When my cattleyas orchid finished blooming last year, I cut the flower stem at the base. Following the instructions of a local garden shop in southern CA. The orchid has since started several air roots and seems to be thriving in a NE window. How long will it take to start a new flower stem and how will I be able to recognize it.
Hi Homar: For us in Fresno indoors, not in a greenhouse, Cattleyas bloom between April and June. The books that we have are rather inconsistent on what triggers a blooming spike or spikes to appear. Is it light reduction or cooler temps that will facilitate a bloom? I think both factors are equally important. I have not found for us which factor works best but I am leaning towards cooler night time temps. The spike itself starts as a round stem-like protrusion that you will not mistake for anything other than a blooming spike. On one of our varieties the flowering spike develops from the tip of a shoot ending in a whorl of two leaves. The other form of Cattleya of ours will have its spike initiate from the base of the plant. For further reading you may want to check out these websites. http://www.orchid.org.uk/contents.htm http://orchidweb.org Jim