Cattleya repotting - compacting media

[guccisimo85]

I just reported these two cattleyas. I read online that the media should be compacted enough that you can lift it by its stalk and it shouldn’t come out of the pot. I have really compacted the media quite well but they are still a little wobbly when I lift them. The smaller one would come out if I held it too long.

Wondering if it’s because there is not enough small bark in my media? I mixed medium and small bark, sponge rock, hydroton and charcoal. Or maybe they should be potted deeper?

Any tips/suggestions are much appreciated!

Thanks!

[estación seca]

Almost all of us have semi-wobbly plants after repotting in bark. It doesn't pack that tightly. Stake the plant, use a horizontal rhizome clip or put it somewhere you won't touch it until it's well-rooted.

[Roberta]

If you don't have any metal stakes or bamboo stakes, long wood barbecue skewers also work though they don't last as long, probably will last long enough for the plant to establish.

[guccisimo85]

Thanks (again) to you both! Do they look like they are potted deep enough? Some of the roots at the top just won’t stay down in the media no matter what I do!

[isurus79]

Looks like a good potting job to me. Just need to add some stakes.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by guccisimo85

I read online that the media should be compacted enough that you can lift it by its stalk and it shouldn’t come out of the pot.

gucci --- I haven't heard of that one hehe. Probably shouldn't do something like pull on the stalk ----- otherwise it could either just pull the whole plant out from the media, and then would need to start over again with the repot ...... or could possibly damage the plant if the plant really is stuck in the pot. It might not damage ----- but probably doesn't make sense to see if the orchid can handle supporting the weight of the pot by grabbing stem/leaves and lifting up.

If some roots don't stay in the media, then don't worry about them. Just let them stay there, or pop some rocks on some of them temporarily - to weigh them down for a few weeks or so.

[Fairorchids]

Irrespective of what the roots are trying to do, as long as the rhizome is half buried and half exposed, the plant is potted deep enough.

Some Catts tend to grow both forward & up. For those, it is necessary to bury the older part of the rhizome, so that the last 1-2 segments are at the right height/depth.

[Keysguy]

What holds an orchid in its pot is not the media, it's the roots when they grow through the media and attach to the media and sidewalls and outwardly compact it against the pot via the root spreading action. Obviously a newly potted plant needs at least a couple months to do that. To compress media "firmly" could damage the plant and also suffocate roots which would be negating why you re-potted it in the first place. If you are concerned about "wobbliness" a little temporary mechanical support after re-potting is best solution.

[Paphluvr]

Many years ago while attending a two week training course in Pasadena I took advantage of my free weekend and visited one of the large California greenhouses. While there I watched a demonstration on repotting Cattleyas. They showed exactly the same thing you are talking about. The demonstrator actually used a stick to help compress the mix in the pot. After the potting was done he lifted everything by the stem of the plant and said if the plant came out of the pot it wasn't potted tight enough.

[Roberta]

Fred Clarke alludes to this violent potting-stick approach...(I can hear him in my head, from having attended many of his talks) He points out that if you do that, "you bust up all those good new roots!" ...(his words). He recommends gently pressing medium in place with your thumbs. And stake for additional support if you need it. Those tender new roots are the ones that will grab the medium, you certainly don't want to do do anything to harm them!