My first cattleya Rlc. Triumphal Coronation 'Seto' - need advice

[Autumn Child]

Currently I am catching the Orchid fever and buying up different orchid species to experiment which one grows best under my condition.

My Cattleya just arrived yesterday. It is an Rlc triumphal coronation 'seto'. I got it because i did my research and found that larger cattleya are more fragrant and purple/pink large cattleya are easier to bloom. The plant is huge, much bigger than I anticipated and giving me space management problems. It arrived in a bark mix and some other pottining media that I don't understand. I bought it directly from the grower in Guangzhou.

What should I do with this one?

1) Repot or not repot to s/h? (don,t want bugs running around the bark mix). I can't see if there is new root growth. But I am not so good and experienced with bark mixture.

2) Is this type easy to grow? I only get info on growing cattleya in general, but not this particular hybrid. Any one have experience with this hybrid or similar hybrid?

3) It is siting behind a balcony door with 24hr fan sitting nearby. The light condition is good enough for oncidium and phals, not sure about catt. Temperature 22-25 at the moment but will probably go higher to 27 in mid summer with humidity ranging from 50-80%. Will it flower under this condition?

4) Is the stub on the second picture a new shoot or flower spike? It is damaged during shipping and the joint is quite "limpy" even tough the grower took extra step to protect it when packaging.

Thanks

[Zoi2]

Your plant looks good, but I don't think it's ready to repot in s/h just yet. Once you check the roots you'll know for sure---you really want new root growth before transfering.
The lighting for catts is bright, much more than for phals and oncs. They will grow in this light but will not produce flowers. Your humidity is good.
The "stub" is a new growth, it could turn out to have a spike when it matures if it's not broken.
General catt culture should be fine with this hybrid.
Joann

[Autumn Child]

Thanks for the advice, but how do I check the roots? It is in a opague plastic pots and that mean i got to pull out the whole plant to check the roots.

[Zoi2]

Originally Posted by Autumn Child

Thanks for the advice, but how do I check the roots? It is in a opague plastic pots and that mean i got to pull out the whole plant to check the roots.

Yes that is correct, you pull the plant from the pot and inspect the roots. If the roots are good, put it back into the pot, if they have a problem you can address it before you repot.
Joann

[Autumn Child]

Thank you, i will do root check now. I ho0pe i can transfer to s/h asap, but only if the plant can adapt.

[Autumn Child]

I just check the roots of my catt and it does not look too good. It has no new root growth, too soggy and quite slimmy at some part. It is still firm, but i think it is on the verge of roting. I don't have the rocks and root bark that the growers use and i cannot transfer to s/h yet. What should I do?