Warm Winter

[brsucculents]

Hmmmmm. Interesting. All my 'mature' Catasetinae have dropped their leaves and have new growths beginning except for the Fdk. The ones with leaves are divisions/seedings I got this Summer. Perhaps I shouldn't force them into dormancy? I did notice when I ordered seedlings from H&R last winter they all had leaves. It seems the Fredclarkara babies have new buds developing with no hint of leaf drop.

I thought I remember reading a thread on not forcing Catasetinae into dormancy. I looked for it this past weekend but couldn't find it. If I remember correctly (which isn't likely) it involved keeping the plants warm. I wonder if they will grow new pseudobulbs like this.

---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 AM ----------

Katrina,
I never would have thought about growing Catasetum under lights. Some get soooo big the light wouldn't reach the lower leaves. lol Is that just a winter thing?

The sap thing is something I haven't thought about either. It does amaze me how much sap/nectar these plants can exude. I have one plant the bottom of the leaves are covered in sap. I was concerned something was biting the leaves or dew was condensing on the leaves.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by brsucculents

[/COLOR]Katrina,
I never would have thought about growing Catasetum under lights. Some get soooo big the light wouldn't reach the lower leaves. lol Is that just a winter thing?

The sap thing is something I haven't thought about either. It does amaze me how much sap/nectar these plants can exude. I have one plant the bottom of the leaves are covered in sap. I was concerned something was biting the leaves or dew was condensing on the leaves.

I grow under lights about 8 months of the year (too cold to be outside) and that's usually from late sept thru late may. When the ctsm are outside they are under 30% shade cloth and they sit under a narrow "awning". The awning is the shade cloth on a frame. When they first go outside they are small enough that the shade cloth covers them completely but as they grow and get larger and I space them farther and farther apart many of their leaves end up being exposed to the full sun most of the day. So, when they go outside they are just getting started...spend the majority of their real growth outside in excellent light...and then by the time they come back inside they have pretty much grown their leaves as big as they will get for the year. Under the HO T5 (they have their own table w/an 8 bulb unit) they finish maturing so the timing of it all works out perfectly.

Watch the sap on the leaves. Even if you don't have spider mites anywhere around...you might find some on the plants as the leaves are heading into dormancy. Dry + warmth + dust on leaves = spider mite paradise. Trust me...I get them every fall and I treat w/a miticide before bringing everything inside (2x!). They must float in through the windows or something because I know I don't carry them in but they always show up. It may sound unconventional but when the plants are inside I don't like to spray miticide so I just soap up the leaves and let it sit for a little bit and then I rinse them and put them back in their spot. I have to stay on top of it but it seems to do the trick until they finally go dormant and then I don't seem them anymore. I've never had them escape to anything else and even w/other plants sitting fairly close they never seem to bother anything but the Ctms. [knocks on wood!]

Hope that helps.

Need to clarify...when I say seedlings I'm talking those that are really young...mainly compots. Anything around a year or so away from blooming gets a dormancy in my space. The really little ones will lose some leaves but they keep making new growths...they want to grow.