Thinking about buying a Catt with some doubts

[rbarata]

Do you mean your room is 20C to 23C without heat during winter days and 18C at night? That is fine for Catts if light is good.

20 to 23ºC due to sun exposure and closed door. 18ºC at night 'cause it's were I work at night with A/C. When I leave the room to sleep, turn off the A/C but always leave the door closed, so the temp falls slowly until 10ºC, maybe less. In the morning, I always open the window so the sun can get in.

At least my phals like it this way.

[estación seca]

Temperature is fine for most Catts, especially hybrids. Humidity probably is as well, because many Catts tolerate less than most Phals. Do it!

You might want to start with hybrids that bloom when small. Many bloom in 8cm or smaller pots. Search on Mini-Catts.

[bil]

Get a Catt and give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?

[rbarata]

A vendor nearby sent me this list of Catts available for the month of October.
Which one do you think it's best for a beginner?

This is a small portion of the complete orchid list. If someone is interested in the complete list I could post it or send the contact.

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Cattleya amethystoglossa "Caliman" 16,00 €
Cattleya gaskelliana 28,00 €
Cattleya intermedia "Orlata" x "Aquinii" 12,00 €
Cattleya intermedia coerulea x maxima coerulea "Hector" 16,00 €
Cattleya Landate (guttata var. Prinzii x aclandiae) 11,00 €
Cattleya (hybrid large flower) 21,95 €
Cattleya labiata 17,00 €
Cattleya loddiggesii "Blue Sky" x Catt. Walk. Coerulea "Blue Dark" 16,00 €
Cattleya loddigesii "Aranda" x "Aranda" 14,00 €
Cattleya loddigesii var. alba 16,00 €
Cattleya Marie Haga Saab 41,00 €
Cattleya Old Sierra "Floralia" 23,00 €
Cattleya schilleriana x dolosa alba 16,00 €
Cattleya skinneri "Heiti Jacobs" FCC/AOS 25,00 €
Cattleya schofeldiana x loddigesii 16,00 €
Cattleya schroederae 16,80 €
Cattleya walkeriana x amethystoglossa 17,00 €

[flexdc]

I have personally grown C. walkeriana quite sucessfully. Can withstand summer days 30+ and winter nights around 10 with no problems.
Plus they are usually smaller in size.

If they have any Laelia anceps, you should try those too.
Andrew

[estación seca]

Most Catt hybrids will be much easier to grow, and more tolerant of growing mistakes, than most Catt species. Plus, a lot of Catt hybrids bloom more than once a year, whereas most Catt species bloom once.

[gnathaniel]

Of the plants on that list I'd pick C. intermedia as the best 'beginner' Cattleya. It seems to be one of the most temperature-tolerant species of the genus; I've kept one clone outdoors in temperatures ranging from -4 up to 40 C without obvious distress. The intermedia x maxima hybrid also ought to be pretty easygoing.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by
estación seca

Get a Catt and give it a go. What's the worst that can happen?

Done! 7,99 €! A supermarket hybrid without any useful label. It says Cattleya Mix V/12 - SAP 808476 and Produced in Holand.

I will take some photos tomorrow.

[estación seca]

Almost one euro per week thinking about it!

[rbarata]

Hello, my friends

Here are some photos of the catt... it's obvious this plant had a hard time before I bought it, blooms blasted (there's two in the pot) except for one that still lives. Not sure if it will go somewhere...
Very small leaves, one of them seems to be dying, new leafs with an horrendous look....well, even though, it seems to me this will survive because my insticnt tells me this is a very resistant plant.

One concern...the small red dots in one cane, and what seems to be a large scale version in the bud...it looked normal but I don't know nothing about catts.

Now, it is placed in a room with a south window, gets sun all the afternoon, temps between 14-20 ºC (57-68 F), in colder days probably will drop to 12º C (54 F) and HR around 60%.
It is in this room, isolated, in quarantine, away from the others. Later, if nothing appears, probably will move it near my phals.