Should I repot or not repot these cattleyas at this time

[BrassavolaStars]

Hello All,

I have these three cattleyas (Ctyh. Siam Jade, Ctna. Ethel’s paradise, Rlc. Beauty Girl) pictured below that seem to need to be repotted.

Is this something that needs to be done right away, or can they wait? Normally, I would just repot them now but I have always heard it is bad to repot bifoliate cattleyas any time other than spring.

Is it too late in the year to repot as the new growth seems pretty far along even though it only started in the late summer?

That being said, the Siam jade really looks like it could use a larger pot and it looks like repotting will become difficult if I don’t strike while the iron is hot with the Beauty Girl. The Siam jade and the Beauty Girl are also in moss right now.

Should I change them to a different media when I repot or just leave them in that?

The Ethel’s paradise also looks like it could use a bigger pot to contain the roots growing out of the pot.

[Ray]

The season has nothing to do with it - the emergence of new growths with new roots is your indicator, and it looks like two of the three are there. Just be sure the keep them warm after repotting - putting them on a heat mat will help them get established more quickly.

[BrassavolaStars]

I guess that means I should repot the Siam Jade (Left) and the Beauty Girl (Right). Should I just wrap more moss around the existing moss in a larger pot or should I completely replace all of the media with fresh moss?

[rbarata]

Catts growing pattern is not always the same between species/hybrids.
Some grow roots before new growth, other start by the new growth, others are simultaneous.
Anyway, as Ray said, neww roots are your clue.

This file might be helpful.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by BrassavolaStars

Should I just wrap more moss around the existing moss in a larger pot or should I completely replace all of the media with fresh moss?

Replace the medium.

The reason for repotting is to get rid of residue-laden, decomposing medium that can lead to root suffocation and death.

[Roberta]

Where there are long roots outside the pot, suggest soaking for an hour or two to soften them up a little. Remove what you can of the old medium, but just what comes off easily. It is far better to leave a bit of old medium than to damage the roots that it is attached to.

Then when going into a new (slightly larger) pot, you can gently rotate the plant as you lower it, so that those long roots are directed around the inside of the pot. Select a pot that will allow about 2 years' new growth (don't overpot), Try to work the oldest part of the plant to one side of the pot to maximize the room for the new growth. If there is old medium stuck to roots, leave it,


I wouldn't recommend moss for Catts... large bark. They like to dry out between waterings.

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I wouldn't recommend moss for Catts... large bark. They like to dry out between waterings.

I completely agree and always prefer to have my cattleyas in bark.

Unfortunately, these came in moss and while I prefer bark for cattleyas and ideally want to have these Cattleyas in bark as almost all of my other cattleyas are, I am concerned about changing the medium from moss (as they currently are in and how I acquired them) to bark.

This may be a misconception that I have but I have always heard that the roots adjust themselves on a microscopic level for the medium they originally grew in and that changing the medium would cause all the roots that are now used to the moss to die off en masse.

That is something I do not want to happen. If that is not an issue and I have a misconception, I would certain repot into my favorite cattleya bark mixture by repot me.

[Roberta]

A huge benefit of potting when the plant is just starting to root is that the new roots will happily adjust to the new medium. The old ones won't die off suddenly... they'll continue to hydrate the plant while the new roots are getting established. They very likely will even produce new branches off the old roots, which will be act like new roots and make themselves at home. Old roots die off eventually anyway, but by that time the new ones (with new growth) will be taking care of business. So bark for sure. The most important thing is having lots of air around those roots. Also, leaving any stuck-on moss (and generally not being aggressive with the older roots) will also ease the transition. In a couple of years, it's going to need repotting again, and then you can clean up dead roots and back bulbs, by that time it'll be well established (and probably climbing out of the pot again.)

Also, some of those relatively new roots (long but with green tips) need to be handled as gently as you can. When you pack the bark with thumbs, press in areas that don't have new roots (the older part of the plant). There are plenty of older roots there to get the plant stable, without the risk of accidentally mooshing those fragile growing ones. (A good use of older roots that may not even be very good.. they help anchor the plant)