Sunset Valley Catasetum With Dormant New Growth

[meag89]

Hello,

I’m really needing help with a Sunset Valley catasetum orchid I just recently got. I ordered it off of eBay about a 1-2 months ago and it was shipped from Hawaii bare rooted. The problem is that new growth is much larger than indicated and the roots had gone dormant, I’m guessing from not being watered when it was ready? I’ve been growing orchids for years, but just recently started collecting catasetums and haven’t run into this problem with my other two. Around the same time I ordered the Wine Delight bare rooted off of eBay as well and was able to get it growing just fine since it was a small growth ready for water.

I live in Colorado, have had it in a bright area, tried a humidifier but admit that I’ve forgotten to refill the tank for a week or so, and tried putting damp moss on the roots of the new growth for a few minutes a day to get them to wake up till I started seeing signs that the old roots weren’t liking it. The new growth hasn’t grown any more since I got it, and the old pseudo bulbs are shrinking. If anyone has any ideas to point me in the right direction I’d greatly appreciate it.

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

Just pot it up and leave it alone... the watering may cause roots to stall. The old pseudobulb may shrivel a bit more, no worries - the new growth looks good. It has likely suffered from being unpotted when it was already growing. But these tend to root in anticipation of water, not the water itself. It may sit around for awhile, but it is still early enough in the season that it likely will kick into gear in plenty of time. Patience...

[meag89]

Roberta,

Thank you so much! I’ve been stumped by this one and not finding info on this particular problem online. I’ll pot it up and let it do it’s thing.