What's Happening to My Catt Leaves?

[c123anderson]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

If you do not have high humidity, you might need to use a terrarium to keep up the humidity for a while. I have to do this sometimes with orchids that are not in good condition when I get them.

For now I am misting them until I can get a humidity tray or mat set up and a way to measure the humidity and be assured it's higher.

What would be a good humidity range for stressed Catts?

Originally Posted by Leafmite

The goal is to get the new pseudububs established before the old pseudbulb is completely exhausted of anything it can give the new one. The extra humidity helps to preserve what little stores the old one has.

Leafmite, this is a great perspective and way to look at the situation. I really appreciate you saying this.

After posting and reading the various comments, I did take a look back at the rest of the orchids I received from this out-of-business nursery. To be fair, the nursery had been a good seller, but it had fallen on hard times. I also knew what I was receiving, so I am viewing this as a learning opportunity.

What I saw of the other plants, there's definitely some stress that I had not be aware of/known what I was looking at. I see new root growth on each plant, but I also see stressed plants.

Question to all: what about switching these plants to a "water culture" until they are a little stronger? Has anyone had any luck with this method?

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[Roberta]

No water culture... drowning the roots won't help. Roots adapt to the medium in which they develop. When moving the plant, the closer you can get to what they were experiencing before (while improving air in the root zone, which a repot will do) the greater the change of survival. If you're going to change the environment (which you can do now if new roots are developing) choose an environment where they can continue to grow long-term. Semi-hydro works for a lot of people (a good balance between water and air). If you do it right...fully flushing the reservoir not just topping off, Ray has some detailed notes on his website. it can be a very good choice for Catts and a lot of other epiphytes. My mantra - Orchid Teach Patience. The "feedback" you get will be measured in months, not days. There are no quick fixes. You have to approach healing the plants as a long-term project. If the plants were in bad shape, you won't bat 1.000 . But that makes the successes that much sweeter.

[c123anderson]

Originally Posted by Roberta

No water culture... drowning the roots won't help. Roots adapt to the medium in which they develop. When moving the plant, the closer you can get to what they were experiencing before (while improving air in the root zone, which a repot will do) the greater the change of survival. If you're going to change the environment (which you can do now if new roots are developing) choose an environment where they can continue to grow long-term. Semi-hydro works for a lot of people (a good balance between water and air). If you do it right...fully flushing the reservoir not just topping off, Ray has some detailed notes on his website. it can be a very good choice for Catts and a lot of other epiphytes.

At least one of our local orchid society members uses hydroponics. I may ask him how he sets his up, but these plants have been through enough shock, lately, that they just need to have some time to rest and heal and grow.

Originally Posted by Roberta

My mantra - Orchid Teach Patience. The "feedback" you get will be measured in months, not days. There are no quick fixes. You have to approach healing the plants as a long-term project. If the plants were in bad shape, you won't bat 1.000 . But that makes the successes that much sweeter.

Believe it or not, your words ring in my ears a lot. Every time I look at my Dendrobium platycaulon (which has now bloomed twice), I think of your advice, when I almost threw it out thinking it was dead. It has helped me pause and act, not react, with my plants.

You're very correct on patience and waiting for results.

[Roberta]

Thanks!

Some people do try to grow orchids in full hydroponics, with roots in water. The plants survive for awhile. But ask them again in a couple of years... might work short-term, people usually don't like to talk about their failures, although those can be a very valuable learning tool. (Orchids just don't grow that way in nature... there are some that survive a serious dunking such as Phrag pearcei and some Amazonian Galeandras... but they emerge into the air fairly quickly. )

[c123anderson]

Leafmite, Roberta, estación: thanks so much for the thoughts/advice. I've implemented a system to raise humidity and continue to monitor for growth. The C. gaskelliana pictures you saw were one end of the plant; the other end has a large new growth and looks much less desiccated. Still, looking at all the plants and knowing they had been stressed, I've been getting them settled and keeping things as consistent as I can to help the healing process.

On the same note: I have a question about my R. glauca. I'll post this in the pests board, since it's more appropriate there, I believe.