When are they mature?

[OrchidTraci]

I purchased a Blc. Mem.Vida Lee a few months ago. It has quite a few one- leaf growth. This newest growth (which isn't fully matured yet) had 2 leaves. Is this a maturity thing or is my plant turning into a mutant?

[LJA]

lol! No, it's not a mutant. If the plant is a seedling, that will be its first mature growth--the first that will very likely bloom. Mature divisions of bifoliates will very often do something similar on their first or second growths after having been divided. They'll come up with a PB that only has one leaf which will rarely produce a spike. Subsequent growths--assuming good care--will develop the regular twin leaves and will produce. Nice going: it sounds like the plant is on its way!

[OrchidTraci]

lol! No, it's not a mutant. If the plant is a seedling, that will be its first mature growth--the first that will very likely bloom. Mature divisions of bifoliates will very often do something similar on their first or second growths after having been divided. They'll come up with a PB that only has one leaf which will rarely produce a spike. Subsequent growths--assuming good care--will develop the regular twin leaves and will produce. Nice going: it sounds like the plant is on its way!

I cannot wait. I won't hold my breath, but will be very excited when it does happen. I have wanted this plant forever (at least as long as the first time I saw it.).

[kewpie]

i just googled that plant, traci, and it looks like a beaut!! i love green+pink catts like Blc. Crowfield 'Mendenhall' or pot. mem. shirley moore 'newberry' (which i now own, thanks to the kindness of someone on another forum!!).....

slight hijack :
is there such a thing as a trifoliate catt? or am i the one raising mutants?

im asking because all of the new pbs on my eplc charlie brown 'red baron' have 3 leaves. looking at the entire plant, there are some older growths with one leaf, a couple with 2, but like i said earlier, all of the new ones have 3? whats up with that?

[LJA]

OMG, kewpie's raising Mutants. You need to dispose of that plant in flames IMMEDIATELY, before it STARTS TO BREED AND TAKES OVER THE UNIVERSE!.

Ok, so.... That's the plant's way of telling you it's growing up. (Yes, it's a maturity thing as well... No worries....)

Ya know, you really need to ask for a digicam this Christmas....

[kewpie]

a charlie brown-ruled universe doesnt sound so bad, does it?

i know, i know.... i do need a digicam for christmas. im told that im really hard to shop for (so mostly i get gift certificates and $$).....maybe ill get a digicam with the christmas 'earnings' instead of more orchids!!

while were on the topic....what kind of camera are you using?

[LJA]

Ok, so Traci? Not only has your thread been hijacked, it's now been officially landed in Beirut.

(I use an Olympus Camedia C-2500L. It's 5 years old, meaning it's a technological dinosaur, and I can't call anybody with it, and it doesn't play songs or keep up with email. But I like it anyway...)

[kewpie]

ok (sorry, traci)...ill steer this one back on track:

who else grows mutant orchids?

[RSJ]

OK, here's mine. The blooms started opening up this weekend, and every single blossom is upside down. What gives? The spike is oriented so that the light source is on the other side of the plant from it. Could that be the cause? I would expect if anything that they blossoms would twist sideways to reach the light, not go upside down. See pix below.

[LJA]

RSJ, many orchids will bloom upside down that way: Encyclias, Zygos... The term for it is "resupinate."