Catt rhizome growing at vertical slant - help with repotting placement?

[KristinL]

Hi, I'm somewhat of a newbie, so I'm hoping to get some help on this topic. I've searched and searched but can't seem to find anything!

Anyway, I've got a couple smallish Cattleyas that I bought from Lowe's recently that I'm in the process of re-potting. When I got the plants all un-potted and cleaned off from their original mix, I discovered that their rhizomes seem to have been placed (and have been growing) at about a 45 degree angle. (So the backbulbs had been positioned deeper in the mix, and the new growth was coming up out of the pot at about a 45 degree angle.)

Please tell if this is right or not, but it was my understanding that Catt rhizomes should be horizontal, with their pseudobulbs/leaves growing straight up to the sky (perpendicular to the rhizome)?

So now we get to my dilemma. I'm not sure how to re-pot these plants. If I re-pot them in the orientation they were in previously, I feel like that will just cause problems. The backbulbs will be deeper in the mix, and the new growth seems to be coming up vertically right out of the pot. (Do Catts always grow linearly out from the rhizome, or will the plant eventually correct for the angle and start growing out horizontally again?)

The other option is to try to re-plant with the rhizome more horizontally, but because of the way the plant has grown up previously, if I do that then all the pseudobulbs and leaves will end up at like a 45 degree angle sticking out the side of the pot. (With the rhizome originally placed at a ~45 degree angle, the existing pseudobulbs/leaves are growing at a ~45 degree angle from the rhizome so that they were pointing straight up at the sky -- rather than perpendicular to the rhizome.)

Okay, I hope that sort of made sense. Help?

[flexdc]

Usually planting old bulb into the mix is not a problem providing you don't over water. Cattleya growths can be horizontal or slanted. Will you be able to post some pictures?

[tucker85]

This is a very common problem with cattleyas. What I do in a case like this is to hold the cattleya in the empty pot with the rear of the plant against the pot and the lead pseudobulb standing straight up in the middle of the pot. The rhizome will be at a steep angle. Then I fill in medium to cover the roots but I try to not cover the rhizome. As a result the medium in the pot will be at a 45 degree angle. The most difficult part is securing the plant in place. A rhizome clip or a ring stake makes it much easier but you may not have those available. Good luck.

[Leafmite]

It is best not to cover the rhizome because covering it makes the cattleya's new growths more prone to black rot. I stake mine with chopsticks or bamboo and twisties until the roots grow enough (the roots will grow down into the medium) to anchor the orchid. I sometimes angle the rhizome, too, if it makes a better presentation. The oldest back bulbs, if naturally leafless, can be submerged if your media is large leca or lava rock without any trouble. I am not certain how that fares with bark or other mixes.

[KristinL]

So it sounds like perhaps there is not really a way to "fix" the problem. I should just keep it at the same orientation and do my best in terms of securing the plant and not covering the rhizome (even if it means the potting media ends up slanted)?

If I were to position the rhizome at a slightly less steep angle (not totally horizontal, but going in that direction - so the existing pseudobulbs/leaves would be at a slight angle), would the new growth correct itself and start growing more appropriately? Or do you think it is more important to keep the existing pseudobulbs at an appropriate angle (sticking straight up) regardless of the angle of the rhizome?

I'll try to get a pic but no promises...

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by KristinL

If I were to position the rhizome at a slightly less steep angle (not totally horizontal, but going in that direction - so the existing pseudobulbs/leaves would be at a slight angle), would the new growth correct itself and start growing more appropriately? Or do you think it is more important to keep the existing pseudobulbs at an appropriate angle (sticking straight up) regardless of the angle of the rhizome?

I'll try to get a pic but no promises...

There's no guarantee about which direction the next pseudobulb will grow. It's a living thing and it will do whatever it wants. But I like to position the last pseudobulb straight up and down to give it the best chance to grow that way. Also once a new pseudobulb gets to be 5 or 6 inches long you can either stake it or tie it loosely to one of the other pseudobulbs to try to get it to grow straight up. You'll find that some cattleyas tend to grow straight up while others have a tendency to grow out at other angles. Good luck.

[james mickelso]

New buds will grow at whatever angle they want. In nature they grow on tree branches and trunks and so have no impediment to growing any old way. What they really do is grow to the light and stay away from their neighbors as much as they can to maximize the light they get. So what you can do is pot it up the way it has been suggested here. The reason the old bbulbs are deeper in the pot is because they were potted as yearlings or two year old -plants into a larger pot. This will correct itself over time. Just pot it with the newest pbulb and rizome flush with the surface of the new potting material, stake it well, and water well. But don't repot it unless there are new roots growing out from the newest growth unless you have to due to mold or fungus issues with the roots. Here's some pics of odd angles and how it was corrected as the plant grew.....and one where the angle has been changed dramatically by hanging it upside down (don't ask me why)........

[KristinL]

LOL thanks for the pictures and all the advice! I guess the moral of the story here is that I shouldn't sweat it too much.

[james mickelso]

When most orchids are grown in a nursery they are in a small pot. Usually 1.5 inches. When the third (usually) pbulb reaches maturity the whole thing is potted in a 3 or 4 inch pot where the newly matured pbulb is planted slightly buried in the new media to facilitate the roots getting a foothold. That is why the older pbulbs are buried more deeply. It doesn't matter what angle the rizome is planted. The new pbulbs will reach for the sky as long as nothing is standing in their way. the pic of the orchid that looks like they are curving inward is the result of them all growing away from their neighbors. And yes....don't sweat the small stuff.

[Bayard]

I always pot the rhizome in the same plane as the mix. It will look odd, but you can stake them upright after the plant becomes established. Any new growths can now be trained to grow upright.