Help me pick some new mini/micro-Catts!

[DrDawn]

Ah, due to the angle and the small size, I can't quite get light behind it. But I think it looks promising so far? :-D

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

Ah, due to the angle and the small size, I can't quite get light behind it. But I think it looks promising so far? :-D

That looks promising! This morning - I took a phonepic of a mini-catt (a Rth. Dal's Emperor 'Allan'). I had divided a large whole plant into four lots, and this one here is the smallest of the lots. I purposely didn't divide evenly.

Normally, the leaves get up to at least 16 cm long - regular size. This one appears to be using some energy to develop buds. The green sheath has a bud, and its leaf is approximately 2.5 inches long (approximately 6.4 cm).

And the purple sheath on the right (same plant) appears to have a bud inside ---- and its leaf (which is the newest one) sprang up from well under the media - began as a very skinny growth - but is now longer than the leaf with the green budding sheath.

No guarantees about how the buds and/or flowers are going to pan out! Will be interesting to see the results - (if any!).

(to all sheathing plants out there!)

Google Link: Rth. Dal's Emperor 'Allan'

[DrDawn]

Awwww, those are looking goooooood! Fingers crossed for all our happy little sheaths to produce happy little buds to produce happy little flowers!!! :-D

Todays update for mine: kind of looks the same? Am I obsessing much? Maybe. :-P

[DrDawn]

Sad news, peeps. This morning the sheath was a bit further away from the leaf so I was able to get a flashlight behind it and... nothing. There is nothing in it. :-(

Now, admittedly, these poor little mini-catts have been quite abused by me for the past year or two. I only really got them into a location with enough sun and dialed in my watering schedule in March. So, after 2 years of moderate unhappiness, I'm not surprised they didn't bloom this year. But I'm still sad. I'll just have to keep up my good regime of watering and high light for another year and see what happens next summer!

Here's hoping everyone else has better luck with their bud-sheaths!

[Dollythehun]

I bought a Lowe's bag baby a couple 3 years ago, and I've been waiting patiently. I noticed a couple months ago it had a sheath forming and today it has three buds that are about to pop open. I hope it was worth the wait.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

Sad news, peeps. This morning the sheath was a bit further away from the leaf so I was able to get a flashlight behind it and... nothing. There is nothing in it. :-(

DD ------ an important thing is --- where there is a green sheath, there is a chance of buds to form. And also - where there is a brown dried sheath, there is also a chance for buds to form.

My latest dried sheath budding case is from a Rth. Dal's Success 'Michelle' ..... which is still super fresh right now - as it opened only very recently.

Google Link: Rth. Dal's Success 'Michelle'.

It flowered from dry sheath. The light-tan coloured region directly underneath the lip right-hand yellow flower is the dried sheath. I usually don't touch my orchids - so if they get dried sheaths, or if they finish their flowering - resulting in dried spikes etc, then I usually just leave everything as-is.

Some catts apparently flower only from a dried sheath. Other catts can flower from either a green sheath or a dried sheath ---- and the yellow flower orchid has flowered from green and dried sheaths.

This just means ----- for your orchid, which is a flowering size one with a sheath --- there is a chance for budding and flowering.

[Diane56Victor]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

Sad news, peeps. This morning the sheath was a bit further away from the leaf so I was able to get a flashlight behind it and... nothing. There is nothing in it.

Dont give up yet!

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Normally, the leaves get up to at least 16 cm long - regular size. This one appears to be using some energy to develop buds. The green sheath has a bud, and its leaf is approximately 2.5 inches long (approximately 6.4 cm).

DD - I just took this pic today - the leaf with the bud is around the same length as a 18650 lithium ion battery. I previously incorrectly mentioned 3.5 inch ..... but it is actually 2.5 inch long!!! I've now corrected the values in the previous post.....

I'll provide an update for the end result. Again ..... going by the bar-raising "we'll believe when we see it" works quite well (for actual flowering events that is). I always set the bar high hahaha.

[SouthPark]

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[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

I previously incorrectly mentioned 3.5 inch ..... but it is actually 2.5 inch long!!! I've now corrected the values in the previous post.....

I'll provide an update for the end result. Again ..... going by the bar-raising "we'll believe when we see it" works quite well (for actual flowering events that is). I always set the bar high hahaha.

Yea, I'm trying to not be too hopeful so I'm happy if there's a flower, but not horribly disappointed if there isn't. Admittedly I've got 8 phals in bloom right now so I probably shouldn't be so obsessed with one little catt, but I have never bloomed a catt and DANG do I love a challenge!