Watering Catelleyas ?

[TRANCEBOY]

i think i need to learn to tie them down. This will help me use less mix. I love the way the roots just tangle everywhere,. Do you know why vendors sell orchids with so much moss and other bad media ? Seems they make it hard for a beginner to make them thrive if they are already damaged.

[TRANCEBOY]

Originally Posted by keithrs

If you have a good root system.... Remove the media that you can without harming the roots. No real need for media. It is what will cause most if not all your rot problems with your roots. You will need to water them like a rainstorm. Several good drenchings at each watering. Water 2-5x a week with 3-4 good drenchings. Fertilize at very low concentrations(1/16 tsp per gal) at every watering if possible. Preferably with MSU or K-Lite. If your night temps get below 55 than make sure you water early so the roots dry out. Also if your using tap water be on the look out for black root tips... A sign that your water has too high of salt concentrations(too hard of water or too much fert.). At that point you will want to mix your water with rain water or Ro, Or adjust your fertilizer.

I also suggest you de-chlorinate your water too.

So in your opinion 3 drenching a week is good ?? I do my vandas every day and by night they are all dry . The catts seem to be waterd and by the nex t day they are dry. One of the ones in bad shape now has a yellow and black leaf which really worries me. I will start watering 3 times and see how it goes. The basket and bark media dry way to quickly.. I just pray im not hurting them with to much

[james mickelso]

Orchids in moss. Commercial growers pot up their year old orchids (phals, ect) in two inch plastic pots and moss because it is cheap. At two years or so they go into 3 inch to 4 inch pots with more moss. They sell these to florists and Home stores cheap. That is why you find them nearly root rotted because the stores water them like house plants and never let them dry out. When you take the phal out of the pot and start picking away at the moss you find an outer layer surrounding an inner core. These are the different stages of their growth life with the commercial grower.

[TRANCEBOY]

no moss for me ... just wish i knew how much to water these catts. Since i have them in bark and in wood baskets they are dry in a few hours or less. I just feel weird about watering everyday..


also i add a tiny bit of fertilizer on the weekedns right after i water. Is this the proper way to feed them or does it need to be done when the plant is dry ??

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by TRANCEBOY

no moss for me ... just wish i knew how much to water these catts. Since i have them in bark and in wood baskets they are dry in a few hours or less. I just feel weird about watering everyday..


also i add a tiny bit of fertilizer on the weekedns right after i water. Is this the proper way to feed them or does it need to be done when the plant is dry ??

If there's new growth, and the weather is warm I would water every other day. If the weather is cool or the plants aren't growing right now I would water twice a week. After a while you can adjust your watering according to the results you get. Just my opinion. I grow lots of cattleyas outdoors in baskets.

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by TRANCEBOY

also i add a tiny bit of fertilizer on the weekedns right after i water. Is this the proper way to feed them or does it need to be done when the plant is dry ??

The way you're fertilizing is fine. There's a difference of opinions, even among experts, on whether to fertilize the plants when they're dry or wet. Personally I water everything first and then fertilize them. I usually do it every weekend like you do. During the summer, when everything growing rapidly, I sometimes fertilize twice a week.

[keithrs]

Originally Posted by TRANCEBOY

So in your opinion 3 drenching a week is good ?? I do my vandas every day and by night they are all dry . The catts seem to be waterd and by the nex t day they are dry. One of the ones in bad shape now has a yellow and black leaf which really worries me. I will start watering 3 times and see how it goes. The basket and bark media dry way to quickly.. I just pray im not hurting them with to much

This method I use used for Catts(good for vandals too) with no media or very little. You'll need to adjust to how fast the media drys out and if the plant is in growth.

[keithrs]

Originally Posted by TRANCEBOY

no moss for me ... just wish i knew how much to water these catts. Since i have them in bark and in wood baskets they are dry in a few hours or less. I just feel weird about watering everyday..


also i add a tiny bit of fertilizer on the weekedns right after i water. Is this the proper way to feed them or does it need to be done when the plant is dry ??

If the plants are dry in a few hours you'll probably need to water more often.

As tucker said.... Every duck has there own quack! I fertilize with every watering. From start to finish. But I would give two apps of fertilizer after you wet them.

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't know if this has been suggested already... sorry if it has..
. A bamboo skewer in the media will let you be able to know for sure when the media is completely dry. Another way is to gently twist a freshly sharpened pencil imto the media at least halfway, leave it a few minutes, then remove it. The newly exposed wood will show any moisture.

[NYCorchidman]

All is said. Don't take words directly when it says "water once a week". You must take growing environment into consideration.
With a cattleya in a basket, once a week watering will really suffer the plant.
I would water more often.