Help me pick some new mini/micro-Catts!

[estación seca]

The vast majority of people are unable to see plants. They might as well be invisible in the environment. I have known people who had completely dead house plants. I mean dried up brown, flopping over the edge of the pot. They continued to water them. When I pointed out the plants were dead, they said the plant looked like that when they bought it. I don't believe that.

I am also seeing more and more extremely cheap looking fake grass in my metro area. A lot of it is installed with big wrinkles, the kind people would not tolerate with carpeting indoors. I guess the owners don't notice.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Another pic is a photo of a fairly long cattleya leaf. The flower bud is from a different cattleya (not on the plant with the long leaf). And if I peer into that long leaf, I see something ------ maybe it is flower buds and flower spike ----- but not sure yet. Whatever it is, the feature appears to be not situated right at the base of the leaf.

DD ------ I took a look at the same spot today. Definitely buds coming out from the leaf. This will be sheathless spiking and bud growing. I usually deem sheathless as meaning no unmistakeable and sizeable pocket thing (sheath) that usually remains flat for a while (eg. days or weeks or months) before beginning (hopefully) to bulge at the base to produce buds/spike.

[DrDawn]

PEOPLE!!! IT MIGHT BE HAPPENING! A BUD SHEATH MIGHT BE HAPPENING!!!

This is C. Sierra Doll 'Newberry'... this is the smaller of my two plants, but maybe it is happier than the other one? I'm trying to not get too excited until I see more progress but AAAAAH!!!! :-D

[Dollythehun]

Happy dance

[Diane56Victor]

Originally Posted by estación seca

A cactus friend would leave new purchases in her car in the garage, and sneak them into the house one by one, so her husband didn't notice.

I do something similar occasionally too.

The garage has a door to the garden where my orchid shelves are. Pop the plant on the shelf and no one any wiser. Easier than explaining why I needed just one one more after getting 3 deliveries in the post in the past month!

[Diane56Victor]

I just bought a minature Cattleya. It's a mericlone, Rlc. Mayor Yamasaki 'Gem'
I wasn't expecting a blooming size plant but when it arrived it already had 1 bud. I contacted the nursery to ask how old the plant was. They told me it was 2 to 3 years old, and one bloom is normal on its first blooming, subsequent blooming could be 3 or more blooms.

Its a tiny plant. The bloom has the crystal, shimmering look about the white part.
As you can see in the photo its as tall as the tissue box placed on its end. (Only thing I could think of to use as a comparison, as we dont have soft drink cans )

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by Diane56Victor

I just bought a minature Cattleya. It's a mericlone, Rlc. Mayor Yamasaki 'Gem'

That's super cute! Is it fragrant? The colors are really beautiful together.

[Diane56Victor]

Unfortunately not, that would have been the icing on the cake if it was.

How is your 🤞 bloom sheath going?

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by Diane56Victor

How is your 🤞 bloom sheath going?

The leaf is more open and the sheath is still there! Can't tell if it has a bud inside or not, it isn't very obviously plump but it is still quite early I think! I'll try to take some more pics tomorrow. Fingers still very crossed! The roots on it are clearly very happy so I think that is a good sign.

[Diane56Victor]

Are you able to get some light behind the sheath.
Ive got plant that has a sheath that when the sun shines through from behind I can see what Im hoping are buds.