At 08:52 PM 9/13/2004 +0000, you wrote: >For the past 2-3 years the inflorescences on my catttleyas have barely gotten out of >the sheath before the buds open http://www.orchidtrek.com/sheath2.JPG and >http://www.orchidtrek.com/sheath1.JPG > >This year I've been very good about using a balanced fertilizer with micronutirents >and taking better care of my orchids in general, but the flowers still don't emerge >from the sheath. If anything they are getting worse. The plant pictured is Lc Royal >Emperor x Blc Jeremy Island, but it really doesn't matter what catt we are talking >about. This year only my coeureans have grown a decent spike. > >Why do they do this? What am I doing wrong? Are they just trying to tick me off?
It's probably just a function of genetics...genes that control the sheath length making too much sheath for the flower stem. There are two possible means of correcting this: 1. peel back the sheath so that the flower is not trapped in the tip of the sheath. 2. when you see buds growing up inside the sheath, move the plant to a shadier locale. Any plant growth in shade will tend to be longer due to lack of auxin destruction by bright light. Hence, your flower stems may grow a little longer and clear the sheath. They might, however, also be thinner, so be prepared to stake them to prevent the stem from snapping under the increasing weight of the developing buds. ---Prem www.premdesign.com
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