Cattleya Struggles

[dounoharm]

mama, you may be killing the cats off with kindness...very rarely would I sphag and bag a cat, they do better dry than wet as a rule....I think you need to pot those up in large bark in a clay pot for stability....pin them in with pot clips for sure! they must be firm and stable in the pot in order to grow....any and I repeat, ANY movement of the plant will destroy the tiny growth tips of the roots...when potting cats, push the chunks down hard with a stick in the pot around the plant...and yours particularly need a pot clip as they have very little for roots....when potted correctly, you should be able to pick up the plant by the leaves and psuedobulbs and it wont fall out of the pot....place them in a semi sheltered area of your yard or hang from a tree there in tampa should be fine...water every 4 days or so if no rain....tucker is a florida grower and can advise you on placement more than I...good luck!

[james mickelso]

If the roots became soft and mushy the plant was watered too much. As long as the pbulbs are still firm there is a good chanced the plant will produce new roots. Just don't water too much. This is not a terrestrial plant. It needs to dry out completely before watering it again. You water the roots.....not the bark. Water when the pot becomes light in weight.

[mamasanlzn]

Originally Posted by shushu45

With warmer weather and longer days coming my two Catt.s r going bananas. Lots and lots of roots and a few new growths.

I love seeing new roots and growth. It makes me giddy as a school girl. Hehe.

Happy growing and best wishes to u!!

They rotted when it went outside.

[shushu45]

Originally Posted by mamasanlzn

They rotted when it went outside.

That's sad. what was ur outside temps??

[Leafmite]

If you know where to get a Vanda basket and red lava rock, maybe you could put a layer of lava rock down in the basket, stake the cattleya on top of the medium so that it doesn't wiggle, then hang it where it won't get bothered. The less the orchid gets moved around, the quicker the roots will establish. If it is rootless, it won't need water so you can just leave it alone until it gets roots. Once the roots become plentiful enough to hold the cattleya still (probably six months), you can remove whatever you are using to hold the cattleya steady.
I've had to re-establish plenty of rootless cattleyas. It isn't fun but they usually do recover. Spring is the best time for doing this as the extra light and warmth encourage growth.

[shushu45]

Amazon and eBay has cedar Vanda baskets. I just bought one.

[mamasanlzn]

Temps are moderate. The days high is in the 80's. I will try the vanda basket. I put it back into the orchid basket that I used to reroot it from before.