Cattleya Root Growth in Relation to New Growths Emergence by Species

[Clawhammer]

Hello!

Is there a consolidated spreadsheet, database, or article that lists when roots emerge from a new cattleya growth by species? Less importantly but still of interest, it would be great if the data also contained info about when to expect a flower on a new growth (green/brown/no sheath).

Sparking this question: I received a very small Cattleya Dowiana 'Rosita' seedling yesterday and when I repotted it, it was actually 3 individuals. One of them is rootless with no hope but the other 2 have a single viable root and a tiny new growth. Wondering if these have any hope of putting out new roots in the near future, otherwise the prognosis is not good.

I would love to have this info for all species so I could make educated guesses about hybrids too.

[rbarata]

Maybe that's what you want, not all info there but that's helpful: here.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Maybe that's what you want, not all info there but that's helpful: here.

Dude, yes! Thank you Rbarata, exactly what I was looking for.

Bad news for my little seedlings though.

[estación seca]

Seedlings pay less attention to the calendar. They often root and grow all year if temperatures and light are correct. I would soak them in Ray's Kelpak and put them in sphagnum moss kept just moist, in a terrarium for high humidity. Even the rootless one might make it.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Seedlings pay less attention to the calendar. They often root and grow all year if temperatures and light are correct. I would soak them in Ray's Kelpak and put them in sphagnum moss kept just moist, in a terrarium for high humidity. Even the rootless one might make it.

Thanks for the info ES, gives me hope. That is exactly what I did, glad to know it was the right thing

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Ray's Kelpak .

ahem...no offense ray, but it’s not rays....he just sells it. i reallly appreciate ray and his knowledge and contribution to orchid growing, but someone else actually makes kelpak...

sorry...truly.

[Louis_W]

That's a really helpful spreadsheet! I reference it so much i just printed it and pinned it up in my orchid area. I really only grow cattleya species and primaries. Its a great general guide but I've learned (especially for bifiates) that it's best to wait until you see roots emerging to repot. I've potted a few at "the right time" only to have them never start developing roots and slowly fade away.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

Dude, yes! Thank you Rbarata, exactly what I was looking for.

Bad news for my little seedlings though.

Not necessarily bad news for the seedlings... C. dowiana tends to root in the fall. Which is why a lot of the species and hybrids where it's dominant often meet a bad end - people tend to want to pot everything in the spring. And C. dowiana does put out new growths in the spring/summer, however the roots don't appear until much later. (If you always pot in the spring, you will grow well the things that root in the spring and summer. A lot of Catts, but definitely not all. ) It's really counter-intuitive to pot Cats in the fall. But for this one, that's the right time. And the kelpmax/kelpak soak was a good thing... give those roots a kick-start.

[smweaver]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Seedlings pay less attention to the calendar. They often root and grow all year if temperatures and light are correct.

This has been my experience also. Some species (mainly the Brazilian bifoliates: bicolor, amethystoglossa, etc.) are notorious for dying very quickly if you repot them at the wrong time of year (at the beginning of a new growth being initiated, instead of the correct time, when that new growth is nearing maturity). But for some odd reason, the seedlings of these species are much more adaptable than the adults, forming new roots fairly regularly, and "out of season."

[Jeff214]

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