Catasetum new shoots

[isurus79]

Here's a picture from the link I just posted. Photo and article credit to Luis Pedro Gonçalves.

[isurus79]

Another one from the same FB site. Photo credit goes to Paulo Serge Moreira Vinholes Neto:

[estación seca]

Thank you. I'm not on Facebook so I can't see the site. I get the idea from the photo.

How big do people let these get in 2 liter bottles? Is the screw cap on the inverted part loose, so water can soak up into the medium? Are they picky about medium in this setup?

[isurus79]

Ugh. I just posted a response and it crashed. This site really frustrates me sometimes.....

Anyway, the plants are generally not picky about media. I've seen a ton of different media types including cow manure. This group grows in just about everything.

Here are some pics from the same FB site. Photo credit goes to Orquidário Ametista. Photo on the left shows the bottle cutout that looks a lot like a homemade s/h setup. There is gravel on the bottom and the organic media gets put on top of the gravel.

[isurus79]

I have to say I feel pretty weird about posting other people's pics without their permission. I hope giving credit to the FB group and the people posting is enough. If one of the photo owners doesn't like me posting their pics, I'll pull them down immediately and apologize profusely.

[bil]

Here's an example of two of the Cats that have big Pbulbs underway, and if you look carefully, one has a new bud, the other two.

I shall be glad next winter when they will hopefully have got into the swing of our seasonal variations.

[bil]

Here's what I am aiming to do. The basket is welded 6mm rebar and given 4 coats of hammerite. As you cann only give two coats in 1 day, and then you have to leave it for two weeks to cure, it's a lengthy process.

Tip. Use contrasting colours for each coat, so you can see where you have painted. 1st coat I use a green, then the second a black, then repeat that sequence for the second pair of coats.

The moss rather tended to hang out between the bars (I used the same sort of design as for the Stanhopea saucer baskets) so in the second pic, the basket has a fine mesh liner cut to fit and glued in place with silicone.

The third pic and the cat is potted in pure moss. Obviously, you don't want the moss wet, so I got it to the state where it was just damp enough to form it without the moss breaking. However, it doesn't compact well when it is in that state, so if you put a couple of flat rocks on top the moss slowly compacts a bit until it dries. What is nice is that even done like that, the moss all fuses into one mass to give quite good support.

My experiences with Stans in pure moss has so far been very encouraging. The moss soaks up a lot of water and keeps the roots wet for a good chunk of the day, allowing the plant to feed well, and yet it then dries out so much and so fast that in full summer I need to water every day, and in winter even, twice a week. This compares to moss in a pot which tends tostay completely sodden for much longer.

The three Stans I have were new a year ago. Two doubled their leaf number, and the Tigrina trebled its leaf count.

[Patrick.Orchidee]

Maybe a stupid question... but i am an beginner with Catasetum.
I've read several times about the root length, BUT the roots are in the pot... how do you know how long they are?

[jcec1]

Originally Posted by Patrick.Orchidee

Maybe a stupid question... but i am an beginner with Catasetum.
I've read several times about the root length, BUT the roots are in the pot... how do you know how long they are?

I use clear pots for mine, there is usually at least one root that grows down the side of the pot. If the pots are solid I guess you could wait until you see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.

[u bada]

Those are pretty awesome Bil... I've noticed that certain growers that grow things in moss in baskets, the moss can look super bad, and somehow the plants look great... not the case in plants planted in pots with moss. From an aesthetic standpoint your project of baskets from rebar just look sculptural and cool... whereas the usual plastic baskets look too I dunno industrial... but back to practicalities here... when I've gotten plants grown in moss in baskets before I used to try to repot asap and get all the moss off from the roots... and if that didn't downright kill the plant, it set it back big time. It's hard to say why but as you mentioned, because the moss is exposed to air through the basket and able to dry out faster it seems to last longer and also to the extent even when the moss is really decayed remains good for orchids to grow in... one theory someone discussed with me is that when used in a basket the moss can remain open enough for roots, in addition to lasting longer... furthermore, having them sit over a pan/container is a good idea as hanging baskets can dry so quickly... it can get so dry here that if I did a similar project (which I don't have space for essentially) I'd let the bottom cm touch the bottom so water can wick up into moss on dry days to last longer...

Also, I'm a bit confused... isn't it winter there also? I'm kinda wondering how yours has leaves + growth on them now? or are they old pictures?