Watering Catasetums - MOG controversy

[KCGrows]

Hi all,

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Miss Orchid Girl's recent post/rant on YouTube regarding watering catasetums when roots are pushing out. She seems really mad about the apparent misinformation that is out there that does not match her own experience of growing them for 10 years. I bow to the expertise of many of the growers here as well as what I've learned from Fred Clarke who has actually seen these plants grow in their native habitats. I'm no horticulturalist, and neither is Danny, but I'd love to hear what people here have to say about her Google research. She currently lives in Cyprus, whose hot and dry climate would allow for watering more copiously in the spring than say those who live in a colder, wetter climate, but outside of that, is there any credence to what she is saying?

https://youtu.be/NyM1r5-44i0?si=E6MOkDRCUnT6EX9f

[estación seca]

Many species in this group come from tropical areas that are warm to hot all year. Rain falls heavily for 3-5 months in the summer, then there is no rain at all for 7-9 months. Humidity rises before the rain starts, and this may be a trigger for root growth. Fred says in talks that the new root system becomes almost fully formed before the rain begins, so it can begin taking up water as fast as possible.

Most of the ones I watered early, when roots were just emerging, stopped growing roots that year. Many of those died because they didn't have enough root mass to support the developing plant.

Maybe what she's doing works for her. Much of Cyprus probably has higher humidity than many other areas have. Plants can survive with smaller root systems when humidity is high than they can where it's low.

I'll pay attention to somebody whose income depends on growing them without losses.

Last edit: How big are her plants? I have not seen any photos posted here on OB of plants even 20% the size they get in habitat. Many of us are keeping them alive and barely flowering them, not growing them to anything approaching perfection. I have seen Mexican plants in this group that completely encircled large palm trunks below the leaves. There must have been thousands of pseudobulbs the size of softballs.

[Roberta]

I'm with ES... I trust folks like Fred Clarke who does this for a living (and also grows the group to perfection as well has having seen many of them in habitat) more than I'd trust MOG.

[KCGrows]

Thanks everyone. In the video, it doesn't look like MOG's bulbs are really that large though she does unpot one to show a pretty healthy root system. I have seen many larger and robust plants from Stephen's and William Green's collections and they follow the credo to not water until the root system is more developed, so they must be doing something right.

[Dimples]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I'll pay attention to somebody whose income depends on growing them without losses.

This x1000

[WaterWitchin]

I won't spend time watching the video, but yes, Miss Orchid Girl can be a controversial subject depending on who you speak to.

If you want to watch YouTube regarding catasetum, watch Fred Clark or Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis (username here is Isurus79).

One of the key differences in figuring out who to watch and who is just being a YouTuber seeking advertising is the individual speaking will usually have a caveat of "depending on your conditions" instead of a blanket "this is how it works." Not those exact words, but you should get my drift.

Miss Orchid Girl was a member for awhile here when she first started growing orchids, but didn't stick around very long. Can't remember her user name.

[estación seca]

Take a tip from a guy. If you're trying to learn something from a video, and you detect high drama, turn it off.

[KCGrows]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

I won't spend time watching the video, but yes, Miss Orchid Girl can be a controversial subject depending on who you speak to.

If you want to watch YouTube regarding catasetum, watch Fred Clark or Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis (username here is Isurus79).

One of the key differences in figuring out who to watch and who is just being a YouTuber seeking advertising is the individual speaking will usually have a caveat of "depending on your conditions" instead of a blanket "this is how it works." Not those exact words, but you should get my drift.

Miss Orchid Girl was a member for awhile here when she first started growing orchids, but didn't stick around very long. Can't remember her user name.

Yes, I've watched Stephen and Fred's videos many times over, which is why I found MOG's post really perplexing. She knows there are these resources out there, Stephen's channel was pointed out to her by a commenter, and yet she never bothered to take the advice given and decided to go off on her own theories. She also talks incessantly about cyanobacteria, and it's just algae that she is referring to that is mostly harmless.

There's not only a lot of drama but also self righteousness on YouTube that can be really off putting. I don't really know why I watch her, mostly to see her collection I guess. It's too bad she isn't interested in being here, she could learn a thing or two.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Take a tip from a guy. If you're trying to learn something from a video, and you detect high drama, turn it off.

Ahem... it ain't just a "guy" thang.

[estación seca]

Cyanobacteria are extremely helpful to many plants. They fix atmospheric nitrogen to forms plants can take up and use. Their presence provides natural fertilizer. Many plants in habitat depend on cyanobacteria for much of their nitrogen. For example, most cacti in habitat look as though they are receiving very high amounts of nitrogen. They do not look that way in cultivation unless the gardener fertilizes heavily. I can take people into the desert here during dry spells and show them the dried sheets of blue-green Nostoc on the desert floor.