Cattelya multiple buds??????

[Dan_Davis]

I had a cattelya produce two buds from one stem. It was great...
Lasted two weeks..... Now I have another plant producing, it looked like it started out having two buds, but one seems to be growing better and the other is now so stunted you can't tell it was a bud.
I guess my question is do catts normally produce multiple buds from one stem or was I just lucky????? My lady friend loved it, got me some sloppy wet kisses
for it. I grow the plants and the buds are hers...She dosen't know how lucky she is...

[exasperatus2002]

From the ones I've seen yes they will have anywhere from 2 buds & up. My one has 5 blooms. A bud can fail for a number of reasons.

[Tobi]

Mine have had anywhere from 1 to 5 buds per bract depending on the plant.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Genetics has something to do with it, but mostly, especially for the beginner, it is a question of what the plant can support, how well you are growing it. Maximum light all day long, moderate to good humidity, watered just right, and, my personal failing, optimum fertilization, what ever that is, will give the maximum number of flowers. Oh, and probably a particular temperature pattern might effect things too. I usually get 2 or 3. I have gotten 4 or 5 rarely in the past on one stem.

[Dan_Davis]

Great I thought my good karma gave the 2 buds on the earlier plant.........

I'll see what the worm tea does......

[jerrymeola]

some awarded Cattleya have had as many as 12-13 buds on a stem and multiple stems. Age and good care will improve your flower production.

Genetics will limit the number of flowers on a specific species or hybrid

[Orchidflowerchild]

Also, one must consider whether you are dealing with a hybrid with some of the *very* floriferous species in the background. A well grown C. guttata or C. leopoldii can have 15-30 flowers on a stem, also amethystoglossa, bowringiana, skinneri, and aurantiaca (all now in the genus Guarianthe) can have 10 or more flowers. C. warsewiczii can have seven or rarely more flowers of HUGE size on a stem.

Breeding for larger flowers often comes at the sacrifice of flower count, and also breeding with Rhyncholaelia (Brassavola) digbyana or glauca (the B in many many standard BLC's) which both have single-flowered inflorescences. Also, breeding with Sophronitis or some of the Hadrolaelias will knock down flower count.

If all other conditions are ideal or near ideal, the major limiting factor in flower count is definitely genetics.

-Cj