Thinking about buying a Catt with some doubts

[rbarata]

Tried already with a piece of a match...it seems to be welded. So, I didn't insist...
In the meanwhile I will buy a pot maybe a litle bit bigger and new medium. Which one do you recommend?

I got for my phals a bag of medium suitable for epiphytes, medium size bark, and small spheres made of what seems to be pumice. It's very airy and provides good drainage. My phals like it.

Do you think a transparent pot is ok?

[silken]

I like clear pots and the roots seem to love it. I wouldn't necessarily use a larger pot unless the roots won't fit a similar size pot. I choose the pot that fits the roots and allows for another growth or two. Too large and the medium stays wet too long and causes root rot. The mix sounds fine. cats want to dry out somewhat more than Phals tho.

[estación seca]

A lot of Catts don't like being repotted, especially the bifoliate ones, like yours. Another approach is to use something that doesn't decay, like LECA, and a somewhat larger container than would be used for bark. Before I knew better I repotted some bifoliate seedlings at the wrong time. They never grew again, dying about a year later.

I understand why a lot of people repot immediately, but I personally wouldn't repot a bifoliate Catt until it is in active root growth.

I just went back and looked at your photos. Your Catt just finished a new growth. It won't grow again for a while. I wouldn't repot, though others would. You are relatively warm and have relatively low humidity in your house, so you should be able to keep it from staying too wet over the winter with less trouble than somebody in a colder area who grows in a greenhouse.

[bil]

Originally Posted by silken

I choose the pot that fits the roots and allows for another growth or two. Too large and the medium stays wet too long and causes root rot.

Well, wrto this, I would say that it doesn't matter what the pot size is, it doesn't matter what the medium is and it doesn't matter what the watering frequncy is.

What REALLY matters is that the size of the pot, the medium and the frequency MUST be in harmony.

To me moss and dense media are the problem, because then you really have to pay attention. With a large open medium for catts and phals, it doesn't matter if the pots are way larger than convention says, because the water will fall thru like a stone, and leave all those huge airspaces full of air.
Short of putting the pots in a bucket of water and leaving them there, I defy anyone to overwater my large root epiphytes.

---------- Post added at 05:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 AM ----------

Originally Posted by rbarata

Tried already with a piece of a match...it seems to be welded. So, I didn't insist...

Well, if it's the only flower you are going to get, and there is no other way you are going to see it,, I would take a fine point scalpel to it very carefully.

[rbarata]

Estación seca, now I'm you got me thiking. The last thing I want is to lose it due to repoting.

Lets consider the following:
The catt is isolated in quarantine.

Althoug the medium seems old, it seems to have well established roots.

The bud doesn't seem to be opened in the future, probably due to cold drafts during the transportation from the vendor. Maybe it will open, maybe not.

Conclusion: the plant seems healthy but has signs of stress. So, for now I will provide (or try to) the environmental conditions to let it recover.
Only then I will consider the second stage options, such as repoting and other beneficial ones.

[No-Pro-mwa]

If it were me I would wait till it blooms and then re-pot. I would also like others have said take a tooth pick and pry the tip oh so carefully open.

[rbarata]

The photos do not show the ral colors but, is this too red for a catt? It is much more red than shown here.
I changed it into another room, warmer also with a south window, where my phals are growing.

[estación seca]

Red is good for Catt leaves. It means high light, which is good.

[rbarata]

Aren't the darker leaves supposed to turn light green too (and red)?