Rippled leaves on laeliocattleya

[OrchidThief79]

I have a Lc. Jungle Cat that I recently repotted, and most of its leaves have a rippled texture. (not sure what adjective to use... bumpy?) Assuming the roots are healthy (recently repotted), is this a sign of over or underwatering? I can't tell if the leaf cells are shrinking from thirst or bloated with water. Thanks.

[Call_Me_Bob]

they definitely look dehydrated. if the roots are okay like you say, try watering more. usually after repotting the media dries faster.

on the other hand, if you arent positive the roots are good. it could be that the roots got damaged during repotting, and thats why its dehydrated.

[OrchidThief79]

I think you're right on the dehydration. I'm fairly new to this, and I've read so many warnings about overwatering that I think I'm not watering enough. I'm growing mine outdoors in Hawaii, and I think the heat and winds dry out the medium much more quickly.

[DendrobiumFan]

Be careful about watering. It often takes even healthy roots a period of time to re-establish. A little too dry is better than overly wet. I would say that your safest approach would be to water as you normally did in the past (once the medium is dry but not beyond that). This helps to equilibrate the plant in the shortest timeframe.

[johnblagg]

yep it is looking Dehydrated ....check the medium to see if its to old and roots to see if they are in good condition ...

[trdyl]

I would check the roots anyway. One should never assume anything when it comes to plants in general.

[johnblagg]

How long ago did you repot ..and how long have the leaves looked this way ....

[orchidvalley]

Hi How long ago did you repot? Did you put it back to the same spot that it was in before the repot? Were the leaves like this when you repotted? What are your growing conditions in that spot. I ask these questions because when I did my first repotting I did a lot of research about it because I didn't want to lose a prized orchid. What I learned is that you need to make sure everything is as sterile as possible and after potting care is the most important. After you repot it is important that you watch the watering no over watering, and they need reduced lighting for three weeks and make sure that your plant is supported in the pot so that it stays put. When I did my first repotting it was for my sisters very large cat that she purchased at a show. We were going to have someone else do it but it didn't work out so we divided it. She gave me a piece and she kept two pieces of the plant. I told her how to care for them for the next three weeks. A year later they are all at my house because hers were failing. The leaves looked just like yours. The first thing I did was repot them. The roots were bad. The older division had no roots and the younger division had lost half the roots. I put them in spag and a bag and put them into my green house. By the middle of the summer I took the bag off and they were on their own. Now the rootless plant is doing very well and the other even gave me one flower. Sorry this is long I just wanted to tell you about my experience. Let us know what you find if you do check the roots again.