HELP--Newbie Cattleya owner in need of assistance!

[silken]

Originally Posted by jaxy86

Thanks, you're a life saver

I bought this...is it the right bulb (metal halide)?

350 Watt Metal Halide Pulse Start Grow Light Bulb SLI | eBay

I don't use this type so I can't really say anything helpful about it. Some growers do use metal halide but my impression is they are pretty strong. 350 watts sounds strong to me. But as I said, I really know nothing about them. I use T5 fluorescent bulbs that are either 2 or 4 ft long. I'm wondering if the light is real direct based on its shape and the one brown burn spot.

Maybe someone else will be able to say but in the meantime, you can just make sure the leaf is never getting too warm which if it isn't, it shouldn't burn.

Are all the leaves beginning to turn a brighter green than they were in the beginning? They looked rather dark green in your original pics. Usually the lighter green the leaf, the more light they are getting so that will tell you too if they are getting a lot more light. Also borrowing or buying a light meter would tell you how many foot candles (fc's) are falling on the plant. A cattleya often needs around 3,000 +/- to bloom well.

[jaxy86]

Originally Posted by silken

Are all the leaves beginning to turn a brighter green than they were in the beginning? They looked rather dark green in your original pics. Usually the lighter green the leaf, the more light they are getting so that will tell you too if they are getting a lot more light. Also borrowing or buying a light meter would tell you how many foot candles (fc's) are falling on the plant. A cattleya often needs around 3,000 +/- to bloom well.

Not much improvement in that arena, they're still somewhat dark, though I do see some patches of lighter green here and there...

Also, I put in a little bamboo stick as was suggested and when I took it out too see I noticed some white fuzz....is this fungus? What should I do?

jaxy

[silken]

It does take a while for the leaves to turn lighter and some are naturally darker than others.

Was the stick quite wet when you checked it? It is likely mold and may indicate it is pretty wet down in the pot. Mine sometimes are a bit white or with dark mold spot and it doesn't seem to cause a problem. Most Catts should dry out almost completely before watering again and have good aeration to the roots. Good air movement is important too.

[jaxy86]

Originally Posted by silken

It does take a while for the leaves to turn lighter and some are naturally darker than others.

Was the stick quite wet when you checked it? It is likely mold and may indicate it is pretty wet down in the pot. Mine sometimes are a bit white or with dark mold spot and it doesn't seem to cause a problem. Most Catts should dry out almost completely before watering again and have good aeration to the roots. Good air movement is important too.

I'm just having a devil of a time trying to deal with this Catt...I moved the pot and the Catt completely FELL out (I guess I didn't plant it deep enough, but they said you shouldn't so I don't know what the right depth is??)....I noticed then that none of the roots I left had any new growth, so I assumed they were dead and cut the rest off (see pic).

Now I have 0 old roots and am back to square one....only positive in this is that there are new roots shooting out from the rhizome in some places, so I guess I have a chance?

What should I do? Should I look into water culture?

thanks

[silken]

Originally Posted by jaxy86

I'm just having a devil of a time trying to deal with this Catt...I moved the pot and the Catt completely FELL out (I guess I didn't plant it deep enough, but they said you shouldn't so I don't know what the right depth is??)....I noticed then that none of the roots I left had any new growth, so I assumed they were dead and cut the rest off (see pic).

Now I have 0 old roots and am back to square one....only positive in this is that there are new roots shooting out from the rhizome in some places, so I guess I have a chance?

What should I do? Should I look into water culture?

thanks

If the old roots were firm they were likely alive. At some point they stop growing, but still continue to feed the plant. Only remove hollow, or mushy roots. The plant should be potted to a depth so that the rhizome is resting on the surface of the media. A rhizome clip or some sort of staking is used to secure them so that the plant doesn't move around. They put down roots much better when they are secure and not being disturbed. I find that a roll of 1 inch (approx.) wide masking tape does a good job. I take a length of it that will be long enough to secure well to both sides of the pot and run across the centre top of the pot. Then I twist the centre to make it thinner and not sticky where it will touch rhizome and media. I put this across the rhizome between growths and secure to opposite sides of the pot. I sometimes use several pieces criss-crossed if necessary. It holds well and can be cut away when the plant pot is full of roots.

If there are some new nubs, there is still hope. You may have to mist the rhizome and those nubs for the plant to get any moisture. Remember catts like to be dry in between watering and it may force the roots to extend looking for water. But don't leave it too long, just a day or so.

I will add that now the kelp I recommended earlier will be of much value to mist onto the rhizome and root nubs.

[jaxy86]

Originally Posted by silken

If the old roots were firm they were likely alive. At some point they stop growing, but still continue to feed the plant. Only remove hollow, or mushy roots. The plant should be potted to a depth so that the rhizome is resting on the surface of the media. A rhizome clip or some sort of staking is used to secure them so that the plant doesn't move around. They put down roots much better when they are secure and not being disturbed. I find that a roll of 1 inch (approx.) wide masking tape does a good job. I take a length of it that will be long enough to secure well to both sides of the pot and run across the centre top of the pot. Then I twist the centre to make it thinner and not sticky where it will touch rhizome and media. I put this across the rhizome between growths and secure to opposite sides of the pot. I sometimes use several pieces criss-crossed if necessary. It holds well and can be cut away when the plant pot is full of roots.

If there are some new nubs, there is still hope. You may have to mist the rhizome and those nubs for the plant to get any moisture. Remember catts like to be dry in between watering and it may force the roots to extend looking for water. But don't leave it too long, just a day or so.

I will add that now the kelp I recommended earlier will be of much value to mist onto the rhizome and root nubs.

Hi again..

The roots I removed were all mushy, none were green or firm at all, and all of them had brown/black insides. I fixed her so that she's secure now. I THINK I SEE NEW ROOTS GROWING (IF SO I'M SUPER EXCITED)??? (see pics).

I've lost two leaves since your last post. A small one last week and the leaf with the burn I mentioned earlier just now....I'm quite concerned about this (see pic).

I looked everywhere for some Kelp and finally found some online....what brand/name do you use? I bought some orchid food in the mean time (see pics). Can I mix this in water and mist the rhizome every time I water until I find some kelp?

Thanks

[silken]

Your plant still has some green leaves so I wouldn't worry about the lost ones. With no roots, it maybe can't support so many leaves. The leaves provide photosynthesis but with few roots to provide moisture and nutrients, they could shed. The fertilizers look OK but I wouldn't use the last one that looks like a time release. People use time release on Cymbidiums but Cattleys often need a rest in winter if they are in cool conditions and you may want to change the NPK ratios at different times of the year. You lose that control with a long term fertilizer in the pot. Also you should mix the fert at 1/2 to 1/4 strength of what is recommended on the package.

I use several different brands of kelp and they will all have some benefit. I would not use fertilizer much or at all until there are some decent roots. They need to be growing and active to use it and the salts may just build up in the media if they aren't being used by the plant. Fertilizer is not a substitute for kelp. The kelp is hormones that promote growth, in particular roots and the fertilizer is the nutrients or plant food. You would normally use them together. I would use just the kelp with no or little fertilizer on the rhizome and root nubs. If you can't fine kelp, SuperThrive can usually be found in Walmart or Home Depot in the U.S. I think (not in Canada) and KLN is another rooting hormone that works well for orchids.

[JKostell]

It certainly was healthy at one time. The roots tell the whole story: healthy roots, healthy plant. Please be sure and water the plant with chlorine-free, mineral-free water. I killed many plants in my early days after we experienced a drought and had salt water intrusion into our well. That totally burned all the roots off my plants. Consider distilled or highly filtered water (left standing for a week just to be sure). A SMALL amount of KLN or other root stimulant is a great idea and I do like Superthrive. Be sure not to over-fertilize. I personally use only wire baskets with coco fiber liners. If you use a potting mix from Home Depot or Lowes be sure and soak it overnight and rinse it well before potting. Good Luck!

[NYCorchidman]

You have to make sure the plant does not wobble around. With most of the roots cut off and gone, there's basically nothing to anchor this plant in place. Get a metal clip or something really strong and firm to stablize your catt and leave it like that for a long time until enough root mass develops.

Metal halide can heat up and cook your plant. You had one relatively small burn spot. I once burned one entire leaf and it turned black in just a couple of hours of being exposed to the light. (but it was very close to the light like one foot, don't know what I was thinking)

[jaxy86]

I use several different brands of kelp and they will all have some benefit. I would not use fertilizer much or at all until there are some decent roots. They need to be growing and active to use it and the salts may just build up in the media if they aren't being used by the plant. Fertilizer is not a substitute for kelp. The kelp is hormones that promote growth, in particular roots and the fertilizer is the nutrients or plant food. You would normally use them together. I would use just the kelp with no or little fertilizer on the rhizome and root nubs. If you can't fine kelp, SuperThrive can usually be found in Walmart or Home Depot in the U.S. I think (not in Canada) and KLN is another rooting hormone that works well for orchids.

Ok, I did see SuperThrive at the HomeDepot so I'll go get that today (fyi, the yellow leaf fell off just this morning...now we're left with 4)

You have to make sure the plant does not wobble around. With most of the roots cut off and gone, there's basically nothing to anchor this plant in place. Get a metal clip or something really strong and firm to stablize your catt and leave it like that for a long time until enough root mass develops.
Metal halide can heat up and cook your plant. You had one relatively small burn spot. I once burned one entire leaf and it turned black in just a couple of hours of being exposed to the light. (but it was very close to the light like one foot, don't know what I was thinking)

Thanks for chiming in NYOrchidMan. I did anchor the plant so that it doesn't move anymore.

As for the m.h. bulb, I apparently didn't read the description right because I thought I was getting a tiny thing...that thing was ENORMOUS (about 1 foot long) so I haven't been using it obviously, I don't have anywhere to plug it. Good thing I spent only $3 for it because my husband was mad for having bought something we can't use...whoops ...I've bought a 60W plant bulb from Walmart to use instead.