Need help with nursing a catt back to health.

[evanvlane]

Hi all!
I bought this catt for $3 at a local nursery, and I want to bring it back to life. I'm good at keeping my own plants alive, but I'm new to orchids (I have two phals and a catt that're doing just fine) and I would love some help with this.

To my beginner's eye it seems like there are three problems:
1) It needs to be repotted or mounted, and now's a good time-- it seems like it's in a growth cycle.
2) It's far too dry-- the pseudobulbs look like a 150 year old man on a bad day.
3) Whatever the discoloration on that leaf is needs to be taken care of.

I'd like to mount it, as I've heard Catts do really well mounted. I have NZ sphag and a nice piece of hardwood driftwood that's rough on one side and smooth on another.

I could have sworn I had a specific question... Oh yeah-- help please? Is a good way to help this little guy to get it out of this non-breathing junky medium and mount it?

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...0220091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...0320091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...3020091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...3520091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...4120091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...4220091007.jpg

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Evan_La...4620091007.jpg

[stefpix]

seems good to me - what cattleya is it?
I am a novice myself but it shows lots of new root growth.

I am trying S/H now for cattleyas to simplify watering schedules.


some expert will chip in re/ mounting...

[seamonkey]

It doesn't look that unhealthy to me, there are some nice roots there!

[libby]

The plant looks pretty healthy to me as well. You have nice roots and a new growth, all good signs. Wrinkled pseudobulbs on the back growth are normal as well. I personally, would just put it in a little larger pot, but if you really want to mount it, I can't help you with that as I grow all my catts in pots or baskets. I'm sure someone experienced in mounting them will be along shortly to give you some tips.

[evanvlane]

Thanks for the good news everyone.
I'm still in the paranoid-that-I'm-going-to-kill-every-orchid-I-see phase of orchid ownership.
However when I got the plant out of its pot, I looked at the roots, and the vast majority of them were either reaaally squishy or hollow, so I pruned it back quite a bit. The roots coming off two of the pseudobulbs were entirely gone, so I focused on the one pseudobulb showing growth.
I went ahead and followed a tutorial on mounting, and here are the results. I gave it a good first soak after mounting and then a short soak in a very weak 20-20-20 fertilizer mix with a high ammoniacal nitrogen percentage (6.8 out of the 20).
I also doctored all the cuts with either a captan fungicide (non-root) or a root hormone/ fungicide mix (root).
I'm not sure how my mounting went, so any advice/ observances would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!
Evan.

http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Orchid-1.jpg
http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Orchid-2.jpg
http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Orchid-3.jpg
http://eldesigner.net/orchid/Orchid-4.jpg

[stefpix]

I may be wrong but I think the roots should be on the side of the mount so they can get a grip on

[evanvlane]

Thanks Stef!
Do you mean that I should put the roots between the moss and the mount or that the mount should just be turned around?

Thanks in advance,

Evan.

[stefpix]

i think the roots should be in contact with the mount. but i am no expert. put some vanda and phals on coconut husks

[camille1585]

Me too, I would think that the roots would need to be in contact with the mount, but since humidity is a bit of a problem for me I usually mount plants with the sphag on top. Yours might be fine the way it is. I honestly don't know!
It's a shame though that you cut off the old growths! Even without roots they have their use, as they were still supplying nurishment to the new growths

[orchidsamore]

I have literally mounted thousands of orchids on wood mounts.

There are three ways to wrap the roots 1. no sphag 2 sphag under the plant as you have done and 3 all roots wrapped in sphag.

I find the totally wrapped sphag holds the most water and starts growing the fastest. However, after about a year the method no longer matters.

I also wrap completely in moss since it allows me to use fishing line the is invisible rather then the plastic twist ties. This is just an aesthetic choice.

All three methods work. Each holds different amounts of moisture. They all require frequent watering. At least double or triple the amount of water as a potted Cattleya. The bare rots on your mount will take water as often as every day.

How you orientate the plant on the mount is not too important as the plant will begin to grow in whatever manner it prefers. It is almost impossible to control what direction the roots and plant will grow. I had a new employee mount a couple upside down and they grew into interesting mounts.

Cattleya grow along a rhizome in one direction. I would normally put the plant so that the growing eye is parallel with the wood. As I said before it is not too important as the plant will adapt.

What will happen is the plant will grow sideways and over time wrap around the mount.

I would not have removed as many pseudobulbs as you did. The standard is to keep at least three mature pseudobulbs when dividing a plant. You saved only one and a new growth. Normally you would put an anti-fungal on the cut but it does not seem to be important with mounts. I often go directly to the mount and seldom see fungal problems.

The plant will do OK since there is so much new root growth, but may take longer to establish. The roots will grow onto the outside of the moss and wood as that is where the moisture will be. Roots seldom grow into the moss.

Do not be surprised if those roots dry and stop growing. It often happens. The plant will grow however it wants.

Mounts are very rewarding. Watching the roots of a Cattleya grow onto the outside of the mount is fascinating in itself.