Jump Starting Rlc. Williette Wong 'The Best' AM/AOS

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by JScott

This is one of my all time faves. It looks like it's about ready for its first bloom, size wise. Looks like a happy healthy plant, it just may need a little more time. It seems like it takes this one a little longer to start blooming than most Catts, and yes it can be a reluctant bloomer. Mine blooms at any time of year. All of the new growths have sheaths, but only some of them will bloom, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to predict who will bloom and who will not.

Just be patient. That's a healthy plant. It will bloom when it's ready.

I'm glad to hear that it is a favorite, I'm expecting it to be one of mine. Chadwick on eBay, where I got this plant (they have more), called it a summer bloomer, but I'd rather it was an any season bloomer. Here in South-central Mississippi, we have long hot summers, but spring and fall are ideal for most Cattleyas. It is only cold for two months in winter, which means we have a very long warm growing season. I'm hoping it will bloom before December.

Thanks for posting!
-Keith

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Originally Posted by SouthPark

That could possibly be the reason - as in what we observe is not a plant. Instead, there are three individual plants. But the nice thing is that each one now has a significant number of bulbs. So definitely getting there.

It would be kinda cool if they got out of synch and bloomed at different time during the year.



That may be asking a bit much for this particular Cattleya.

-Keith

[JScott]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

Attachment 154061
Shadeflower, you're not far off. Without the camera parallax the largest growth on this plant is 38cm, sans pot, which is on the small side, but I think the growths are mature size. I attached a photo showing my WWtB alongside one of its parents, Blc. Toshi Aoiki. From the photo we can see that the hight difference is mostly due to the minuscule pseudobulbs on the WWtB.

The WWtB you linked us to flowered the first time with at least 7 visible bulbs and the flower is huge in proportion to the plant. If the small stature and bulb size of the WWtB means it requires 6 or 7 full size healthy growths to support the flowers. This would explains why all the growths on my plant are blind.

My WWtB has three leads, left backside and right in my OP photo. All three lead away from a couple dead bulb stubs at the pot center. My plant is actually three unconnected plants with 4, 5, and 5 bulbs respectively.

So, Estación seca, I suspect that you're right. My plant has a lot of growths, but it is three plants, none with enough mass to flower.



Kim, I've also heard that WWtB is notoriously reluctant to bloom. Perhaps the small stature and pseudobulbs along with very large flowers means WWtB needs more bulbs than most cattleyas to support the enormous flowers. The repetitive setback that occurs when dividing and repotting, and dividing plants into 4-5 bulbs could explain why many growers conclude that WWtB is a reluctant bloomer. Only the largest plants can support their flowers. Is this consistent with what you've seen?

My plant does need repotting. To minimize the setback, when new roots emerge, I'm going to remove loose media and move it up from the 5-1/2" to an 8" pot with straight Orchiata. That should hold it for 3-4 years. I'll put it in a bright spot in the greenhouse, fertilize and KelpMax well, and see what happens next summer.

-Keith

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That would be great! It looked like his plant might have been grown indoors, which can make it harder to get a plant to flower to start with.

-Keith

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That is definitely still possible. There are three leads and three opportunities.

-Keith

Just for the record, yes I grow my plants under lights in the winter and outside in the summer. They seem to love it.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

It would be kinda cool if they got out of synch and bloomed at different time during the year.

Definitely. For some orchids that have been known to produce flowers either more than once per year ----- or can produce flowers without any significant amount of certainty in the time of year for flowering ------- then having more plants, or large plants with lots of bulbs would boost the chances of getting flowers from those sorts ------ at various times of the year.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

You'd be surprised at the black rotten looking eyes that have sprung back to life on some of mine.

In this case we're talking about husks with no life at all.

But I also have my fair share of troublesome Catts. I think my most troublesome so far has been a Ports of Paradise.

I can't count the number of times I've looked seriously at getting "Emerald Isle" then moved on. That will not be a problem now.

You don't really see many people regularly post pictures of that variety but maybe that is just my imagination because it seems to be a bit more picky than my others. JScott grows that one too incidentally

Has JScott had any luck with it? Not a priority question. I'm just curious.

-Keith

---------- Post added at 09:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 AM ----------

Originally Posted by JScott

Just for the record, yes I grow my plants under lights in the winter and outside in the summer. They seem to love it.

When I've tried that rotation, with the exception of Phalaenopsis, my orchids seem to suffer a winter decline. Indoors I put them under LED grow lights and high intensity mercury vapor lights. They turn red under the LED lights, but do not grow very well. I had to be very VERY careful when moving them outside to prevent burning.


I built a greenhouse this spring.. This summer my orchids have been growing bigger and faster than they have ever done. I've only been growing in hot humid Mississippi for three years, so that and much higher light levels may be a contributing factor. Before that I grew orchids in Maine, Iowa, Washington, California, and Wisconsin. I had a greenhouse down the coast from Seattle, but that area is never warm.

-Keith

[Shadeflower]

K-sci I think if you can get the Williette to flower you should reward yoursef and get the emerald isle

I don't actually have the emerald isle, just a regular Ports of Paradise but just like you I have wondered if I shouldn't have gotten the emerald isle.

That happens to me lots, at the moment I am debating replacing some less vigorous orchids with another one to see if I get a more vigorous one but that all costs money and I could also end up with a worse one which has happened too lol

I have attached my worst looking eye that managed to come back to life. I know I wouldn't believe it myself looking at this picture but this eye sprung back to life eventually.

[Roberta]

One thing about Williette Wong... I looked it up, and it's a high proportion of C. dowiana, which is particularly picky about repotting time. Be really watchful for new root growth (not new vegetative growth) when choosing a repotting time... C dowiana and its progeny tend to root in the fall (rather counter-intuitive for a potting time) I defer to the Catt experts on the Board to give more precise advice. But one more thing to think about.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

One think about Williette Wong... I looked it up, and it's a high proportion of C. dowiana, which is particularly picky about repotting time. Be really watchful for new root growth (not new vegetative growth) when choosing a repotting time... C dowiana and its progeny tend to root in the fall (rather counter-intuitive for a potting time) I defer to the Catt experts on the Board to give more precise advice. But one more thing to think about.

Maybe potting material, climate, humidity, growing conditions etc can be considerations. For all my catts that arrive in the mail post - potted and in a growing mix such as bark/perlite/charcoal etc, which can arrive at any time of the year, I've repotted all of them (into plastic non-see-through orchid pots) into scoria - including a dowiana, violacea, and aclandiae ----- and all of them are doing well. Nothing bad happened to them.

I figured that if these orchids just need water intake and the occasional elements/nutrient intake, then they can still get it after a repot. I also have never staked any of my repotted catts for holding them in place. They just eventually grow new roots. Or their existing roots grow extension branches ---- or just extend themselves. And eventually latches on to the new media.

But - on the other hand - for other climates and conditions, maybe there are some benefits in waiting for new roots to sprout - for repot time. Just reporting on my observations from this side only.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

In this case we're talking about husks with no life at all.


I can't count the number of times I've looked seriously at getting "Emerald Isle" then moved on. That will not be a problem now.


Has JScott had any luck with it? Not a priority question. I'm just curious.



-Keith

Well, as a matter of fact, I actually do have Ports of Paradise 'Emerald Isle'. I've only had it a bit more than a year, and when I got it it was just barely big enough for the first bloom. Unfortunately, that flower was crippled, as first time bloomers sometimes can be, but right now it has two big new growth, both with sheaths.

It's happy and healthy and I expect it will probably bloom, although I don't know when. I think it bloomed the first time in late summer/early Autumn, but I can't remember for sure.

But now what I think you really want to know, is how does it grow. It grows like any other easy, vigorous, eager to bloom Catt hybrid you could find anywhere, I haven't had a moments' trouble with it.

[Shadeflower]

JScott you are probably right and I believe most times when people say an orchid is tricky does not by a long shot mean it is, just that it has been for whatever reason for that grower.
I'll race you to a flower Mine is probably behind yours but I am curious how mine will differ from the Emerald Isle once it flowers.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

JScott you are probably right and I believe most times when people say an orchid is tricky does not by a long shot mean it is, just that it has been for whatever reason for that grower.
I'll race you to a flower Mine is probably behind yours but I am curious how mine will differ from the Emerald Isle once it flowers.

You're on! Does yours tend to be an unruly grower? Mine just grows every which way with sideways pseudobulbs, curved ones, sometimes bent. This occurs to somedegree with all my plants in the summer when they are outside because the sun is not directly overhead. In winter, my Catt growths tend to grow straight up with the light directly above. I have a couple others that have this habit, but I was wondering if yours tended to be a little unruly in their growth habit.