How to unpot this catesetum for repotting?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Cymbaline

LOL.
So dumb question perhaps. When should I expect these to go dormant? This year I was expecting the leaves to die off on their own but obviously that is wrong .

I think it's safe to say your plant had a fairly reduced dormancy this year! Looks like it took a nap rather than went to sleep!

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by isurus79

I think it's safe to say your plant had a fairly reduced dormancy this year! Looks like it took a nap rather than went to sleep!

Is it a potential issue for the plant's health if it doesn't rest? Or will it just impede flowering?

[Clawhammer]

I wait to repot until the new growth nubs poke out but have not yet grown roots. This way I can position the plant appropriately (both vertically and horizontally). Placement can make the difference between repotting in 2022 or 2024.

I am always anxious to repot and I have a natural desire to do them all at once that I really have to work to resist lol. Catasetums are the most fun to repot because there is no stress about damaging the previous year's roots.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

I wait to repot until the new growth nubs poke out but have not yet grown roots. This way I can position the plant appropriately (both vertically and horizontally). Placement can make the difference between repotting in 2022 or 2024.

I am always anxious to repot and I have a natural desire to do them all at once that I really have to work to resist lol. Catasetums are the most fun to repot because there is no stress about damaging the previous year's roots.

Potting or repotting a year to three years? Well, heck, I'm impatient and this may well be outta my league!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

Is it a potential issue for the plant's health if it doesn't rest? Or will it just impede flowering?

Nah. They grow when they want to!

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Cymbaline

But it's really root bound now. Would it be okay to soak it in water to loosen the medium so I can repot for fresh medium?

Is the temperature quite warm in the growing area? If the temperature in the growing area is maintained to be warm all the time ----- and not get chilly/winter (cold) ----- then maybe ok. I have genuinely found that the roots of catasetum type plants under suitable conditions won't get negatively impacted by water - young or old.

This is as long as we don't do anything to drown the roots in low oxygen environments - such roots in long-term soggy media.

For this season, I lightly watered every one of catasetum type plants during their dormancy - and continued with that even when they were coming out of dormancy with new roots emerging. No problem at all. One of them (Fdk. After Dark 'Baker's Cheetah') has flowered this season, and another one ----- a Clowesetum Black Jade --- is expected to open its flowers in maybe a couple of weeks time from now.

I actually didn't need to water the catasetum plants during their dormancy, and also didn't need to water them while they were coming out of dormancy and sprouting new roots. I just did it as I was confident that nothing bad was going to happen to them ------ as well as to provide information that supports what other growers have seen ----- as in nothing bad will happen if (for example) temperatures are suitable, and nothing is done to cause roots to drown.

The main thing is - my plants are growing in tropical conditions. And it doesn't get very cold here at all. But if you get cold conditions ------ especially cold and wet roots conditions ------ then probably best to not water the catasetum plants until the leaves/roots become well established.

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Is the temperature quite warm in the growing area? If the temperature in the growing area is maintained to be warm all the time ----- and not get chilly/winter (cold) ----- then maybe ok.

The coldest is probably like 67F. I have all of them in the house in a greenhouse type thing because I don't trust them to be outside. We have too much wildlife , it gets pretty hot and I don't have a good area to protect them.

I think it sounds like they should be okay. Thank you!

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 PM ----------

Originally Posted by isurus79

I think it's safe to say your plant had a fairly reduced dormancy this year! Looks like it took a nap rather than went to sleep!

Right? Maybe keeping them indoors is confusing them. I don't know. I have bulbs that start at the beginning of the growing season and at the end. No spikes but plenty of bulbs Hopefully this year I'll get some spikes. I really want to see some flowers.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Cymbaline

Right? Maybe keeping them indoors is confusing them. I don't know. I have bulbs that start at the beginning of the growing season and at the end. No spikes but plenty of bulbs Hopefully this year I'll get some spikes. I really want to see some flowers.

Some species have a fairly short dormancy (e.g. Ctsm. pileatum) and that can be passed on to the progeny. Complex hybrids are even less fussy and easy to care for, often with a reduced dormancy and increased rot resistance. What is the name of this plant?