Cattleya question

[gabi_borza]

Iwas just wondering if it is possible for a Catt to produce an empty sheath? I have 2 catts with sheaths, they are too small to tell if there are any buds inside, but I've heard that it could be a possibility.

[Cjcorner]

Alot of cattleya types do that. The sheath can sit empty for a year and suddenly buds will emerge. I leave them alone unless they get wet and begin to rot. Good Luck...

[gabi_borza]

Thanks Connie! I can see that the bigger of the two sheaths is thicker at the base (not fully developet yet) so I hope I see buds soon!

[Germinatorman]

I have been known to drag catts. up from the basement to backlight the sheath in the bright sunlight to see if anything is in there. Like Connie says - don't give up unless it gets rotten.

[gabi_borza]

Thanks Don! I definitely will not, but as I said, the sheaths are small, about 1/2 an inch, so I can't tell if thehe is something inside.

[Germinatorman]

If they are young they might take some time to fill out and then pop some buds - buds may pop out of the little sheath - they may not do anything else - all a wait and see, but that is part of what makes this all great. If you believe they may be ready to bloom, you could start feeding a heavy potassium fertilizer - low on the nitrogen side - something like a 5-10-15 or something with a higher last number (Potassium).

[gabi_borza]

Thanks Don! I use a 8-12-12 fertilizer (not so many to choose from here in Romania) and the plants are mature enough to flower. Here's a pic of one.
You can see the sheath emerging from the new pseudobulb.

[Halloamey]

That is very voung, still plenty of time for the buds to develop probably 2-3 months.

[gabi_borza]

Yes Amey, the sheath is on a very young, not yet mature pseudobulb. Now I think you know why I was asking Geoff about his Catt walkeriana flowering from a young pseudobulb (or growth, as I recall from your answer then).

[gabi_borza]

Just wanted to update you on my "empty sheath" problem. I had 2 catts that had sheaths. One of them flowered (posted the pics in another thread, the yellow one). The other one had an empty sheath. Now, after about 2 months, something is growing inside. Should I start hopping? You can see there is something growing at the base of the sheath.