Cattleya Amethystoglossa - Repot or Wait?

[AnnieBee]

Originally Posted by Louis_W

Hey so this plant is called 'XXX'

I have always assumed this is because the plant is 3n but im not sure. Does anyone know if this is right, or where this name comes from?

I swear I was wondering the same thing. I found nothing online about the ploidy of the ‘XXX’. I should just email the seller and see if they know.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

I think it is safe to repot now if you need to. The closer the conditions of your new pot to the old one, the least probability of setback. I don't care about damaging roots if I'm repotting while new roots are growing. What I pay a lot of attention to is ensuring the medium is packed and the plant isn't wobbly.

C. amethystoglossa is one of the "Root Before Bloom" cattleyas and tends to bloom in January and February. Repotting in Spring or Summer when it shoots new growths is ideal. I believe your plant is starting to shoot a new growth so new roots will follow soon. I think it's pretty safe to repot.

Just do it only if you really need to. I write on my plants tags when I see root tips so on the next repot I try to get ahead of the new root tips. I have decimated new roots during repots and that can be a death sentence so it can be beneficial to try to get ahead of the new root tip growths. At least in my experience, unifoliate cattleyas have been very hardy in general and can survive for many months with subpar root systems before they finally shoot roots. I got a plant with zero roots in December in the "Root after bloom" group so it won't shoot roots until its new growth is fully mature or even until its flower has been spent. It's been surviving for 6 months without roots and it's been growing a new pseudobulb for about a month and a half. I'm hopeful it will make it.

In your case your plant is bifoliate which can really sulk when repotted at the wrong time. However, I don't think this is the wrong time.

Kelpak also helps.

------------- edit:

To actually reply to your question of whether to repot when the plant has climbed out of the pot or not, this is my take:

- If the plant grows out of the pot and the new roots attach to the pot, you will break them on the next repot and depend on the older roots, which are more inefficient than newer ones. It's like sacrificing all your young, malleable workers to maintain your older but more uptight ones. Yes, the older ones are more experienced but may struggle to adapt to new circumstances and have less stamina.

- The second consideration is the environment, desiccation can be a problem. Your roots in the pot will stay moist for longer, whereas the roots growing out of the pot will depend on moisture from the air. Not an issue in a greenhouse, especially if you can water the entire plant, but in a house? It can be an issue.

You have excellent chunky medium; no matter how much you water it, I doubt you will overwater. So based on the above and the fact that you've only had this plant for 6 months, my take is repot now so the new growths root into the pot and give a good foundation for your plant to adapt to your environment; these are probably the first pseudobulbs growing for you so they will be the first ones that will grow primed to thrive in your conditions: support them on that.