depth of planting and crown rot

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Recall that what I said was along the lines of:

"...making conclusions based on observations of plants in cultivation about their growth habits, is out of context with how the orchids are growing in nature."

I did not imply that you must copy every last detail of how they grow in the wild and apply it directly to cultivation.

In other words, what I was saying was:

"Basing your reasons about what a plant's growth habits are like and why they behave the way they do, based on observations made on plants growing in cultivation can be faulty logic, because the information gathered from the observation is out of context.

It is more appropriate to base your reasons about a plant's growth habits on how they grow in the wild, in order to understand why the plants do what they do in cultivation."

The more practical thing to do is to adapt the principles of what is known to be true or can be gathered to be true, based on observations and scientific data of plants in the wild into cultivation, through the various horticultural techniques and tools at your disposal in order to best simulate a micro-environment that suits the growth of the plants.

I most certainly understand that it isn't always practical to imitate nature 100%.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

As far as specifics of what you can do so that the new pseudobulbs aren't just dangling about in mid-air, I can't really say as I've never seen your orchids before.

However, I can say, how you approach this problem may depend on how creative you can be within the confines of the "rules" (so to speak).

edit: If it were me, and should the issue be a simple problem of new leads dangling in mid-air on a small division, I'd just wait until the next repot and tilt the plant over a little. As long as most of the roots get inside the pot, and the plant doesn't appear to be partially dangling in mid-air, it should be fine.

add on: Should it be a larger plant with many new leads sprawling everywhere, all I can say is be creative.

[silken]

Thanks King of orchid growing. Will see how it goes at re-potting time which isn't for a while.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I made some revisions, hopefully it will clear up what I said last night.

[silken]

Maybe some rhizome clips will help keep things down where they 'belong' when the time comes

[bullsie]

I know from mine, that rotting roots and pseudobulbs usually come for watering or medium. One or both is off. Catts, unlike Phals, when they love the medium, sink their roots in tight and circle the pot, cling to medium chunks, exit drainage holes. If it grows 'out' with the new lead, then there is a good possibility something is amiss. Now, this isn't a strict rule as there are some Catts that do wander a bit. But for the most part, you want to see the roots deep in the mix and the leads following the surface of the medium, and as the lead turns upward you will see new roots stretching down.

Under cultivation, we make plants grow the way we want to a degree. We turn the pot so the pseudobulb grows straight. We aid in staking it to get it upright. We bend and pin to keep it in the pot. If we get the plants growing conditions right, the rest we can tailor to suit us.

[silken]

Thanks bullsie. I am usually not guilty of waiting to long to repot, and use good cedar bark chips, NZ sphagnum moss and perlite for many of my orchids. But I haven't quite fine-tuned my watering technique. I have recently switched to rain water from tap water and think I am seeing an improvement there and am trying not to over-water. Some have been re-potted into clay pots to deal with that too. Another part of my problem is I want some of a variety of different orchids and providing different micro climates is not always so easy. So they have to make do with less than perfect areas. Oh well, live and learn! I have had a green thumb all my life and can rarely ever kill a plant, but when it comes to orchids it is a different story for some reason!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Silken, have you ever posted any pics of your problem plants?

A picture goes a long ways. It's easier to spot problems in a photo than with a written description.

People usually leave out (for whatever reasons) important, specific, and seemingly unimportant details that actually do matter.

If you're still having problems with root rot and pseudobulb rot, burying the rhizome is only part of your problem.

Watering could be it, but usually most people tend to over pot (i.e. use a pot that's way too large for the plant's root mass). Or they use a potting media mix or potting media that doesn't suit the orchid.

Now you mentioned that you use some NZ sphag in your mix, right? How is it being applied? Is it used as a top layer, or is it mixed in with everything else?

Another thing is, you never mentioned the temperatures that your plants are placed under.

What kind of Cattleyas are they? Hybrids? Species? Any names? NOIDs?

Have you done extensive research on what the places that these Catts are originating from are really like (versus assuming what they're really like)? Better yet, have you been there on vacation?

Missing pertinent details, no matter how seemingly insignificant, means you'll not get any kind of optimal answers to your problems or questions.

General questions usually get general answers.

Of course, the caveat being that you love to figure it all out on your own, which is not a problem.



As a side note...

Have you considered using clear plastic pots? If you're having that many problems with Catts and root rot, maybe this is a better way to go.

Remember what I said about how the Cattleya roots are found growing on trees in the wild?

Clear plastic pots simulate this the best. It allows light to pass through and allows the roots to photosynthesize. You can see what's going on with the root system. The media dries out faster in a clear plastic pot than opaque plastic pots, but doesn't dry out as fast as clay pots.

Food for thought.



Starting to see the connection of what I said several posts ago?


If you're only considering horticultural practices and tools to help aid you in your efforts to successfully grow orchids, you're only getting half the picture.

Most people who start out in the orchid hobby usually don't realize that the other half of the puzzle is looking at where the orchids originate.

Of course, research papers on orchids help tremendously too.

[bullsie]

Silken, a variety of orchids can be had without microclimates. You just have to choose plants that will work for what you offer and aspects such as water, light, shade, medium etc. can all be regulated by you.

I don't use sphagnum in my medium for Catts. Too damp too long FOR MY GROWING CONDITIONS. I keep my ingredients for mediums seperate till I have someone ready to pot up and then mix what I need according to its needs. I capitalized that portion for you to realize that your circumstances are different than mine. What works for me may not for you. It is what King of Orchid Growing has pinted out.

But again, microclimates really shouldn't apply if you go with orchids that take similar conditions. All else you can modify according to their needs and what you can give them.