Cattleya gaskelliana ‘Carlisle’ AM/AOS

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Fantastic clone and superbly grown Leslie!
I suspect a that this is just one of a long line of your wonderful clones that will be awarded.
David
Thanks David.

Although my collection is carefully selected for their awardable flowers, it take a few years for them to establish. I then flower once to check validity. Then prepped the next year or two with bigger growths in ideal conditions, with the blooms that are staged and groomed well.

Even that, the timing of the judging must happen between days 5-8 since open (to allow flower expansion). If this critical period is missed, as in the case of my percivaliana pelorica, it must wait another year,
 
Congrats and well deserved. Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to know your feed routines and what you are using and growing setup to get such beautiful blooms.
 
Congrats on the well deserved award, Leslie - and not least the splendiferous flowers! 😍

And now to a question from the Catt-novice: I have a gaskelliana, that seems to be in good growth. It has formed two sheats or buds (or would it be more correct to name them: sheats for buds?). I wonder whether they can be expected to flower this season, or is this just the beginning of a long wait for next year?
I have an alleged percivaliana next to it, doing the same trick, but here I expect more certain to be in for "the long haul".
 
Great flowers, Leslie and a well deserved award ! 👌 I also like the compact growth of the plant and the close together standing canes.
 
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Congrats on the well deserved award, Leslie - and not least the splendiferous flowers! 😍

And now to a question from the Catt-novice: I have a gaskelliana, that seems to be in good growth. It has formed two sheats or buds (or would it be more correct to name them: sheats for buds?). I wonder whether they can be expected to flower this season, or is this just the beginning of a long wait for next year?
I have an alleged percivaliana next to it, doing the same trick, but here I expect more certain to be in for "the long haul".
The sheaths are where the buds ‘may’ appear. In the case of gaskelliana, they flower as soon as the growth matures. So if there is no buds this year, it won’t bloom.
 
Guldal, I have different clones of gaskelliana and they always flower on the new growth just after they mature. No waiting around. However some flower very quickly as the new bulb is still growing and developing and others flower after the new bulb is completely made up. It’s down to the individual clone,
David
 
The sheaths are where the buds ‘may’ appear. In the case of gaskelliana, they flower as soon as the growth matures. So if there is no buds this year, it won’t bloom.
Guldal, I have different clones of gaskelliana and they always flower on the new growth just after they mature. No waiting around. However some flower very quickly as the new bulb is still growing and developing and others flower after the new bulb is completely made up. It’s down to the individual clone,
David
Thank you both for your expert information! 🙂

As both sheats and bulbs seem to be still in growth, I will keep my hopes high and as green as are the sheats! 😉
 
Congrats and well deserved. Absolutely gorgeous. Would love to know your feed routines and what you are using and growing setup to get such beautiful blooms.
Ok so for those who are curious, all orchids need to be fed to bloom well. Also key for most is water quality. At least 10 years ago because of phrag. tip burn I started watering exclusively with rainwater. I go through approx. 50 gallons each watering. I continuously switch up the nutrients plants are getting. Only 1 watering a month is just water to flush, all other watering include nutrition. A 50 gallon container gets 2 table spoon of 15-30-15 or some variant bloom booster. Then the switching, always, either magnesium/calcium, or Superthrive Fish Emulsion, or liquid kelp. I try to continuously vary this. Also 2ish times a year, the plants get a top dressing after watering of organic 4-4-4 tomato mixed with crushed oyster shell (chicken scratch calcium) and at least twice a year a 1/2 tsp. top dress of hardwood ash which supplies lime, potassium and minerals. Cal/mag is expensive so I use organic calcium and horticultural epsom salt. Also as the great Yogi Berra said, You can observe a lot by watching. Continuously keeping a watch on a plants growth and health will give you insight and allow you to react if a plant appears to lose vigor. Just my thoughts, take what you may. Below is Mem. Robert Strait 'Blues' from Carmela, a mericlone that had been around for almost 20 years that I received an AM/AOS on. This is 5 flowers on 1 inf.
 

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Ok so for those who are curious, all orchids need to be fed to bloom well. Also key for most is water quality. At least 10 years ago because of phrag. tip burn I started watering exclusively with rainwater. I go through approx. 50 gallons each watering. I continuously switch up the nutrients plants are getting. Only 1 watering a month is just water to flush, all other watering include nutrition. A 50 gallon container gets 2 table spoon of 15-30-15 or some variant bloom booster. Then the switching, always, either magnesium/calcium, or Superthrive Fish Emulsion, or liquid kelp. I try to continuously vary this. Also 2ish times a year, the plants get a top dressing after watering of organic 4-4-4 tomato mixed with crushed oyster shell (chicken scratch calcium) and at least twice a year a 1/2 tsp. top dress of hardwood ash which supplies lime, potassium and minerals. Cal/mag is expensive so I use organic calcium and horticultural epsom salt. Also as the great Yogi Berra said, You can observe a lot by watching. Continuously keeping a watch on a plants growth and health will give you insight and allow you to react if a plant appears to lose vigor. Just my thoughts, take what you may. Below is Mem. Robert Strait 'Blues' from Carmela, a mericlone that had been around for almost 20 years that I received an AM/AOS on. This is 5 flowers on 1 inf.
Thank you for sharing your advice on culture - including the apt quote from Yogi Berra (whom I will have to look up, unless it is a nom de guerre for a certain David B, that is?! 😉).
As apt as the quote is the award for your wonderfull Mem. Robert Strait 'Blues'! 😍

Addendum: just found out, that I didn't quite hit the ball!
There actually was a "Yogi" Berra, not being the India wise man, I thought he might be, though. Yet again, I can conclude, that it is with me, as he said it is with the world: "If [it] was perfect, it wouldn't be"! 😁
 
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