Cattleya (Bryn Wheeler) help! - Orchid Board

Survivor · #1 02-04-2023, 04:43 PM

Hello, I'm Survivor and into saving Orchids. I purchase them in need of TLC, sick or starving for water, and revive them. So far, every single orchid has survived

and I enjoy their flowers almost year-round.

4 Years ago, I purchased Cattleya (Bryn Wheeler) and cut the dead roots, re-pot it and it started thriving but no flowers so far.
I have noticed there is a kinda yellowish with red spots/photo attached in the new growth but not a single flower.
I also noticed recently that the old leaves are wrinkly (see photos) nothing changed with the watering frequency but looks like I need to do more.
Any advice to be able to see its flowers and keep the leaves healthy? Thank you!

estación seca · #2 02-04-2023, 05:01 PM

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

It's badly dehydrated. Either the roots are in bad shape or you're not watering enough.

What are your growing conditions? Light intensity/hours? Temperatures day/night? Humidity? How are you watering and how often? How do you decide when to water? Are you fertilizing? How?

Survivor · #3 02-04-2023, 07:19 PM

Hello, estación seca, thank you for taking the time to reply!

It's in my three-season family room, with indirect sunlight with other orchids, Being in Chicago, not much sun in winter. Temp. go down to 63F at night, 70F in daytime. Humidity 35% - 50%. I water it once a week just like other orchids. I usually soak them in water for 5 minutes or until no more bubbles come to the surface. I feed them a few times a year. I add orchid food (Fertil-Ade 8-4-8) I purchased from an orchid nursery and sometimes I feed them red worms water (I have a small worm organic farm). I usually mix a small amount with water (about 1 TBS per liter).
.
I have attached a photo of my orchids and their location in my house, as you can see, enough light.

estación seca · #4 02-04-2023, 10:05 PM

They do look beautiful. Once a week for a Cattleya may not be enough, and your Catt is very dehydrated. My observation has been Catts need much more water during warm weather than Phalaenopsis, especially in lower humidity. Also Catts require considerably more light to flower than your other orchids.

You aren't far from Orchids by Hausermann. Visit them and see what Catts should look like. Talk to them about growing Catts in metro Chicago.

Survivor · #5 02-05-2023, 01:48 AM

That’s what I thought. I’ll start watering it twice a week and see what happens. I bought it from Hausermann as well as all my orchids supplies

.

Thank you for your advice.
Will keep you posted.

Bayard · #6 02-05-2023, 06:26 PM

You might want to pull the plant out of its pot and take a look at the roots. If they’re all mush, you’ll have to repot it in fresh media. If not, you can step up the watering.

Leafmite · #7 02-05-2023, 07:22 PM

I agree about checking the roots to see if they are healthy. After removing the medium, give the roots a good soak and then see if any are firm and green. If the roots are healthy, let them dry/heal for forty-eight hours either in the medium or out of the medium before watering in new medium. If the roots are all dead, trim them, wire/stake the orchid on top of new medium and try to keep the air around it humid so it does not dry more. In the spring, it should begin new growth with new roots and the orchid should be fine.