How do you bare root a Catasetum for its dormancy?

[Bamanana]

How do you bare root a Catasetum for its dormancy? Having never bare rooted any plant, I’m looking for the proper steps and, most importantly, the timing of the whole thing. Advantages/disadvantages? Thanks.

[isurus79]

Just let them dry. No need to pull them out of their pot. It's just an extra step people used to do when they couldn't let their plants stay dry all winter long.

[Bamanana]

The reason I asked about bare rooting is because I grow very nearly all my orchids in semi hydro. I recently purchased two catasetums (pileatum and monnierara) that are currently blooming in VERY tightly packed sphagnum in bulging pots. My thought after watching many videos, yours and others, was to let them go completely dormant, remove the moss and pot in dry leca until it’s time to water. (I saw where some growers put bulbs with bare roots in clay pots so they can give a little misting if required.) Then I saw Nina’s video with her catasetum in self watering SH that are never bone dry and also read your comments. I just finished watching your advanced growing techniques video, where you mention growers in Hawaii that never stopped watering because the temperature never goes below 55, which brought Nina’s video back to mind. I grow all my orchids indoors, so the temperature rarely goes far below 70 because, well, I’m old and cold all the time. Do you see where I’m going with all this? As a new castasetum grower that doesn’t want to kill these orchids, I keep telling myself to just go with the PET method (great demo, BTW), but then I see Nina, Annabel and Anna Maria growing successfully in SH, and I just want to. All my orchids thrive in it. I am smack dab on that fence and since you are clearly quite knowledgeable about catasetums, I would really love your thoughts about, well, my thoughts.

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[fishmom]

I have an Fdk. that has been in SH for years. When it is time for dormancy, I give it a thorough flush, dump out the water in the reservoir as much as I can, and just let it dry out. Easy peasy.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Bamanana

The reason I asked about bare rooting is because I grow very nearly all my orchids in semi hydro. I recently purchased two catasetums (pileatum and monnierara) that are currently blooming in VERY tightly packed sphagnum in bulging pots. My thought after watching many videos, yours and others, was to let them go completely dormant, remove the moss and pot in dry leca until it’s time to water. (I saw where some growers put bulbs with bare roots in clay pots so they can give a little misting if required.) Then I saw Nina’s video with her catasetum in self watering SH that are never bone dry and also read your comments. I just finished watching your advanced growing techniques video, where you mention growers in Hawaii that never stopped watering because the temperature never goes below 55, which brought Nina’s video back to mind. I grow all my orchids indoors, so the temperature rarely goes far below 70 because, well, I’m old and cold all the time. Do you see where I’m going with all this? As a new castasetum grower that doesn’t want to kill these orchids, I keep telling myself to just go with the PET method (great demo, BTW), but then I see Nina, Annabel and Anna Maria growing successfully in SH, and I just want to. All my orchids thrive in it. I am smack dab on that fence and since you are clearly quite knowledgeable about catasetums, I would really love your thoughts about, well, my thoughts.

I generally recommend that folks try the "tried and true" method of hard dormancy with this group when they are first starting out. That way they can learn the plant cycles and start modifying their culture as familiarity with group progresses. However, as you've pointed out, there are plenty of folks out there who don't necessarily obey the "tried and true" methods and have success. Maybe you're about to be one of them?

Monnierrara is a complex hybrid that's pretty bullet proof and pileatum is a species known to have a short (and kind of wet) dormancy. Indoor temps stay above 55 degrees, so you could certainly keep them wet without a whole lot of threat from rot. If you do keep them wet, I'd recommend no fertilizer and be sure to keep them as warm as possible. I'm curious to see how the new roots do in the spring as they reach into the wetter parts of the media. That might be the trickiest part of the culture experiment.

Alternatively, you can let them dry out and remain in their s/h pot, as mentioned by fishmom. That would probably also be a successful method. Definitely let us know what you end up doing!

[Clawhammer]

I would leave it in it's current pot until the new growth emerges in order to properly place the catasetum in S/H. You will want the roots sprouting below the "soil line" in order to avoid mass desiccation of air exposed roots. As such, I advise to wait to repot until you know where the new growth is on the old bulb, but before the new growth starts producing roots, as the perfect time to repot.

Edit: I also don't think leaving a little sphag on the rootball would be a big deal for this genus in s/h.

[Bamanana]

Since I have zero experience with Catasetums, and after much research and debate with myself, I have decided to go with the tried and true PET method.

I have one question now: Do you have to repot every year, two years, or just wait until the plant outgrows the pot?

And thank you all for your very helpful advice!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Bamanana

Since I have zero experience with Catasetums, and after much research and debate with myself, I have decided to go with the tried and true PET method.

I have one question now: Do you have to repot every year, two years, or just wait until the plant outgrows the pot?

And thank you all for your very helpful advice!

I pot the plants so they have two years of growth before needing a repot.

[Ray]

Concerning the “rest” for such plants, it’s more about “no nitrogen” than “no water”.

I’d take Steven’s advice about the “hard rest” and just let it go dry, as I have no first-hand experience, but many S/H growers simply water normally and stop all feeding.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i have been experimenting with a semi-semihydro where they have standing water while in growth and then i just remove the saucers when it is dormancy time (if they decide to go dormant, often then do not) and let the pot dry up until i see activity

i strongly agree that learning the plant and it's feelings for your growing area is the best way to then decide how you wish to grow them given your environment.