Is there anything wrong with having a big, sprawling cattleya?

[ALToronto]

I have two mature catts, not currently in bloom. They were potted in pure sphagnum when I bought them, and with the first catt, I didn't realize that initially, and overwatered it. When I repotted it, I had to cut away many of the rotted roots. I removed as much sphag as I could (it actually wasn't in bad condition) and potted it in a 6" cube pot filled with bark, perlite and charcoal. The pot will allow 3-4 new growths to fit comfortably in it, but now I'm concerned that the mix might be staying too wet in the middle.

The second catt didn't suffer the same overwatering fate as the first, but I also didn't remove as much original sphagnum from the roots because I didn't want to damage them. Now, in hindsight, I think I should have removed it, and I plan to repot it again very soon.

My question: if I want to keep them as big plants, can I repot them into a sponge rock/charcoal/coco husk mix that will, with any luck, keep the middle of the pot a little airier? Or should I divide them and put the two halves in 4" pots? Will dividing them help them grow better?

Here's a photo of the two catts (not where they normally live; they're on that bench just for the photo). The pots have 4 large drainage holes on the bottom, so there is no problem with water not draining away.

Thanks in advance.

[tucker85]

In my humble opinion that cattleya is not big enough to divide. The plant will have a lot more energy and a better chance of surviving if you leave it as one plant. Many of my cattleyas have 20 to 30 pseudobulbs on each plant. Getting more air to the roots and using a medium that will dry quickly are very good goals for cattleyas. Good luck.

[SlipperGirl]

I dont know much about catts, ok I dont know hardly any thing about catts but I think tucker85 is right it looks to small to divide.

As for the mix it sounds good to me but again I dont know much about catts. But repot me has a catt mix you could see if you like that mix at all.

[Stray59]

I agree with Tucker and Mothorchidgirl;
I raise Cats and neither of the two are really big enough to divide. A healthy happy cat will have shoots everywhere and, as long as you can keep it in a large enough pot, there really is no need to divide unless they are just too big and sprawling for your likes. I have seen Cattleyas that are 4 foot across with 30 or more leaves; the plant was blooming it's head off and made a phenom centerpiece orchid.
So, no don't divide. As far as the newly repotted one with the roots that were damaged. When I repot a Cat, or any orchid for that matter, I have to think about it's ability to absorb water. The roots, if not rotted or severly damaged, are still traumatized and will not absorb water immediately. I wet my potting medium, repot the orchid and then do not water the medium for two or more weeks. I simply mist the plant and allow the roots to repair and adjust to the new medium. It will take two to three weeks before they can do this. A good indicator is new green root tips forming or new roots coming out of the root stem. Until it is actively growing again, the roots are just going to rot if the medium is too wet.
With Cats I use pure coco, or coco mixes with some sphagnum. They really need air around their roots so heavy mixes are deadly to them. When I repot I always tease all the old medium out, no matter how healthy looking, and replace. You never know what is lurking in even new-looking medium.
The psuedobulb and leaves have lots of moisture, so the period of "dry feet" really does not hurt them, and it is my theory that withholding direct moisture from the roots, but providing humidity instead, "urges" the plant to put out new root growth in order to survive. It works for me.
Hope this helps - Have a great New Year!
Steve

[WhiteRabbit]

I put styro, or a small overturned net pot (or plastic pot with drainage holes) in the center of the pot and root mass to avoid center of media staying too wet...

[Leafmite]

I grow my cattleyas in large red lava rock and plastic basket pots. No need to worry about their roots in this setup. The exceptions are: C. aclandiae- mounted, C. Snow Blind 'Kenny'- mounted, C. dowiana 'aurea'- vanda basket with a few pieces of large rock and C. schroderae which will be set up like the C. dowiana. When repotting cattleyas, I find it best to stake it with the rhizome on top of the rock. The roots will grow down into the rock and the orchid will soon become stable and can be unstaked.