Lc. Fire Dance 'Patricia' is a spring bloomer here, so perhaps it will follow the same pattern there and the sheath with look all dried up before anything happens.

The Copper Queen blooms on each new p-bulb, regardless of the time of year, so that one might bloom for you at this time if the p-bulb is mature enough.

In the late summer and fall the Iwanagaara Appleblossom sends up somethings akin to sheaths that sit there between the leaves for months and months and do nothing, and then in the late winter shoot up spikes and buds and bloom like crazy.

Rojo also is a spring bloomer. It blooms on a fairly small plant. Sheaths on Firedance, Apple Blossom and Rojo can still form thru fall, and then are likely to start to fatten up in late winter-Spring.

Congratulations! Sounds like good growing to me.

Thanks folks. The doodley in the Copper Queen grew about 1/4" last night and is sticking out about a cm, but it looks nothing like buds or a spike.

I'm kinda bummed about having to stare at empty sheaths for the rest of summer, all of autumn, and winter before anything happens. On various websites it said rojo and firedance, can bloom multiple times per year... Are they yanking my chain?
Bob

Bob, they might be telling you the truth. We can only relate what happens to our plants in our particular growing situations/climates.

I've had Fire Dance 'Patricia' for many years and it blooms without fail every spring. It might grow better, have more blooms without the winter "rest". i just do not know. Similar comments apply to a hybrid where one of the parents is Rojo. it blooms in spring.

Anyway, think of the spring blooming as a bonus. If you have enough "Cattleyas" you will be able to have blooms, summer, autumn, winter and spring.

bob, that's why I've been switching over to phals. I found the catts were too much work (for me) to provide the right mix of sun and shade, given they are in bloom for such a small percent of the time.

I want to say, tho, that Firedance, when it blooms has several clusters of flowers at once, and looks just beautiful. So I can see why it's worth while for people who can more easily provide for it.

Yeah, but everyone and their mother's got a phal. Me included... but its the narrow sepaled catts that get my noodle going.
Bob

If you like more frequent bloom, look for the type of catts that bloom several times a year. Yes, I discovered there are such things. These catts are smaller than the regular catts (so they take up less room and I can have more of them) and sometimes the blossoms are smaller, but like the Copper Queen, they bloom on each new p-bulb. Some of mine are BLC Copper Queen, BLC Golden Tang, BLC Keeowee 'Newberry', (The three of them are outside now blooming their fool heads off), LC Jane Fumiye, BLC Ann Akagi, LC Mari's Song, and Potinara Burana Beauty 'Burana'. There are many more, if you look for them.