Catasetums & Cycnoches 2024

[Happypaphy7]

Catasetums are from the summer and Cycnoches from October this year. The last one is a current bloom filling up the room every day which makes me happy!!

 

[Happypaphy7]

Initial uploads were all small and I tried to redo everything but it failed for some reason. Here I am, three huge inserts and three tiny photos.
My old phone gave me such a hard time doing this. I'm not going to redo it, again. Sorry, guys!

So the names starting with the very top on in the very first post:
Catasetum (Diana's Dots x Dentigrianum) I actually had two seedlings and one was quite ugly to my taste so I tossed it and kept this one only.
Catasetum (Isobel's Sunshine x Double Down) This is probably my favorite. I love yellow! What can I say!
Catasetum (Extravaganza x Dentigrianum) This one has a very nice form and the markings are fun.
Cycnoches cooperi on its third year to bloom and the best performance yet!
Cycnoches (Jumbo Cooper x Melana's Song) This one has a nice fragrance much like warscewiczii. It is in bud again!
Cynodes Coloso de Arenal is blooming again exactly one year from the last time. Twice as many flowers and the little blemishes like teeth and cuts along the petal edges that were present in last year's bloom are not there this time. Large fragrant flowers with very thick substance.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I think cooperi deserves its solo space

 

[emydura]

I think cooperi deserves its solo space

Sure does. That is fantastic. That would be my favourite of what you have posted. Love it.

I have my first Catasetum in bud at the moment. So excitedly waiting to see what it turns out like. It did put out a spike last year, but the buds ended up being eaten by a slug. Hoping for better luck this time.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Sure does. That is fantastic. That would be my favourite of what you have posted. Love it.

I have my first Catasetum in bud at the moment. So excitedly waiting to see what it turns out like. It did put out a spike last year, but the buds ended up being eaten by a slug. Hoping for better luck this time

Hopefully it will bloom out nicely for you! Is it a species or a hybrid?

 

[emydura]

Hopefully it will bloom out nicely for you! Is it a species or a hybrid?

Thanks. It is a hybrid.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Thanks. It is a hybrid.

oooo~ how exciting!! I love blooming out hybrids. Each one seems like a big surprise! Good luck on yours!!

 

[My Green Pets]

Beautiful, all of them, but that chocolate cooperi is great!
Did you count them? Looks like 21-ish?
Also, how did you get SVO plants in Berlin?

 

[emydura]

oooo~ how exciting!! I love blooming out hybrids. Each one seems like a big surprise! Good luck on yours!!

It is this cross. A green flower crossed with a black one. No idea what to expect but it sounds like it could be good.

Ctsm. NEW HYBRID (Ctsm. lucis 'SVO' x Ctsm. John C. Burchett 'Ursa Major' FCC/AOS)
This is the third hybrid made with lucis, and the first two have received 5 American
Orchid Society awards so far. They are characterized by their good color, large flowers and high flower count. The John C. Burchett with its huge dark lip will add lots of size and color to this cross. An added benefit with lucis hybrids is the improved flower longevity - expect blooms to last 3 weeks or more.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Beautiful, all of them, but that chocolate cooperi is great!
Did you count them? Looks like 21-ish?
Also, how did you get SVO plants in Berlin?

This cooperi is from the same grex as yours. I bought a few at the time. Some turned out reddish orange brown like yours. I only kept two darker brown ones, then eventually just this dark chocolate one. I think there was 21 or 22 flowers. During the day it had mild yet pleasant scent.

 

[Happypaphy7]

It is this cross. A green flower crossed with a black one. No idea what to expect but it sounds like it could be good.

Ctsm. NEW HYBRID (Ctsm. lucis 'SVO' x Ctsm. John C. Burchett 'Ursa Major' FCC/AOS)
This is the third hybrid made with lucis, and the first two have received 5 American
Orchid Society awards so far. They are characterized by their good color, large flowers and high flower count. The John C. Burchett with its huge dark lip will add lots of size and color to this cross. An added benefit with lucis hybrids is the improved flower longevity - expect blooms to last 3 weeks or more.

Sounds very interesting! I have seen some lucis hybrids and it should indeed be a surprise. I hope it will be a happy surprise for you!

 

[hkunberger]

Wow! These are just beautiful!

 

[Morja]

Your lighting in these pictures is excellent.

Awesome plants and happy to hear that some even improved with another bloom cycle!

 

[Happypaphy7]

Your lighting in these pictures is excellent.

Awesome plants and happy to hear that some even improved with another bloom cycle!

Thank you. It is indirect afternoon sunlight
I can see the tiny buds (four, again!) forming now. I expect to see them in bloom around late January.

 

[NYEric]

Thanks for sharing. I like the first and last ones in the first post.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Thanks for sharing. I like the first and last ones in the first post.

The last one last for about 10 days or so in bloom. It has now dropped all the leaves but a new growth is sprouting at its base already.

 

[Walter Meshaka]

I think cooperi deserves its solo space
View attachment 51021

It does at that

 

[Happypaphy7]

It does at that

And this cooperi is also working on the second spike.

 

[Roots]

I have been smitten by your initial photos, esp. the cooperi and the hybrid with 'Diana's Dots,' and the Clowesia in this thread:
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/clowesia-rebecca-northen.52473/
I now own a mini-collection of 5 Catasetum and can't stop dreaming about adding to it. Right now they are sitting on my windowsill, unwatered but still with green leaves. May I ask, do you put them somewhere special in the winter during dormancy? Do you take them out of the pot and clean off the roots? And do you do anything to induce male flowers? Thank you.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I have been smitten by your initial photos, esp. the cooperi and the hybrid with 'Diana's Dots,' and the Clowesia in this thread:
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/clowesia-rebecca-northen.52473/
I now own a mini-collection of 5 Catasetum and can't stop dreaming about adding to it. Right now they are sitting on my windowsill, unwatered but still with green leaves. May I ask, do you put them somewhere special in the winter during dormancy? Do you take them out of the pot and clean off the roots? And do you do anything to induce male flowers? Thank you.

Thank you for your kinds words. I do like these plants. I just wish they lasted longer in bloom. Can't have it all I guess.
I grow all my Catasetinae types (Catasetums, Clowesia, Mormodes, Cycnoches and their hybrids) either by the sunny window or under inflorescent tubes. I do not do anything other than reducing the watering frequencies during their dormant periods.
Different species have different length of dormancy periods and hybrids made by mixing different species can/will behave differently while they will for the most part follow the same patterns of growth and "rest".
I do not force set schedules on them, but rather I let them guide me in how to care for them. This, I believe is the best thing to do because each plant is slightly different and they will behave differently in different growing conditions. So I observe them and help them do their thing accordingly. I have only ever lost two plants in the last who knows how many years I have grown them.
One was a random rot during the growing season. The other was during the dormancy when I forgot to water the plant, and it just shriveled down to dry mess.
I have never taken them out of their pot and remove the roots. This is not necessary in my experience.
I usually only every disturb them when it is necessary like when there's no room left for further growth or otherwise repotting is needed.
Even then, I do not remove any roots. I just take plants out of the pot, gently shake and whatever falls off or not, that's it. Then, slide the whole thing in the new pot, fill the gap with fresh potting mix. Done! This is basically how I repot all plants I grow.
There was a time when I divided some of my Catasetums. That's about the only time I removed all the old mix for the practical reason as I needed to see clearly where the base of the plants is located.
Regarding the last question, I think you meant female flowers as male flowers are basically the more common form on many of these.
For female flower production, there are many theories, one of the two main ones being that one, plants have to be old and big enough and two, high level of light as some species are found to have higher rate of producing female flowers when exposed to full sun in-situ.
Even then, female flowers can occur rarely. Fred Clarke mentions in some of his product description how his Catasetum pileatum finally made female flowers for the first time after 20 years of growing it and he started to make some very long waited crosses he had been planning on.
I personally do not find the female flowers attractive and am happy without them. I do want them on certain plants though mainly for breeding purpose.
hope this helps answer your questions.