Is this Catasetum ready to be watered?

[Tamilynn]

This is my first Catasetum. I've read cultures and watched videos but am still confused and thought I would ask for your advise. It is a Frilly Doris and came to me with a small leaf in bark medium.Do you think I should start slowly watering now and how quickly do I start increasing the watering? Also when can I fertilize? Don't know why, but I'm a little anxious about this new guy. Thank you in advance.

[orchidsarefun]

My advice is to move it into a bright light/ part sun position and give about 1/2 cup of water 1x per week in an area as far from the new growth as possible. This can be increased later in the season when growth is at its fastest.

[Tamilynn]

Thank you..just needed some specifics and you provided them.

[fishmom]

Frilly Doris is a nice one! And yours looks healthy. Once you see it respond to more warmth, light, and water, water generously and fertilize weakly with every watering. You want to grow a nice, fat pseudobulb to support a bloom and winter over well. Once they start growing, you really can't overwater.

[Rothrock42]

The leafy part looks about ready for watering, but it doesn't look like it has put out many new roots. You want those roots to start growing and looking for water. If they find it too easily they won't grow enough now and later won't be able to support a large healthy plant.

I've heard that you want a good couple of inches of new roots before you start watering.

I agree with orchidsarefun about moving it to somewhere bright, but I'm not sure I would start watering yet, maybe. My situation is a little different from yours because I grow my catasetums in moss. Right now my Frilly Doris isn't quite as far along as yours, but the moss is absolutely crispy.

The back bulb on yours doesn't look too shriveled, which means that it still has plenty of reserves to support the new growth. If it starts to shrivel then I would think about getting a little moisture into it, but just enough to plump it up until the new growth put out some roots.

One nice thing about moss is that it spreads the moisture around. If/when I need to plump up the supporting back bulb I can just put a little water around the edges and the moss will spread it out and make it available to the old and new roots such as they are. With bark it might be harder to do that.

BTW, when I pot them up I put time release fertilizer granules in the moss. And I also include light fertilizer every time I water. Which is every day or every other day during the warmest part of the summer. Once it has fully leafed out and got some roots it is almost impossible to overwater/overfeed these things -- if they are getting a lot of warmth and light that is.

Good luck.

[DeaC]

Wait till roots are 3-5" long. Sunset Valley Orchids - Superior Hybrids for Orchid Enthusiasts has info from Fred Clarke,an expert with these. I've sev. from him,also new to me as of last yr. and growing and blooming well.

[Roberta]

I also suggest that it needs another few weeks before it is ready to water. I have been to quite a few talks by Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchid, and this one is at the "not quite time to water yet" stage (one of his slides). Since most of the roots will be down in the medium and you can't see how long they are, look for a second flush of roots to develop at the base of the growth - let that second batch of roots get an inch or two before watering. Not quite there yet...

Once you start watering, you can start fertilizing lightly (1/2 teaspoon per gallon of your favorite fertilizer) Once the growth really kicks into gear (you will almost be able to watch it get bigger!) you can boost the fertilizer to 1 teaspoon per gallon, and water a lot - like every day in hot weather if you can manage it.

[estación seca]

Very important - Watch for spider mites! I have gone to spraying all mine with isopropyl alcohol 70% every week after they begin growing, to head off spider mite attacks. Mites can kill a new growth in a matter of days.