Its tough with solid pots. Just wait until early May to water.

Thank you very much. Those designs arose because a spherical basket held too much moss, risking the centre going anoxic, and a flat hexagonal basket presented the bars to a stan bud as a continuous sheet of steel.
So I came up with a hanging saucer of a basket, that because it was thin at the edges should wick away water fast, so the moss wasn't sodden continuously.
That has an enormous effect. Mounts that have a small amount of moss hardly show signs of a fungal attack, but my sesquipedal orchid, that seems to like wet feet, and has quite a lump of moss, its mount is showing clear signs of fungal attack and rot. and the moss looks more like soil now.
Compare that to the Stan moss, which has been there for the same time, and that moss is hardly broken down at all. So, I think by soaking the moss, and then letting it dry rapidly, you may end up watering that orchid every day, but the moss will take far longer to degrade.

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.

Yeah. I can imagine. I tried doing much the same once, and gave up precisely because the roots were hanging onto the moss for dear life.
Here is what I plan to do when it is time to repot the stans or the catasetums in pure moss.
First off, unless the moss looks really degraded, I won't.
second, if it looks bad, I will tak the orchid out, brush off lightly what I can, then wash the root mass in room temp water.
My reasoning is, the roots can't hang onto broken down moss, so that ought to wash out, right?

I would be eternally grateful if someone could point out any glaring flaws in this that I have overlooked.

I was planning to do the same with my large phals in their big pots. Tip out all the big bits, then wash out the broken down bark. That OUGHT to save damaging the roots by taking it wholly out of the pot.

"I'd let the bottom cm touch the bottom so water can wick up into moss on dry days to last longer... "

I wouldn't. I can see your point, but I think you risk letting rot get a hold on the moss if it is kept continuously wet.

" isn't it winter there also?"

Ahaha. Yeah, that's what started this all off. They are southern hemisphere plants that I bought this autumn.
So, I have some gone dormant, some think it's summer and some think it's both.
SUCH fun.

This is just what I came here to find, thank you! I just purchased a dormant Ctsm. Maria Mercado 'Julien Baruch' (my first catasetum) at auction and could not tell that most or all of the roots were papery. I was getting worried I purchased a soon to be dead plant. Time to leave it alone for the winter

Take a look at the culture notes on the Sunset Valley Orchids websiteCatasetinae Culture, and also search through this forum for more detailed notes including more from SVO, and videos from isurus79. These are really different from most other orchids, and if you accommodate those needs, you'll have success with this wonderful group.

Thanks for the link! The first thing I did when I got home was watch some of his interviews with Fred Clarke. One of isurus79's videos actually introduced me to the genus!

I just had to hop in here really quick when I saw this but can I ask who sold this to you? As far as I’m aware, that plant has never been divided so I would question whoever sold that to you.

It was sold under the hybrid name (Ctsm. John C. Burchett x Ctsm. Dagny) at the Maryland Orchid Society auction. I found a pic on SVO's website, does that not mean they used to sell them?

It was cheap and my first, so as long as it isn't sanguinium (my partner will make me toss it) I'm just happy to have a catasetum.

Edit- I'm not able to check at the moment, but I believe it had the original SVO tag. I'll update once I can confirm.

It could very well be a Ctsm. Maria Mercado, but I don’t think it would be a Ctsm. Maria Nercado ‘Julien Baruch’
The first is the name for all the hybrids with those parents, the second is a specific plant - sorry for the mix up!

My mistake, then yes you would be correct in that it definitely does not say 'Julien Baruch', that's just the only one I could find online! Thanks for the heads up, definitely don't want to misrepresent it if I ever take it to judging or sell it.

The first two words are the genus and cross name. The words in single quotes are the clonal name of one plant from the cross, usually given after that one individual receives an award. Divisions of that one plant retain the clonal name, because they're identical. Siblings may be from the first time the cross was made. If a breeder makes the cross again, those plants get the same name. Siblings of one cross may be extremely varied or relatively similar.

In this case Fred Clarke registered the cross Maria Mercado in 2020, when it flowered the first time. Your plant might have been from the first time he made the cross, or from a remake.