My first Cattleya!

[Roberta]

That is normal - as they get ready to open, they shift so that the flowers will look at you (not the ceiling) when they open.

For watering, I agree with all of the others who said "run water through the pot". That does two things in addition to hydrating the plant - it flushes out any buildup of fertilizer salts and general crud, and also pulls air into the root zone. To tell how fast it is drying out (and therefore how often to water), consider weighing it on a postal scale or kitchen scale after you water it. Weigh again the next day. When the weight doesn't change much (meaning that most of the water has evaporated) it is time to water again. A Catt getting ready to bloom shouldn't go completely dry, but it does want to dry out somewhat between waterings.

Once it has finished blooming, you'll want to think about repotting. The ideal time to repot is just as new roots are emerging - if you don't see sign of "action" it is generally better to wait - if the mix is broken down (so that it tends to stay wet) just water less often, so that it goes nearly dry. (Broken down mix is airless and that suffocates roots - but as water evaporates, it is replaced by air, and that's the goal, to have air in the root zone.

---------- Post added at 06:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 PM ----------

With regard to Orchidwiz, it is an outstanding database, with information about the parentage of hybrids, and habitat and culture information about species. It's my go-to reference, I use it almost daily. However, it is rather pricey... and likely overkill if you are just starting out. There are a couple of good, free, web references - for species, Internet Orchid Photo Encyclopedia (IOSPE) and for hybrids, Orchidroots have lots of good information.

And keep coming here for input from lots of people who love and grow orchids and are happy to share information. And if you live near an orchid club, be sure to join and meet other local orchid lovers.

[desirue]

Roberta, thank you so much for replying so quickly last night; you immediately eased my worry. With this one being my first, I'm still trying to figure everything out when it comes to Cattleya's. I was/am so excited for these blooms too, so to see them lean so much was a little disheartening for me.

I did finally hear back from Odom's too regarding watering. Thanks to this forum though, I did go ahead and water a second time using the "through the pot" method. I've designated a skewer to test for moisture and it seems to be working okay.

Regarding repotting; do you think I should repot in a clay pot? I have all of my other orchids in clear pots to monitor their roots but some of the articles I've read regarding Cattleya's say to pot them in clay. I'm hesitant, but would like to hear your opinion if you don't mind

Thanks again! (p.s. When I woke up this morning it looks like one of the buds is just baaarely starting to open at the tip )

[Roberta]

Those flowers are just about ready.

The choice of pot - and potting medium - are dictated by the needs of the plant and your watering schedule. Let's work backward from the needs of the plant, and then you can look at how you will meet those under your conditions. From you photos, it appears that most of your orchids are Phalaenopsis. If you have been successfully growing those for awhile, you have their needs dialed in. They need to dry out somewhat between waterings, and need lots of air around the roots, but they don't want to dry out completely. They don't have pseudobulbs to store water. Catts are a bit different in that regard - they do have pseudobulbs, so they can go somewhat drier than the Phals. And need even more air around the roots. Plastic is fine if you use fairly large bark to get those air spaces. The plant will dry faster in clay (terrcotta) than in plastic - and the clay does "breathe" somewhat. Another advantage of clay with a plant that tends to be top-heavy is that it ls less likely to tip over. So your choice... Getting lots of air around those roots is the important part.

Another thing to note when you pot a Catt... unlike a Phal, Catts. grow along a rhizome - they tend to grow in one direction - so when you repot, you don't put it in the middle of the pot. You put the oldest pseudobulb to one side of the pot, to give the growing part as much room as possible, choosing a pot that will hold about 2 years' growth. (Not more) So observe your plant, and you'll see which way it is growing. These concepts will make more sense as you see what the plant is doing.

[desirue]

Roberta, I uploaded another picture with a question I hope you could help on. I've circled in red what I think is a flower spike (?) ... is that correct? I can see the same thing in each of the other stems, but this one is the longest. ETA; should I take off that twist tie?

[SADE2020]

Beautiful Enjoy!

[Roberta]

I'd leave the twist tie in place, at least until the flowers finish - that, and the stake, were put there so that the flowers will be oriented in a pleasing way. The area you circled is where a spike would emerge if there were one, but it looks like an older growth. Especially when a plant is young, it may not bloom on each new growth. You'll see a sheath (as you have at the base of the blooms that are starting to open) which protects the developing buds. They poke out when they're ready. Generally it will bloom once a year (maybe twice depending on its parentage) so your challenge will be to keep it happy and growing, next year you likely will get more growths with flowers. Also, don't expect Cattleya flowers to stay in bloom as long as your Phalaenopsis. Typical is maybe 2 weeks (some longer some shorter). But grand when they do. Just different, and since this is your first, it helps to know what to expect so that you aren't alarmed when the flowers fade. Enjoy them in the moment!

[desirue]

An update on the blooms; this was them this morning

[SouthPark]

Looks extremely nice - very beautiful. If the tepals happen to remain stuck around the lip area - such as after a day or so, then very slowly and gently ----- use the fingers (very delicately and very slowly) help the tepals get unstuck.

Also check the top-most tepal of the flower on the right-hand-side. Very beautiful photo.

[desirue]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Looks extremely nice - very beautiful. If the tepals happen to remain stuck around the lip area - such as after a day or so, then very slowly and gently ----- use the fingers (very delicately and very slowly) help the tepals get unstuck.

Also check the top-most tepal of the flower on the right-hand-side. Very beautiful photo.

Thank you! That top most petal is okay, I think its just the angle of the photo, but I may have missed it leaning against in the spike in the midst of my beholding it’s beauty, lol. But I will definitely check on it tomorrow and if they haven’t fully opened, I’ll do what you suggested.

I’m attaching another pic, it opened a little more in the time I was at work.

[Shadeflower]

Stunning. Really nice Catt. Well grown