Laelia anceps - Dry sheath

[rbarata]

I could put them outside now...it has been rainning a lot. Min temps have been around low 6~8ºC (low 40's F).
Maybe that's still too cold to put them under the rain.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I could put them outside now...it has been rainning a lot. Min temps have been around low 6~8ºC (low 40's F).
Maybe that's still too cold to put them under the rain.

Since they have been indoors, I think it is still too cool to put them out. If they are acclimated, they can easily tolerate temperatures down to freezing (0 deg C) if dry.
But I think that now, you need to wait until it is a little warmer before putting them outside. The other factor with being cold and wet - they need to dry out very quickly. (My L. anceps are all either mounted or in baskets with minimal media, so they dry quickly. But, they have also been out all winter so they are accustomed to it) I think for yours, just spray the inflorescence every few days. You have waited this long, not worth the risk of freezing or rotting those flowers.

[rbarata]

I think for yours, just spray the inflorescence every few days.

Well, I haven't seen nothing yet, except an opened sheath. I didn't even peeked inside...tomorrow I'll take some photos and post here.

[rbarata]

Here are the photos...the sheath seems deformed at its base. And it has an empty space also at the base, kind of a hole...

[Roberta]

I am not sure what is sheath and what is growth... can you include a photo that includes a little more of the plant? L. anceps will develop a long spike before anything else happens, so I think that you are a very long way from flowers, unless there's already a spike not showing in the photos. (The spike on a first-bloom seedling is usually about half a meter, on a mature plant 1-2 meters, before the flowers even start to separate! Not petite!)

[rbarata]

No spike on this one...so far...
Here are the photos.





One more thing I forgot to mention in our "conversation" yesterday about putting it outside under the rain. Although this plant has been growing indoors, it is in a non-heated room. This means by night time the temps are significantly cooler than the rest of the house, maybe somewhere between 14~10ºC (57~50 F).

[Roberta]

That looks like a really nice sheath. No need to put it outside, it is many months away from blooming. I think I would still suggest leaving it indoors until the night temperatures warm up a little, closer to what it has been accustomed to. The time for water to be important on the buds is when they are near blooming - when the spike is long and the "bunch" of buds in a bullet-shaped bundle look like they are trying to separate. In fact, I think that the plant is mostly on schedule - with the sheath at that point, expect the spike some time during the summer, and the development of the buds in late fall. Patience, patience. Once the spike emerges, it can sit there growing longer for 6 months before it gets close to flowering.

In fact my one quarrel with L. anceps... they tease one for months and months, and then the flowers only last a week to ten days on a given spike. However, as a plant matures and develops multiple growths and spikes, they don't all bloom at the same time which extends the blooming time. I have lots of plants, too, that bloom at slightly different times, so I do get to enjoy L anceps much of the fall and winter - just not all the same plants at any given time.

[rbarata]

So, if everything goes according the plan, water in the buds should be applied only by late summer~middle autumn.
Do you think that the "deformation" at the base of the sheath is not problematic?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

So, if everything goes according the plan, water in the buds should be applied only by late summer~middle autumn.
Do you think that the "deformation" at the base of the sheath is not problematic?

I don't see anything abnormal about the sheath. It should be fine. When the buds are getting ready to separate from the bundle you will know... the bundle is smooth for much of its development, then as it gets close, there will be bumps as the buds become fat. That's the time where water on the spike is important, but there is no need to protect it from water at any time. there will be no places for water to collect. It could be late summer, but more likely some time in the fall. It will be slooowwwww.

[rbarata]

Ok, let's see how it goes!
Thank you, Roberta.