Brown streaks on new cattleya - Orchid Board

Misa · #1 09-01-2016, 08:03 AM

HI all,
I just got a small catt bag baby from Lowes and when I opened it I found it wasn't in the best of shape and was wondering if these brown streaks on the leaves were sunburn or something worse? I'm keeping it separated from the rest of my plants until I know for sure.

Ray · #2 09-01-2016, 08:21 AM

It's certainly not sunburn.... Hard to say for sure what it is, though.

Orchid Whisperer · #3 09-01-2016, 01:06 PM

It looks pretty badly dehydrated. It could be from that, thought not 100% sure.

Roberta · #4 09-01-2016, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

It looks pretty badly dehydrated. It could be from that, thought not 100% sure.

I'd suggest taking it out of the pot to see what the roots, if any, look like... if roots are good and it's dehydrated then it just needs new media and some water. If the roots are bad, it needs new media and some tender loving care (or maybe sphag and bag until it grows some roots) But for sure, keep it isolated until you can test it for virus or get it to blooming and verify no color break. If it is disease, you sure don't want to spread it!

estación seca · #5 09-02-2016, 12:35 AM

Catts do that when they're too dry for too long, and they get knocked around. There is a good chance it will recover if you give it good care. The wrinkled, damaged leaves will not get better, but the plant can make healthy new growth.

I bought this very same plant as a bag baby from a Home Depot in Mission Viejo, California in December. It was even more dessicated than yours. It has since made a nice new growth and is breaking a new lead.

Misa · #6 09-03-2016, 04:56 PM

So I checked the roots and they're very badly dried out, it has no good roots at all, I may try sphag and bag or maybe experiment and make it my first semi hydro plant, thanks for the tips

Orchid Whisperer · #7 09-03-2016, 06:04 PM

Dried out roots are different from bad roots. Does it have firm roots that soak up water, changing from white to greenish, when you soak them? If so, then it has viable roots. If the roots are not firm, but instead are brown, soft and papery, the roots are bad. Firm roots that are brownish may, or may not, be OK.

I'll share some photos of one of my orchids in recovery. (BTW, to be fair, this plant is in trouble not because the plant I received from Carter & Holmes was bad; I made some mistakes in caring for it). If I have a salvageable plant whose roots are not doing well, I clean the plant and just hang it up somewhere in the shade through the summer to see what roots go bad and which start growing again:

and

The brown root looks pretty bad. However, the lower two green "pointers" indicate a live root an root tip coming from the brown root.

The point is, assume that firm brown roots are alive and treat them like any other root.

chulaorchids · #8 09-04-2016, 06:54 PM

I think during it's trip from the grower to you it was probably a bit mishandled, like mashed in with a bunch of other plants and the leaves on the new growth were bent, that will leave a brown streak where the bend was.
The next leaf will not show that damage. Your idea of bagging with a bit of sphagnum is a good idea and will enhance the root growth that is missing. (That is a gorgeous Catt)