Clowesia Rebecca Northen spikes

[cakedaddy]

I am so happy AND angry at myself! I have two spikes with lots of little buds! BUT, it should have been four. I rotted two of them. Still I get the two and a lesson was learned...don't mist the spikes direcly. Mist AROUND them.




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[Naoki]

Congratulations. Keep us posted as they bloom. I heard they are very very fragrant. I used to have one of them, but it did not even last for one season.

[zainal abidin]

Congratulations looking forward for this beauties.

[cakedaddy]

I will certainly be posting pics when they open! I'm super excited about this one...
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[opaline]

Catasetinae do have some very expensive and rather annoying learning curves with their culture. Extremely vulnerable/ susceptible to rot and not in general terms with risks of crown/ root rot with orchids. These are in a league of their own and im closer to the conclusion that this genera requires specialist growing and attention. I do not allow them to be within an inch or two of organic media. This is why i mount or pot in synthetic aquarium filter sponge or stryofoam.

[cakedaddy]

Catasetinae do have some very expensive and rather annoying learning curves with their culture. Extremely vulnerable/ susceptible to rot and not in general terms with risks of crown/ root rot with orchids. These are in a league of their own and im closer to the conclusion that this genera requires specialist growing and attention. I do not allow them to be within an inch or two of organic media. This is why i mount or pot in synthetic aquarium filter sponge or stryofoam.

This is my first of the catasetinae. Personally, aside from a few quirks, growing seems foolproof...the signals are blaringly obvious as to whether I should water and feed or generally ignore it. I was just surprised that the little direct misting those two spikes received rotted them. I was almost certain that it was required considering I have a fan blowing constantly and they are sitting in a south facing window that is unobstructed sans a bit of dust.
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[catasetum-ian]

Catasetinae do have some very expensive and rather annoying learning curves with their culture. Extremely vulnerable/ susceptible to rot and not in general terms with risks of crown/ root rot with orchids. These are in a league of their own and im closer to the conclusion that this genera requires specialist growing and attention. I do not allow them to be within an inch or two of organic media. This is why i mount or pot in synthetic aquarium filter sponge or stryofoam.

101% agreed to what you said. except i had been laying a few strands of sphag moss in the media (basically can count them by numbers) coz i notice my media is bone dry during non rainy days by the time i came back in the evening. nothing organic other than that, not even organic fertilizer.
However i do envy those who can keep their catasetinae in sphag moss, much lesser work with watering and they do get good results as well. just maybe the weather here in Malaysia is not suitable for catasetinae in sphag! i just had a friend where he got his cynoches, 4 big bulbs in bloom and less than a month, came down with bulb rot and guess what, it is in 100% sphag!!

and Jason,
seems like there is heavy load of spahg in your medium. are they in 100% sphag as well?

[cakedaddy]

101% agreed to what you said. except i had been laying a few strands of sphag moss in the media (basically can count them by numbers) coz i notice my media is bone dry during non rainy days by the time i came back in the evening. nothing organic other than that, not even organic fertilizer.
However i do envy those who can keep their catasetinae in sphag moss, much lesser work with watering and they do get good results as well. just maybe the weather here in Malaysia is not suitable for catasetinae in sphag! i just had a friend where he got his cynoches, 4 big bulbs in bloom and less than a month, came down with bulb rot and guess what, it is in 100% sphag!!

and Jason,
seems like there is heavy load of spahg in your medium. are they in 100% sphag as well?

It's not all sphag. The lower quarter of the pot is charcoal. Above that is hydroton. Then a mix of bark and sphag topped with more sphag. I hated sphag until I moved here. It's the only media readily available that holds enough moisture for me to leave the house! I rarely use straight sphag...I do like to have enough airiness that I can water whenever I want. I love to water. We only get rain here during winter and early spring btw...summers are warm and bone dry.
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[Dorsetman]

Catasetinae do have some very expensive and rather annoying learning curves with their culture. .

How right you are Matt - this recent summer I had some problems with slug damage on other plants, and used a mild ammonia drench to kill the blighters - a thing I have done occasionally in previous years - it kills even the eggs , and gets at the ones hiding in the bottoms of pots. My Catasetinae are all in Perlite, in which they do well for me, and were not troubled this way, but I decided to do all my plants, the catasetinae hated it - some growths shrivelled, black marks on leaves which did not shrivel, hardly any decent bulbs made up afterwards; even easy things ( Taiwan Gold for example) which already had well advanced spikes, stopped dead and started dropping buds. A few are now beginning new growths again, so all is not lost, butca major setback here .

[opaline]

How right you are Matt - this recent summer I had some problems with slug damage on other plants, and used a mild ammonia drench to kill the blighters - a thing I have done occasionally in previous years - it kills even the eggs , and gets at the ones hiding in the bottoms of pots. My Catasetinae are all in Perlite, in which they do well for me, and were not troubled this way, but I decided to do all my plants, the catasetinae hated it - some growths shrivelled, black marks on leaves which did not shrivel, hardly any decent bulbs made up afterwards; even easy things ( Taiwan Gold for example) which already had well advanced spikes, stopped dead and started dropping buds. A few are now beginning new growths again, so all is not lost, butca major setback here .

The presumptions, dilemmas, errors, mistakes and circumstancial factors arising from the care approach of Catasetinae are slowly becoming a debate in my head between 'malum in se' or 'malum prohibitum' because Im sure it would be easier to defend cold blooded murder than defend a case of shop-lifting when the fascination of this genus is questioned. Mauras recent quote of 'insanity' seems even more appropriate for this genus.

I have pondered with the concept of 'perlite' or 'vermiculite' but not in anytime soon as I am satisfied (slightly) with my current option.........................for the moment. I share with Catasetum-ian a fondness for hooded catasetums and with many other specialist orchid hobbyists a general admiration and admittedly sado masochistic interest with this genus. I will no doubt venture into the direction of selective and specialist cultivation of the catasetinae and what suprises me most about this probable forecasted decision - never have I yet dealt with slug/snail war with these plants. As if the previously experienced set backs werent lesson enough. Ofcourse I am not a lawyer or solicitor, neither am I a psycologist or a man with inhibitions. With an interest in a subject so vast in its entirety it would be insane and a crime to delude one self into thinking that it is single-handedly possible to derive pleasure from being overwhelmed and over-committed with little time to appreciate our reason for dedication.