Hello,
I have a small greenhouse with a mixed collection of orchids. I have noticed (much to my despair!) that about five of my cattleyas have put up new leads, produced bud sheaths, and then. . . nothing! The bud sheath just stays there and no blooms emerge. The have been in sheath long enough to have bloomed, and there does not appear to be anything in the sheath. Can anyone give me an idea as to what the problem may be?
Cattleya Problems
My experience has been that they bloom when they want. Do your catts have names? I have some hybrids that put out bloom spikes from last year's sheaths - the newest sheaths will just sit there until next year, by which time they will be brown and dry and dead-looking, and yet they will bloom. I've heard people say that reducing watering a little can help them spike, but I have no experience with using that method of coaxing.
I surely hope that the answer to my problem is a little patience. . . ! I'm concerned, though, because my sister has one of the same hybrids that is giving me trouble and hers is blooming freely. I have been harboring a fear that aphids (or some other pest) could be causing this, but I've had others in the greenhouse bloom and I would think that the aphids would have gotten them, too.
Thanks,
Pam
I don't think a bug would stop an orchid from growing unless you have a severe infestation of something more harmful than aphids. Have you compared growing conditions with your sister? More/less sun? Watering? Plant size?