Blc

[winky]

Can someone give me an idea as to when a BLC will bloom and how old they have to be? Or is it dependant on the particular variety? I'm treating it like a Cattlya.

[Ellen]

Blc is Brassavola x Laelia x Cattleya. All of these are "cattleya-alliance" orchids, so treating it like a cattleya is right. When your plant will bloom is unpredictable, and depends on its ancestry. Blc's can bloom during any season of the year, but it's probably most common for them to bloom in the spring, followed by fall. Age is also not a good predictor of when your plant will bloom, because blooming also depends on growing conditions. Generally, given good conditions, catts will start blooming whenever they get one or two leads of mature (or near-mature) size. Mature size will also vary depending on the plant's ancestry. This may be more info than you wanted, and not a very conclusive answer, but that's the way it is.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

You can tell a little bit by what stage the growth is in. The pattern is for an eye at the base of the plant to start to swell, then grow outward like a thumb before turning upward and growing into a leaf (or 2) and pseudobulb. As the leaf opens, there is usually a sheath inside the leaf that is a temporary thin structure that protects the buds when they start to form. At this point there are two possibilities. The plant may flower shortly after the leaf opens and completes its growth, or the leaf may mature and then the plant rests until it is about to start another growth and bloom just as the new eye begins to swell. Which it does depends on it genetics, and the many ancesters it has. If there is no sheath inside the leaf, the plant probaby won't bloom, but there have been exceptions.

[winky]

Thanks, some new root growth is about all I've got. I got three of them in August of last year and they haven't done much this winter. Perhaps now that spring is here things will get moving.

[mayres]

One of the biggest reasons for no blooms is not enough light - give 'em lots of sunshine! (gradually increase if possible)

[jerrymeola]

Blc and all Cattleya flower mostly by generics. I have many species that flower 2-4 times a year.

Blc Golden Tang is one that is always good for 3 times a year. This photo shows the dates of the flowers and the variety of its color by season.



Hknsa Sogo Doll (a Blc and more) flowers young easily and three times a year



Many can flower almost non-stop, but if you live in an area of a short growing season the shorter day and cooler temperatures will reduce the times it flowers.