Soaking cattleya roots to repot

[judith_arquette]

Make sure u stop by here James!!!

[Brooke]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

K and B, when I disagree with some of the methods I read about here, it is not in disagreement with the poster. It is mainly for the majority of the readers here on the " Beginners" forum. I try and impart info from a mainstream perspective. Beginners make enough mistakes without learning normal cultural requirements. Most of what I have learned was garnered from reading AOS mags for the decades I have been growing orchids, eating out of my gardens for decades, growing bonsai for decades, and making more mistakes than most will ever make. I applaud your innovative ways of growing orchids. I would be thrilled to come over and grow, repot, divide, rescue, and enjoy orchids with you all. In less than two years I am retiring and hope to meet all of the posters/members of the Orchidboard. So remember it isn't about those here who are master growers or have been growing for years. It's about the cultural requirements of most orchids and the beginners here who see a lot of different methods to arrive at the same place. It's not an argument. It's a discussion.

I agree, it is a discussion. I realize there are different methods but to declare doom to a Catt if you soak it for several hours is wrong, regardless of the length of time you have been growing orchids. I do not understand your statement "from a mainstream perspective". I didn't invent the soak for hours method, I learned it from a gentleman that was 82 years old and had been growing orchids since the 50's. He was pretty mainstream and his tips have served me well.

I too got my start in orchids after growing garden plants and bonsai for several years. I also hybridized daylilies and hosta and grew them from seed. It was easy to make the switch to orchids since I already understood the concept of which end of the orchid to put in a pot, where did they originate so what conditions do I have to apply to make it grow. All plant material has their different requirements to grow, it isn't really a mystery.

I thought you were going to retire and go to Chile or Peru to enjoy life.

Brooke

[james mickelso]

Chile and Thailand are in political turmoil so thought I would wait and study the situation more. Learn the language (thai) better. Spanish is easy for me. I want to drive around the country for a year or so and meet some of my friends in Bonsai and now orchids. See how others grow theirs. Then I'll go see the rest of the world. Maybe work at a growers establishment. I'd like to apprentice for a year in Japan at a bonsai nursery. Maybe Masahiko Kimura needs one.

[katrina]

Yep...just a discussion here too and I didn't take any of it personally. Not in the slightest. My only intent here was to assure the OP that her 30 minute soak would not cause any trouble for the plant.

There is no one-size-fits-all w/orchids and a quick look around the forum will scream that fact. So, one person soaks for long periods...the next doesn't...no big deal. Different stroke for different folks...but neither method will kill the orchid(s).

As for the rupics...most of my orchid knowledge w/this group has come from Francisco Miranda. Since talking to him about them, their native habitats and taking his advice I'm growing them MUCH better that I did in the past. I'm actually getting stronger and stronger growths AND good roots. YEA! Turns out I wasn't watering them enough! But they grow on rocks, right? I learned so much from him...good stuff. Next stop...consistent blooms and I think I'm getting there. Time will tell.

OK...so...sorry for the highjack.

[judith_arquette]

Originally Posted by katrina

Yep...just a discussion here too and I didn't take any of it personally. Not in the slightest. My only intent here was to assure the OP that her 30 minute soak would not cause any trouble for the plant.

There is no one-size-fits-all w/orchids and a quick look around the forum will scream that fact. So, one person soaks for long periods...the next doesn't...no big deal. Different stroke for different folks...but neither method will kill the orchid(s).

As for the rupics...most of my orchid knowledge w/this group has come from Francisco Miranda. Since talking to him about them, their native habitats and taking his advice I'm growing them MUCH better that I did in the past. I'm actually getting stronger and stronger growths AND good roots. YEA! Turns out I wasn't watering them enough! But they grow on rocks, right? I learned so much from him...good stuff. Next stop...consistent blooms and I think I'm getting there. Time will tell.

OK...so...sorry for the highjack.

I love a good debate and appreciate the level of respect the members here show each other despite sometimes differing opinions and methods. I learn more when I'm presented different options and information. Like its been stated many times in many threads, what works for some does not work for all for a large variety of reasons. I've discovered since coming here that growing orchids is all about tweaking things up a bit, whether it's ur growing medium, method of watering, amounts of light...the more options I have, the more ways I can attempt to "tweak" things until I've found a successful way of meeting their requirements. So, thank you all for the input, experience, and advice. I may not use it all but I most definitely find it ALL helpful <3

[JMNYC]

Originally Posted by judith_arquette

I love a good debate and appreciate the level of respect the members here show each other despite sometimes differing opinions and methods. I learn more when I'm presented different options and information. Like its been stated many times in many threads, what works for some does not work for all for a large variety of reasons. I've discovered since coming here that growing orchids is all about tweaking things up a bit, whether it's ur growing medium, method of watering, amounts of light...the more options I have, the more ways I can attempt to "tweak" things until I've found a successful way of meeting their requirements. So, thank you all for the input, experience, and advice. I may not use it all but I most definitely find it ALL helpful <3

U bet!~ The potential richness of exchanges in any arena truly is, you remain open to input, buy into nothing with alacrity....and then, over time, assess differentially, and arrive at your own truths. It's a journey, and a hugely exciting one!!!!

[judith_arquette]

Originally Posted by JMNYC

U bet!~ The potential richness of exchanges in any arena truly is, you remain open to input, buy into nothing with alacrity....and then, over time, assess differentially, and arrive at your own truths. It's a journey, and a hugely exciting one!!!!

Well put!

[lotis146]

It's good information and discussion across the board, IMHO, most especially for newer growers like myself. As so many of us know there's a lot to get nervous about in the beginning, am I watering too much, not enough, what's this black spot, what's this yellow, this brown, these limp leaves, this thing in the second picture, etc. And it's easy to read one bit of information from a guy in New Mexico while you're in Maine that makes you feel like you just screwed everything up because you water your plants every 10 days. Respectful debates not only get more people in engaged and sharing information but it also teaches us that don't know that Orchids vary A LOT, they aren't so black & white. We then also have to think more critically to make decisions with our personal plants in our environments but also about our attitudes and preferences (I don't and won't water a lot so plants that have to be misted daily will not do well with me). When debate ensues you're bound to learn a new method that you might prefer to use, and/or experiment with.

I've soaked plants for repotting and for watering, but I've also not. While my experience is limited I've found that at the least wetting the root ball before "digging in" minimizes the root damage I might do, and this may be due in large part to my impatience. Also, I started this year out soaking my plants for 15-30 minutes (often more) when it came time to water. The only reason I'm not still doing this all the time is that now I have too many plants; I might soak say if I'm just watering a small group that day. I like to keep in mind that nothing in nature is the same all the time; plants don't always get the ideal light, or water, or nutrients so I like to give my plants varied care, plus this works out for me to not have a set routine in terms of my plants.

That said one day I left the house while soak-watering a bunch of plants, including my Wilsonara (Oncidium hybrid). I had intended to return within minutes but did not for many hours. The following day it did see that the Wilsonara lost some surface roots to rot but overall that plant survived and is still doing well. Aside from that I never noticed any suffering due to soaking.

[DeaC]

Originally Posted by judith_arquette

Well put!

Won't get long winded here but for what it's worth()I soak roots in a solution of Superthrive before I repot...plants seem to appreciate it.

[JMNYC]

Originally Posted by judith_arquette

Well put!

Thank you! And, I came to it viscerally, organically, internally.....as is the real deal route.

But for anyone always in flight from themselves and their issues, and so, always unwittingly trying to prove something or engage in combat, this blessing will continue to elude them, tant pis.

So often, the enemy truly is....within.

---------- Post added at 06:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DeaC

Won't get long winded here but for what it's worth()I soak roots in a solution of Superthrive before I repot...plants seem to appreciate it.

Just struck me, I have not touched my current bottle of Superthrive in....forever. Not even sure why!