Blc. Hsinyng Catherine Dogashima needs some help

[jocierk]

So this is one of the first non phal orchids I got. I picked it and another Catt up at an Orchid show at the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. The other Catt (Lc. Gold Digger) is doing GREAT, it has two nice new spikes coming out and today I noticed some happy sap which made me very happy. The Blc Hsinyng Catherine however is not looking so good. The leaves have become kind of thin and papery feeling and the roots are dark and also papery. It sits under the same lights as the Gold Digger and gets the same water and feeding schedule so I am not quite sure where I am going wrong with it. When I got it it was in flower and the pbulbs have always been that wrinkled. I didn't get a pic of the roots but here are a few pics of the leaves:





What can I do to help it? I would really like to save it if I can but I am afraid it might be a little far gone. I should have looked at the roots earlier

[shushu45]

[tucker85]

I agree that some of the leaves don't look too good, but I always judge cattleyas by the lead pseudo-bulb and I think it looks pretty good. One word of caution, when potting cattleyas, the newest section of the rhizome should be on the surface of the medium and not buried under it. You might want to remove a little of the mix to expose the rhizome on the most recent growth.

[jocierk]

I actually just readjusted it in the pot after I checked the roots so ill take a little of the media back out. What can I do to help stimulate some new root growth? Anything else you suggest to help it recover? Should is stay wetter? dryer? warmer? more light? less light?

[silken]

Once you have it in the correct position in its pot, make sure it doesn't move around. Roots can't establish if the plant is shifting in its pot whenever you move the pot to the sink to water or whatever. Cattleyas like a fair bit of light and to dry out before being watered again. They should be in a fast draining media so they dry quickly. If you move it to a brighter spot, introduce it gradually to more sun so the leaves don't burn. A warm spot rather than cool would help stimulate root growth.

I really like using kelp (seaweed) to stimulate root growth and I find that Cattleyas respond well to it. You would use it in the water when you water this plant along with any fertilizer. I would go easy on fertilizer until this plant has established itself. And only water when the pot has dried thru. I prefer clear pots so I can see the root zone, but your pot should be OK.

[jocierk]

Where can I get kelp to mix with its water? Do they have it at places like Lowes or will I need to get it online?

It gets quite a bit of light as is and I never water it unless its dried out, same as with my other catts that are doing great. I didn't fertilize last time I watered but I did the two times before that, I was going to this next time but I can skip this plant. I don't have this plant staked because it isn't very tall but I will go ahead and make sure it is anchored in the pot good. I don't think it was moving around but I will take extra care with it.Thanks for the advice!

[silken]

Originally Posted by jocierk

Where can I get kelp to mix with its water? Do they have it at places like Lowes or will I need to get it online?

It gets quite a bit of light as is and I never water it unless its dried out, same as with my other catts that are doing great. I didn't fertilize last time I watered but I did the two times before that, I was going to this next time but I can skip this plant. I don't have this plant staked because it isn't very tall but I will go ahead and make sure it is anchored in the pot good. I don't think it was moving around but I will take extra care with it.Thanks for the advice!

For us in Canada kelp (seaweed) is usually found in hydroponics stores and sometimes in garden stores if they are well stocked. We don't find it in Wal-Mart and Home Depot, but you may. Otherwise it can be ordered online. I would try and have it available for the next time this plant needs water. Water it thoroughly but then make sure it is dry right thru before watering again. It sounds like you are doing everything else you can for it.

[jocierk]

Im going to check Lowes after work but I found some on Amazon that I can have here in 2 days, which should line up well with when its needs to get watered. Thanks so much for your help! I hope I can pull it out of its funk.