catt in sheath....all dried out

[Cinderella]

I have a Catt which was new to me in March and went into sheath in April. It has been in sheath all this time and recently, the sheath totally dried up. Should I cut open the top of the sheath, and if so, how to do it?

The plant has 5 new growths and new roots too so it is plenty healthy. Not sure why it has not bloomed yet.

[Jmoney]

some catts bloom on dried sheaths, others bloom from green sheaths. occasionally catts will put up a sheath and then fail to bloom from them--this happens most frequently on the first sheathed growth as presumably the plant overestimates its energy reserves. nothing to worry about.

sheaths generally do not need to be split open, unless: 1. you have a clone that is known to require some splitting for the buds to develop, which is uncommon. in any case you can tell that the buds are having trouble splitting the sheath on their own; or 2. you see a good quantity of moisture within the sheath, which may lead to rot of the developing buds. and it may help to split open the tip with a sterile instrument to let that moisture evaporate. if the sheath is dried, chances are there is no such moisture.

[momokev]

I have that to happen a lot, too, Debbie, and It's so frustrating! One thing that I've noticed it that when it does happen, it's usually the newer purchased plants. I wonder if it's a change in the condition that causes it. It hasn't yet had time to adapt? Just my observation...

Lisa

[momokev]

some catts bloom on dried sheaths, others bloom from green sheaths.

Just so happens I have one doing that right now, so I snapped a pic for you. This is my chocolate drop and it had a pretty green sheath when I bought it. Stayed green for months, then turned brown. I did split it open and waited without alot of hope. Then one day I walked by and saw buds! This is the only catt I've had this happen with, so maybe this is what chocolate drop does? I'll find out next year!

Lisa

[Cinderella]

So Lisa, you just split open the top a tiny bit? Could you already see any buds in there?

[momokev]

So Lisa, you just split open the top a tiny bit? Could you already see any buds in there?

I didn't see any buds, which is why I didn't have any hope. I only split it because it was advice I got a long time ago (something about moisture) I can't say if it made any difference, I'm just happy to see those buds! Gonna have 5 flowers!!

I'm curious on the bifolate vs unifolate sheath blasting. If one is more likely to bloom from a dried sheath.

[LJA]

You can use a razor blade to cut the very top of the sheath off, then grasp each side with your fingertips and pull outward and down to peel the sheath apart at the seams. If the growth has been in sheath since April, I would have expected bud formation by now. If there are no buds developing yet, there's a pretty good chance that they won't, especially if new growth is already coming.