2 Emergencies in one home - Orchid Board

TRANCEBOY · #1 02-06-2013, 12:23 AM

So i started 2 months ago and while i have rescued some orchids I have 2 which i am worrid about.

One was a catt my mother purchased that basically had no roots when it arrived. I pulled it out of the pot cleaned it up and mounted it on a wooden basket. I water 4 to 5 days a week since it had no mix and gets alot of air.

About 2 months since i bought it she still has not grown roots. She lost one leaf a month ago and now the second has been lost.

I have been told not to water her to force roots to come out but since she is mounted this really worries me. What can i do ??

The next problem i have is another catt i bought at a show 2 weeks ago.. It has leafs that where a little sad but the flower is beautiful. As i started looking and checkind her i removed the rock from the top and found she is covered in moss.

I DO NOT see any new gowths so what should i DO ????

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #2 02-06-2013, 12:44 AM

1. What are the day and night temperatures of the area where the Catts are growing?

2. What is the humidity (aka relative humidity/RH) of the area where the Catts are growing?

3. How strong is the lighting the Catts are receiving?

4. What kind of Cattleyas are they?

5. What is the condition of the pseudobulbs? It is best to provide photos.

6. What is the condition of the roots? It is best to provide photos.

Note: You will be hard pressed to see any new shoot or root growth on a Cattleya during this time of year. You are more likely to see shoot or root growth with the onset of spring (in a month or two). Unfortunately, if the Catts are as bad as I'm thinking they are, they may not make it till then.

Recommendation:

When I say this, I mean it with the utmost respect...

Have you considered getting a nice, strong, healthy Cattleya?

Growing Cattleyas don't have to be this frustrating, they are very rewarding plants to have, hybrid or species.

I just think maybe you should switch gears a bit.

Many people on the OB will still continue to help you if you consider still going the route of buying rescues; me included, but I'd rather advise you in a way that might make you less stressed out and much more happy about owning a Cattleya.

escualida · #3 02-06-2013, 03:06 AM

I'm by no means an expert but here's my two cents:

You're probably not going to get any new roots from the old pseudobulbs, you're going to have to get it start growing a new pseudobulb and the new roots will grow from that one. So first you should make sure that it actually has viable eyes where the new growths would sprout from, otherwise I don't think there's anything you can do.

I have three cattleyas that ended up with no roots and what I did was to sort of pot it as if it did have roots. Basically I prepared a pot with regular catt potting mix, and rested it on top tied to a stake and held down with a rhizome clip so it won't move, I made sure to water the mix when it would dry out, and I would mist the leaves pretty much every day. Eventually (if it has viable eyes) it will sprout a new growth and you can go from there.

Lately I've been using keiki paste on eyes to see if that would get them to start growing faster and it seems to be working, so you might want to try that, I got mine pretty cheaply from eBay.

Hope this helps, keep us posted. And post pics so we can help you better.

Stray59 · #4 02-06-2013, 08:23 AM

tranceboy:
As you have mounted the one catt, and id sounds like you don't want to 'un-mount'' it, I would suggest you place some sphagnum moss around the pseudobulbs, at least until some roots are started. You can also use coco-fibre, but I think it needs more moisture as there are no roots to 'drink' with. This will promote root growth, and even if it isn't spring (the best and most likely time for root growth), you might be able to force a root or two out that way. I also agree - check the growth eyes - if they are dried up, or perhaps completely missing, then there is little to no chance this one will pull through. If there are viable eyes, and the plant were mine, I would take it off the mount, place it in a shallow pot with regular potting medium, keep the medium on the damp-dry side and make sure to spray it often. You can remount it once it starts to recover.
With the second one, if it still in bloom, I would remove the plant from the sphagnum and repot it even if it causes you to lose the blooms. Do you want the blooms now or a plant later? - sometimes you have to sacrifice in order to keep the plant alive. Once you inspect the roots you will be better aware of why the leaves look sad. If the plant is in bloom, you would not see a lot of new growth; the cycle is: new growth, new roots, then blooms. The growth will likely show after the bloom stage is finished, again near springtime.
I hope some of this helps
Good Luck!
Steve

Brooke · #5 02-06-2013, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRANCEBOY

So i started 2 months ago and while i have rescued some orchids I have 2 which i am worrid about.

One was a catt my mother purchased that basically had no roots when it arrived. I pulled it out of the pot cleaned it up and mounted it on a wooden basket. I water 4 to 5 days a week since it had no mix and gets alot of air.

About 2 months since i bought it she still has not grown roots. She lost one leaf a month ago and now the second has been lost.

I have been told not to water her to force roots to come out but since she is mounted this really worries me. What can i do ??

The next problem i have is another catt i bought at a show 2 weeks ago.. It has leafs that where a little sad but the flower is beautiful. As i started looking and checkind her i removed the rock from the top and found she is covered in moss.

I DO NOT see any new gowths so what should i DO ????

Aren't you in south Florida? Your mounted Catt would need water daily if the sun shines and it gets, in your words, a lot of air. Withholding water will not force a Catt or any other orchid to grow roots. They grow roots when it is their season to grow them.

On your second Catt I would remove the moss if your are growing this outside. It is easier to water it daily than worry about the moss still being wet.

As others have said if the visible eyes are intact they will grow when their conditions are met. If the visible eyes have been destroyed there are secondary eyes in back of the ones you see.

Some Catts grow new growths and roots at the same time but others will grow and not produce any roots until they are mature and ready to bloom. I have several that need to be repotted when they are blooming because that is when they produce the new roots. I've never lost a bloom when I repot at this time.

Remember you can usually get a Catt to grow from the old backbulbs. In south Florida this should be a perfect time for your plants to start vigorous growing.

Catts are one of the easiest species to recover from the abuse we give them.

Brooke

TRANCEBOY · #6 02-08-2013, 11:04 AM

I added a little moss with the hopes of new growth.. or at least till new growth begins . What exactly is the eye ?

Brooke · #7 02-08-2013, 04:56 PM

The new growth will come this "eye" at the base of a mature pbulb. Under the dried bracts you should see a small rounded green spot.

If you are talking about putting moss in this area I wouldn't. If the moss remains wet when the new growth starts you could rot it off.

If you give the Catt the right amount of light, some light fertilizer and nice temps you will get a new growth when the genetics tell it to grow.

Brooke

TRANCEBOY · #8 02-10-2013, 11:39 PM

So i should remove the little moss i added ? By the looks of how the moss is holding water it seems to hold well but by the afternoon it is completely dry. What i find crazy is out of six catts that i have in this same tree only this one refuses to grow roots and has decided to loose 2 leafs. I am watering daily and some of them have strated to grow some awesome roots. Even the bag baby i purchased from home depot is growing nicely.. Is this orchid just waiting to die ??

Brooke · #9 02-11-2013, 04:28 PM

No it is waiting to grow. This is probably not the correct season for new growths and roots. Not all Catts grow at the same time nor do they bloom at the same time.

When you hit the rainy season the sphag will not dry daily, will remain wet and possibly rot the tender new growth.

Brooke