Will most recent Blc. growth bloom or not?

[Margit]

Hello my fellow enthusiasts,
My question for today is about my Blc. Fritz Nicholas 'Spring Dance'.
I purchased the plant last year in February and since then it has sent up one new pseudobulb with leaf.
I had hoped for a blossom or two, but looking into the crown of the pb, I don't think that I will have that pleasure.

So, my question is: is this a terminal bulb that will not bloom?
I am attaching two pictures for you all to look at.

Looking at previous growths, it does not look to me like there is a cut flower stem in each one of them. I wonder if this plant is not a reliable bloomer.
What it is doing however is producing tons of new roots and I think it is starting a new growth out of the base of the last (pictured) pb as well.

I would appreciate your input,
thank you very much,

Margit

[jerrymeola]

Fritz Nicolas is blooming now in Florida so you still have time. Since you are in the Northwest you can be a couple of months behind us.

Ii doubt you have been able to give it enough light yet.

The little nub in the center of the pseudobulb does not mean anything. Sometimes they are there sometimes not. It will bloom or not regardless of that nub.

You said you bought it last year but did not say if it was in bloom. If it was not in bloom then the plant may just not be ready yet. Often buying and moving a plant will retard growth for several months.

Frits Nicolas is a large 5-6 inch flower. Cattleya with flowers of that size take a more substantial plant to flower consistently.

[Margit]

Jerry,
thank you for your reply. The plant was actually done blooming when I purchased it (it was discounted because of it )
The plant originated from an Hawaiian grower, so I was thinking that it will probably bloom at least two or three months later because of my climate.
I posted my questions to see if I could hope for a possible blooming at all.
I am glad to hear that there is still hope

[kmarch]

I disagree with Jerry. I have never seen a cattleya flower from one of these nubs. There are no inflorescence generating tissues, no sheath, no nothing to produce a flower spike. I'm sorry to say it but your cattleya won't flower from this nub. But it very well could flower from the next growth.

[Margit]

Originally Posted by kmarch

I disagree with Jerry. I have never seen a cattleya flower from one of these nubs. There are no inflorescence generating tissues, no sheath, no nothing to produce a flower spike. I'm sorry to say it but your cattleya won't flower from this nub. But it very well could flower from the next growth.

Oh sniff!
Well, looking at the pb's - there are 6 all together and only 2 show the traces of having had a flower spike cut off. Everybody else is nubby
I had been suspicious that this plant was an intermittent bloomer.
Is there anything I can do to possibly encourage blooming?
I am growing it right now in a south facing window that gets morning and noon sun and dappeled shade from about 2 p.m.
The leaves are a light to medium green.

[jay]

When in doubt, add more light. Cattleya type orchids like a lot of light. Some will be reluctant to bloom without sufficient light. I had one take a year off that I bought on the discount rack as well. Added light and it really started to grow more and bloomed 3 times this year.

Where do you keep this orchid? In a window or under lights?

[psyc1210]

I have the same plant as well, and have had it for two years...it has grown quite a few new pbulbs, but hasn't bloomed for me once. I am crossing my fingers that mine will flower this year.

[digitalgate]

i would agree with kmarch , I seldom(not never) see these would flower . Next one pulb might. Happy growing

[Ray]

The three most common reason plants won't bloom are:

• Insufficient light
• Insufficient food
• too much nitrogen

And of course, with phals, too stable of a temperature can have a similar effect.

However, sometimes genetics gets in the way, as well.

[kmarch]

I'd add to Ray's list
- incorrect watering cycle - for those orchids that respond to seasonal changes in rainfall
- insufficient rest and or cool periods

[LouisW]

Originally Posted by Margit

Is there anything I can do to possibly encourage blooming?

The best way to get a plant to bloom is take care of it well. There are tricks with fertilizer and hormones and stuff but there is no need for that.If you give the plant adequate light water and temperatures it will bloom for you. Perhaps later this summer when the next growth matures it will be ready.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by LouisW

The best way to get a plant to bloom is take care of it well.

I thought we had an applause smiley but I can't find it, but if I could have I'd have given Louis a BIG round of applause. Excellent advice! Excellent culture can prevent or solve about 99% of our orchid problems.

[Margit]

I thank you all for the great advice given.
Be asured that I will post a picture if this plant will ever bloom for me.
I will not give up on it and hope to have one of the new growths bloom for me some time down the road.

[janet_a]

chiming in late but... i have an Lc. Wainiae (sp?) Blaze that grows quite happily but will. not. bloom. i've chatted with several growers, including a bona fide catt expert, about this plant, and another issue is not enough of an overnight dark period (which may be what kevin mentioned). this plant is in my kitchen, and the lights can go on at 6 am, and then stay on in the evening as late as midnight, then maybe again at 3 am if my housemate comes down for a midnight snack.

since the kitchen is the western exposure and the strongest light, i'm not sure what to do about this......

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by janet_a

since the kitchen is the western exposure and the strongest light, i'm not sure what to do about this......

having a proper amount of darkness is crucial, not moving the plant is another. If you can provide 4 hours of uninterrupted sun light , it will do very well. two hours here, and two hours there does not cut it.

[janet_a]

depending on the time of year, the sun starts hitting the plant around 1 pm and keeps hitting it til 6 or so... (there's a row of houses behind me). my dens and cyclamen and amaryllis grow and bloom in this same window (actually the sliding glass doors to the deck); the Lc grows lots of pbulbs and roots, but no flowers.

who knows, maybe the s/h will do the trick.

[Lanie]

I had similar problem with my catts, until I leave them outside at night (when temp. drop to about 12 degree C) for a month. After that, several of the new bulbs flowered.

[Rishad Kalarikkal]

I wish some one could help with pictures of different stages of bud formation in a cattleya.
-Thank you.