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  #1  
Old 06-13-2013, 10:22 PM
DrC DrC is offline
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Default First Orchid! Beginner Who Needs Help!

Hello to everyone out there. I just purchased my Very first orchid! The down side of the whole situation is that I am not familiar with caring for orchids just yet.

First, allow me to enlighten you all as what I am dealing with. It is a Cattleya variety orchid, in a 2"X2"X2"plastic pot. It is not in bloom but has several healthy looking leaves and roots.

My first questions is, what kind of pot should I transplant my new friend into? Or will it be happy to stay in the little 2"x2"x2" plastic pot? I purchased some potting mix containing raw fir bark, hardwood charcoal and coarse perlite in order to switch it out.

I would really appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed! Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 06-13-2013, 11:19 PM
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King_of_orchid_growing:) King_of_orchid_growing:) is offline
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First off, welcome to the OB!

Now, since you can't post pics onto the OB until after 5 posts, and there are no pics of the orchid in question, it's difficult to say for certain whether the orchid needs to be repotted into a larger pot or not.

However...

I can say that there are most certainly clear plastic pots for sale that are the same dimensions as the pot that your orchid is currently in.

While it isn't 100% necessary to switch from an opaque plastic pot to a clear plastic pot, I will mention that it is a recommendation. I recommend the clear plastic pot for several reasons.

1. As a grower, you can partially see what is going on with the roots and how wet/dry the potting media is before watering again.

2. Allowing some of the roots to photosynthesize. You see, most epiphytical orchids (orchids that grow on trees), as well as some lithophytic orchids (orchids that grow on rocks), have roots that are capable of photosynthesis. This is the reason why when the roots of these epiphytical and lithophytic orchids are exposed to light, they are green.

On another note, I would also recommend removing your newly acquired orchid from its pot completely to examine the condition of the roots to see whether there are any dead or living roots. I believe that this is good practice for a beginner to get accustomed to check for certain what the condition of their orchid's roots really are instead of just taking a wild guess at it.

Changing the orchid into fresh media also is a plus, considering you don't know when the last time the orchid was repotted prior to reaching your home.

The new potting mix you described seems good enough for the orchid. However, because there are no photos of the old or new potting mixes either, it is difficult to tell you the quality of the mixes (i.e. how fresh the old/new mixes are, compared to how degraded the mixes look). As long as each piece of bark is medium to large grade in size, the Cattleya should be fine.

Since you mention the pot size being 2"x2"x2", I'm assuming that it is a seedling. Again, without knowing what the Cattleya is by name, it's difficult to tell whether it is a naturally miniature sized Cattleya or a seedling for certain.

Cattleyas are generally intermediate to warm growing (55 F - 95 F).

They appreciate moderate to high humidity (60% - 90%). High humidity is not absolutely necessary to grow a Cattleya well, but it doesn't hurt it either. A humidity range of roughly 60% - 70% is adequate enough.

Cattleyas are generally high light orchids. Grow them in indirect bright light. Unfortunately, I don't own a light meter, so I cannot give you a numerical value to assign a range of lighting that Cattleyas grow well in. I personally eyeball it.

If you have further questions, go ahead and ask.
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Last edited by King_of_orchid_growing:); 06-14-2013 at 08:48 AM..
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  #3  
Old 06-14-2013, 04:12 AM
RosieC RosieC is offline
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Welcome to Orchid Board

Philip has given some good advice there. I'm not an expert on Catts so can't really add anything. Just wanted to say welcome
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  #4  
Old 06-14-2013, 09:57 AM
Joyorchid Joyorchid is offline
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I also want to welcome you to the forum!
You will find a great feature is the search tab located at the top of the main board. Just type in key words and you will get a wealth of info!
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  #5  
Old 06-14-2013, 08:15 PM
WhiteRabbit WhiteRabbit is offline
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  #6  
Old 06-14-2013, 08:25 PM
Nanook 2010 Nanook 2010 is offline
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Welcome

Google "American Orchid Society"...they have a ton of free info as well as videos for repotting. These people are true "experts"..... you never really know the level of expertise from board posters....my second suggestion would be to take a trip to a local grower and see what they do to be successful in your area.


Good luck

PM me with any questions
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  #7  
Old 06-14-2013, 08:41 PM
shushu45 shushu45 is offline
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Welcome. ^_^
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  #8  
Old 06-15-2013, 12:58 AM
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Leafmite Leafmite is offline
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Hello and welcome! Your method of potting your cattleya will depend on the type of cattleya and your climate. I grow here in Ohio and I use the red lava rock as it works well in this crazy climate. Depending on the climate of origin, I use basket pots, vanda baskets, or mounts for my cattleyas. Asking local orchid growers how they grow their cattleyas is very good advice and they might be able to give you tips on your specific cattleya. Just a note: when you repot, plant the cattleya on top of the medium and stake or wire in place. Use a fertilizer with calcium if your water lacks it. This helps to prevent 'black rot', something I learned the difficult way. :|
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  #9  
Old 06-18-2013, 10:17 AM
DrC DrC is offline
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Thanks to everyone! I appreciate all of the advice!

So far, my catt seems to be enjoying the spot I have picked out for it. I have invested in a oxygen core dual pot to repot in. Hopefully it will arrive today. I will be happy to let you all know how the repotting goes.
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  #10  
Old 06-18-2013, 10:39 AM
Calbears Calbears is offline
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Welcome to OB and the fun, albeit addictive, hobby.
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