Newbie with Cattleya Problems

[peachick]

~Hello~

I am glad to be part of the orchid board. Being a new member I am not really sure where to begin, but I am for the most part a novice when it comes to growing orchids with the exception of phals. Which I have had several for about 10 years.

I just recently within the last 6 months or so bought a few cattleyas which I am really concerned about. One appears to be healthy, the other is not doing well. The one which I am worried about the roots are getting dark and hard. A few leaves are turning dark brown.

I water both every 4 to 5 days. We have well water. Have good air movement, humidity of around 60-65%. Temps around 72-80. Home enviroment, bright east window.
I have used Dyna-Grow 3-12-6, every third watering.

I believe both need repotting and I am not sure where to start with that.
Such as what type of potting medium and how to repot them.

I guess I am going in the right direction by joining the forum, reading, and asking questions.

If anyone can give me some pointers on where to start with repotting the cattleyas I would be most grateful. And what I might do to save the one which is not healthy.

I took a few photos and will try to post them. The old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" usually is true when trying to describe this sort of problem.

The second photo is the one with the roots that are drying and getting dark.

I appreciate any help or suggestions.

peachick

[isurus79]

I dunno. From the pics they both look ok to me. Dying roots do happen as they age. In fact, the second plant has a few p-bulbs that are somewhat shriveled, therefore you might want to water that plant slightly more often. Other than that, they look ok to me.

[irrka]

Then again, your bulbs could be shriveled if the roots are not taking up water because they're dead. I would unpot and take a look. I've a few catts in S/H, one tiny one in tiny bark and a bit one in bark and charcoal. There was a thread somewhere for favorite mixes, you could probably search it for ideas, but if you've never seen the roots and they're starting to look strange, i would definitely take a look now. Keep us posted!

[Swamper]

They look pretty nice to me. Im curious what they looked like when you got them. I don't suppose you have a pic to compare huh?

[Baloney]

Would watering more often help? Once every 4-5 days sounds a bit infrequent, but then again it also depends on your potting medium. Are you using sphagnum?

[Dorothy]

peachick
Glad to have you on 'board'
Allow me to direct you to some past threads that may help you -
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...edium-use.html
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ting-help.html
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...tts-repot.html
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...lkerianas.html
repotting question
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...not-repot.html

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Baloney

Would watering more often help? Once every 4-5 days sounds a bit infrequent, but then again it also depends on your potting medium. Are you using sphagnum?

Watering every 4-5 days does sound a little light, only because in the picture it shows that the media is large peices of rock, or some other fast draining media. That was why I ruled out root rot. I dont think that type of media coupled with that water regimine could cause rot. It might be worth it to check, however, just in case.

[Ross]

While not a Cat expert, I will agree with Steve. I am thinking it's on the dry side. I find with my Brassias and Intergenerics I need to water more often when in growth spurts. But then, they tell me when they are dry with pleated leaves. Otherwise, the plant looks fine to me.