Repotting Damaged Catt

[msrebekahjane]

I am new to cattleyas. This Catt arrived with several leaves broken off at the pseudobulb. It has started several flower sheaths so will wait for blooming to happen before the transplant.

1. The leafless pseudobulbs appear to be starting new leaves. If they leaf out, can I divide this catt and will they recover, or should I discard them? I'd plan to divide the bare pseudobulbs along the three that have the yellow wire ties as one group and remaining in the other.

2. The yellow flower sheath appears to be on its way out, prolly stress due to shipping a location change. I gently felt for a shoot in there and felt nada. Leave it to do whatever? Orchid Girl says one may cut it open to take a look??? Thoughts?

3. Lastly, the roots that encircle the inner diameter of the pot, do they stay outside during the repot, or??

[Roberta]

I would not cut the sheath. Some Catts produce a sheath that seems to be doing nothing, and produces a bud months later. Let it do what it wants, and just observe.

It does look somewhat desiccated. That discussion is happening in another thread. You have plenty of roots, so root loss isn't the problem... if it is dry, water it. I would suggest waiting to repot until you see new roots. (You can't necessarily go by seeing new growth... some types may produce new growth well before roots, and it's all about roots) The new roots will quickly adapt to their new medium, eventujally the old ones dies but by that time the new ones should be well established.

The roots that are climbing out of the pot likely can be worked back into the medium when you repot. At that point, make sure that the plant is well watered, to make the roots flexible, and make them easier to get out without (much) damage. Often it works better to just cut the pot. In fact. sometimes I'll cut the pot, leave it mostly attached (remove only what isn't stuck to roots) and put it all back into a larger pot. Also, even if you can get it mostly out of the pot, don't be too zealous about removing old medium. remove what comes off easily, but if you have hunks stuck to good roots, leave them. Preserving roots is the guiding principle.

[msrebekahjane]

Here's a pic of the flower sheath. Doesn't look great to me!


Thx excellent advice, will follow.

[Roberta]

Depends on the parentage. Some develop dry, dead-looking sheaths that then produce buds, months later. It does no harm to leave it, and could harm a developing bud if it ISN'T a "blind sheath". I have learned (the hard way) to not cut things that look dead until they have stayed dead for 6 months or a year. Especially as a new grower, you need to just observe. Then, over time you will learn when intervention is appropriate For this one, there is no harm in leaving it (ugliness is not a reason to cut...) and possibly some harm if you don't just leave it.

[msrebekahjane]

I like it; often if I don't understand something, usually nature will take care of it - first do no harm (there ARE a few assumptions there). Thanks again for the insightful help. I'm just trying to understand this new orchid type but making progress. Thanks again.

[estación seca]

Now that I see the photo I think all the problems are related to lack of water. That medium dries out faster than some other media. I would probably need to water that 2-3 times a week in my house now. Much of the leaf shriveling may go away, but some may never go away. The older pseudobulbs will probably remain deeply wrinkled but will still function fine. Future growths should be fat and shiny.

Don't cut anything off. The roots are still mostly alive, and able to take up water. Many people advise cutting off brown roots. I think it's almost always a mistake, because people can't tell what is alive and what is dead.

New growth will come from the very bases of pseudobulbs. Older pseudobulbs will not form more leaves on top. People tend to leave plants intact unless there is not enough space to keep the whole plant.

I agree you should wait to repot until it warms up and the plant begins making new growth. The time to repot is when new root nubs are just forming, only 1-2 millimeters long. The repotting window is short so be sure you have materials at hand.

I think it is highly likely most of the roots will come out of the pot easily. You might need to scrape them off the plastic gently with a butter knife. Most of the medium will fall off with a few shakes. I would not be meticulous about removing old medium. It will not decompose so it won't harm the roots.

Just set the plant into the new pot and fill with your medium of choice. Be sure the rhizome is at the surface of the new medium. You may need to hold it down with a wire rhizome clip. If you want to pot relatively shallow but can't find a pot shallow enough you don't need to fill the entire pot.

Spend some time browsing Orchid Board and read how other people do it. You probably have some time before repotting.

Edit: Your plant doesn't look that bad now. I think it is nearly certain to recover and grow well with decent care. Don't worry too much.

[msrebekahjane]

Thanks. Excellent advice.

[rbarata]

Do you know which Catt is it?

[msrebekahjane]

Spanish Eyes x Oconee

[Roberta]

A complex hybrid that is half C. dowiana and the rest a mixture. It does likely want to grow in the warm side. Particularly with that parentage, you don't want to repot until you see new roots starting. (Depending on the influence of the other species in its background, it could start to root when it starts new growth but if C. dowiana has big influence, you could see new growth several months before you see roots. And it's all about roots. I would also not rush to divide it. A larger plant has much more strength - one robust plant is much better than 2 or 3 weak struggling ones. When the time comes, repot to get a medium that works better for your growing conditions, but leave it intact. In 2 or 3 years, if new growth is robust, then dividing will be OK. But not yet - let it get some good growth behind it first.
Even if it wants to climb out of the pot.