My abject de-flasking failure aka Cattleya walkeriana mass suicide

[ToddsterVonCattMan]

PeeWee, I'll tell ya a great growing philosophy, or mantra, for growing walkeriana—tell yourself, "Well, at least they're not nobilior's...!"

C. nobilior, now that's a truly PITA Catt...!

[catwalker808]

Maria. Here are some suggestions. First, try to determine how long the plants have been in the flask. Walkerianas are miniature and somewhat slow growing in the juvenile stages. In the flask, the are not even juvenile and take a long time to assume normal plant form (green side up ... root side down). If the flasks have had a good day-night temperature differential of 10-15 degrees and sufficient light, they will have grown FAIRLY rapidly (for walkerianas) ... maybe 6-8 months in final flasks.

If the flasks have had insufficient day-night differential (eg.55-70, 60-75, 65-80 ...) and especially if the day night temps have been constant, combined with low lighting, the plants in flask may have been slow to develop (as in sitting in old medium).

First, check the leaf tips to see if they look dry or discolored. Then turn the bottle over to check the roots. Walkerianas should have MANY BIG FAT roots that are white or nearly white with light green tips ... not brown and not translucent.
So you either have live plants or maybe plants that are a little old in flask. In any case, you need to harden them a bit, since they have probably been in lower light and protected in momma's womb ... about to go out into the real world.
Put them into a very shady portion of your covered GH ... 500-800 foot candles (80-90% shade in summer) for about 1 to 1-1/2 weeks (or else you will have to coat each plant with 50 sun block ... don't do this ... I'm kidding). Anyway, the time in the GH will help harden off the plants before deflasking.
Pour some clean water into the flask to soften the agar, then use a long wire hook to remove plants, a few at a time.
Or, at your own risk, VERY CAREFULLY cover the flask with thick sheets of newspaper and lightly crack off the top of the flask with a hammer. Unwrap slowly, remove glass bits ... then remove plants and rinse carefully but thoroughly with clean running water. Roots may seem a bit slimy, but resist the urge to rub them.
Pot into 3-4" NEW clay pots. Put styrofoam peanuts on the bottom for drainage. Use a 50/50 mix of coarse peat and #2 perlite, or chopped sphagnum and perlite, or straight sphagnum.

Roots will be long and maybe brittle. Rather than pushing in the roots, tilt the pot about 45 degrees. Put a little mix on the side. Lay down a few plants, add more mix on the roots, lay down more roots, add more mix ... The idea is to plant from the side across, rather than forcing roots into the mix and damaging roots.
Water thoroughly now and each time you water. Grow in covered area, not in Florida thundershowers. Same light as before, at least until plants start to grow new rounder harder leaves.
Don't let mix get bone dry when plants are still soft ... but don't let it get soggy either. Which is why you water thoroughly maybe every other day. The clay pot and styrofoam will allow good drainage and dry out the medium quickly ... they are more forgiving.
Some people use a VERY VERY dilute solution of something like Superthrive to perk up the newly potted plants. Always water the plants first, then apply nutrient foliar.
After a few months, plants can go out into 60-70% light and be treated like juvenile plants.

Basically, walks need warm to intermediate temps and prefer 2500-3500 foot candles of light. Very important to have roots loose or at least potted in medium with lots of aeration, otherwise roots will rot. That said, roots need frequent moisture, but ... again, with very good drainage if you do all of this, they can grow with your other cats when they get past the juvenile stage.
Good Luck

[peeweelovesbooks]

Catwalker,

Thanks so much for the tutorial. I am printing this out so that Maria can memorize and hopefully not kill another batch of plants. This is very helpful information!!

Surprisingly, 2 of them DID survive (seriously) and are really perky and happy (bastards), but in a mocking-kind of way, as if saying, "I survived despite your skills, meh).

All kidding aside, this has been a fantastic lesson for me.

[peeweelovesbooks]

Originally Posted by ToddsterVonCattMan

PeeWee, I'll tell ya a great growing philosophy, or mantra, for growing walkeriana—tell yourself, "Well, at least they're not nobilior's...!"

C. nobilior, now that's a truly PITA Catt...!

So, Maria heard you and despite my repeated entreaties, is now looking for a flask of cattleya nobilior. Can you please talk some sense into her?

She actually said, and I quote, "So you people think I will kill cattleya nobiliors? Well, I'll show you. I'll show all of you."

The sad part of it is, she probably will. Hee hee hee. (wink)

[Jehitch]

Originally Posted by peeweelovesbooks

Surprisingly, 2 of them DID survive (seriously) and are really perky and happy (bastards), but in a mocking-kind of way, as if saying, "I survived despite your skills, meh).

All kidding aside, this has been a fantastic lesson for me.

You realize that this means there are ... witnesses to the crime???? If you want, I'll take care 'a dem guyz. We'll hide 'em in our witness protection program so good that they won't be talkin' to no orchid cops, ever!

___
Jim

[shadytrake]

Originally Posted by peeweelovesbooks

So, Maria heard you and despite my repeated entreaties, is now looking for a flask of cattleya nobilior. Can you please talk some sense into her?

She actually said, and I quote, "So you people think I will kill cattleya nobiliors? Well, I'll show you. I'll show all of you."

The sad part of it is, she probably will. Hee hee hee. (wink)

Please see my signature below.

[ChrisFL]

Originally Posted by ToddsterVonCattMan

PeeWee, I'll tell ya a great growing philosophy, or mantra, for growing walkeriana—tell yourself, "Well, at least they're not nobilior's...!"

C. nobilior, now that's a truly PITA Catt...!

I grow 12 different cultivars of nobilior and have found them to be the most trouble free, resilient orchid species I've grown.

[Jerry Delaney]

PeeWee, I imagine everyone here has had your, I mean Maria's, problems. Truth be known some of us occasionally experience it today. I'm quite sure you know about this little trick I was shown many years ago. I had successfully transfered seedlings from flask to compot by layering bark, seedlings, bark, seedlings-----. Then an old time grower showed me this simple way to enable even a klutz like me to get it right most of the time. Take your compot vessel and fill it to the desired volume with mix then water it until saturated. Place the vessel inside another vessel just slightly taller than your compot to be. Fill the other vessel with water until your intended compot has water just above the mix level. The pictures below should tell the rest (I hope)! Good luck!!

[Cookiemonster]

NEOFINETIA SEEDLINGS! HOORAY