Need help with watering cattleya seedlings

[estación seca]

You don't have to worry about water on the leaves in warm areas unless your relative humidity is very high. It evaporates so quickly there won't be problems. I like to use a spray bottle for seedlings because it forces me to pick up each one individually and look at it.

[rbarata]

I was using a sprayer before but I'm not sure how to do that without getting water on the leaves which is something I've never seen the benefit of.

You need to practise your aiming skills.

[Steve83]

Try NZ tree fern fiber. It doesn't compact like sphagnum, and provides plenty of airflow.

[My Green Pets]

can we have an update? how did they fare?

[Shadeflower]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

can we have an update? how did they fare?

I would love to know aswell but while we are waiting for the update I will add a different seedling that I had to deflask a year ago.
I've managed to keep it alive in that time but unfortunately it lost all its roots. The last remaining root I don't think is functional anymore.

So Now I really want to keep this thing alive but in my expereince it's practically impossible.

How would people pot it to give it the best chances?

[greyblackfish]

Oh my bad!

I took these pictures yesterday. They're doing pretty well. When I came back, I had some leaves that were a little droopier but they perked back up. The newest psuedobulbs are all doing great. Although for cattleya, I'm not sure how fast they should be growing as seedlings.

The orchids that did worse were my phalaenopsis. The cymbidiums and oncidiums were very dry but are still growing. And in another thread I mentioned that my dendrobium seedlings are not growing for me. I will need to be taking longer trips out for business in the future and I'll probably need an auto watering system in the near future. Thanks for all the input!

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I would love to know aswell but while we are waiting for the update I will add a different seedling that I had to deflask a year ago.
I've managed to keep it alive in that time but unfortunately it lost all its roots. The last remaining root I don't think is functional anymore.

So Now I really want to keep this thing alive but in my expereince it's practically impossible.

How would people pot it to give it the best chances?

I have a lot of luck with using a clear vase, putting LECA in the vase a couple of inches deep, water into LECA so all but top layer is immersed, then putting the plant into a really small pot with sphagnum moss or rock wool. Water the medium. Use a tall vase, and don't cover vase, or put a plate or something over top of vase and leave it open now and then for awhile. Sort of like one "airs out" a terrarium.

Also doing the LECA as above, then a layer of non-absorbent -porous on top (like marbles, pea gravel, etc, and lay the plant on top of the non-absorbent media atop the LECA.

Keep the water level to top of LECA, adding a bit when it evaporates.

Another way I've had success is suspending over a very narrow necked small vase with water in it, not touching the root of the plant (hold up with chopsticks, tooth pick, or stick on a skewer above water level). Then once or twice a week I wet the root (once there is one) and stick it back in.

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 AM ----------

PS That root looks very functional to me.

[Shadeflower]

hey grey
good to see they did great.

WW - I think I might have snapped this root, they are way to fragile lol. Like just the other day I managed to behead a completely healthy phal, seriously I gave it the smallest tug repottng and the whole darn crown popped right off.

Anyway

Also doing the LECA as above, then a layer of non-absorbent -porous on top (like marbles, pea gravel, etc, and lay the plant on top of the non-absorbent media atop the LECA.

This is what I am going to aim for inside of a jam jar (equivalent to a vase) to keep it as humid as possible.

Thx WW.

[My Green Pets]

Shade, I see a couple of things with that seedling.
One, the root looks very much alive. Water it as soon as it is completely dry, repeat.
Two, there is a new growth coming up. However, it looks like there is brown coming up from the base into the next older growth. Maybe it's a shadow. If it's brown, it could be the end.
If the plant survives long enough, the new growth will put out new roots.
I have mine sitting in tiny terra cotta pots with no media and I water them daily, but there is lots of air flowing around them and they are dry before the next watering.

[greyblackfish]

Nice to meet you, WaterWitchin.

Hope the seedling survives, Shadeflower. I'll let the more experienced people speak.