.
@TheConservator thanks, though that's not true by a long shot. But she has been consistently in my focus because I expected difficulties 😀 lucky her.
@MusicalRedmint my onc grows too slow. It's STILL in the flask :P But in the mean time i have to decide on how on earth i have to plant it [the shoots are between the leaves]
@Hoyaobsessed thank you 😊 I doubt it will happen, but it doesn't hurt to how for it surely 😉. And yes, this new PS and the leaf are so pristine and look so healthy it is a thing to behold. Snails 0, Susann 1
I can't wait! You better post about it! Yk how much I love my orchids.