Cattleya care - watering

[Clp29]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Carrie. My father has a bunch of Cattleya orchids. He is an older man and isn't sure why he is killing them. We are in NY. They are in a sunroom and get plenty of sun. One has a new shoot coming up but all of the leaves are wrinkled. He doesn't know if it is too much water or not enough. He said he waters them every 10 days or so. He puts them in a pan of water for 20-30 minutes and then puts them back on their humidity tray. He said if he just runs water over them then the bark doesn't feel wet. Any advice? Thank you

[Johndeaux22]

Can you tell us more about the growing conditions? Temperature, humidity etc. ? What media are they potted in? When was the last time anything was repotted? Fertilizer? What is the water source - tap/reverse osmosis/rain/ distilled etc. ? Does he have a water softener?

[rbarata]

10 days under "lots of sun" might be underwatered.
You can check the roots and see if they are roting.
Can you post a photo?

BTW, Welcome!

[estación seca]

Welcome!

Wrinkled leaves in Cattleyas usually means insufficient water to the plants. That can be caused by poor roots, or not enough watering. I think your dad isn't watering often enough. Every 10 days would be enough during cool, dark seasons when they aren't growing, but probably not enough during the warm growing season.