Should I repot it right now or should I wait for the new growth start?

I would wait until the first sign of root growth You will damage some roots during repotting and you don't know how long until new ones will grow. Even if the medium isn't great right now, you don't need to water this species much, if any, this time of year, so there is little risk of root rot.

One question...since I got the Lealia, 8 days ago, never watered it. I was thinking about misting the top medium to increase humidity near the roots but weather is still unstable temperature wise. Next 6 days max temps are forecast to be 16 ºC avg (60 F), no sun, and then increase to low 70's (with sun).

The room where I've put it has night temps in the low 60's by night and high 70's by day (with sun). Without sun max temp is mid 60's.
HR is in low 40's/high 30's.

Maybe it's still too cool to give it the extra humidity by misting the top medium.

What do you think I should do at this point?

I would not mist. It often has very low relative humidity at the end of winter in habitat.

My immediate doubt was cleared. Thanks

Now, another one... under what conditions should I start watering? I know it should be when the roots start to grow but do they start growing without a humidity increase?

This is just a guess... the roots start growing at the end of winter. Summer rains usually come the first week of May. Perhaps the plant is trying to be ready for water availability, for it only rains 4 -5 months of the year.

I'll keep monitoring it very closely.
If I see no activity, when I notice a max temp stabilization over 22 ºC (71,6 F) I'll start a light watering to act as a catalyst for root growth.
In their habitat heavy rains start in June but here we reach those temps by April/May.
So, starting on the 22 ºC, from there it's always uphill.:biggrin:

In their habitat, in the cool season, HR is around 60-65%. Since I have under the low 40's, in the meawhile I'll mist lightly the top of the medium once/week or more, depending on the weather.

Note: I'm putting it under full sun for an hour followed by 1/2 hr of bright shade. So far no burns or damage.

I am very late to this party... but Guarianthe (formerly Cattleya) aurantiaca may be an option.

Cattleya aurantiaca - Cattleya Source

From what I understand of it, it is one of the most northern growing Catts. I have a division of a large variant of this guy. Mine's been very easy. Last October, it had no roots. I mounted it and now it's in bud and has a bazillion (exaggeration) roots. Mine has not experienced the 40's, but probably close. I keep it in the "cool" room with the Masdevallias and it is in the window that has probably experienced regular drops into the low 50's when it gets really cold outside.

Thank you for the sugestion, Salixx.
Unfortunately this specie also has the same problem as mexican laelias: dry winter.
My goal was to let them outside all year but I can't provide them a dry winter and I don't have conditions to protect them.

Now the temps are consistently aqual or higher than 20 ºC (68 F), with forecasts of low 80's, with clear skies, today I gave it a little water with a spray bottle in the hopes it will ignite some growth. This was the first time it "saw" water since I bought it, two weeks ago.

I've found also this...it was there already but I haven't noticed it. I don't know if it has been growing or not. One thing I know: it has no new roots.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2rjktj3w.jpg
http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2q6dzfba.jpg
http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psglaf1bo8.jpg
http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1rn2fdo0.jpg

There will be roots very soon.

Good luck. Perhaps the greenhouse, who wouldn't like that anyway.

There's some evolution, slow but steady.
Now it looks more like a new growth. Been putting it under strong indirect south light/ full sun, misting heavily only the medium by early morning but there are no roots yet.
I suspect they'll grow from the base of the new growth 'cause there's a protuberance under the dry sheath. Anyway, so far they haven't appear.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psy9x7o6ez.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psrmsluhn1.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...pshinvacvr.jpg

After my last post in this thread, on month ago, the new growth is bigger but still no roots. Temps are now in high 60/low 70's and I spray in the early morning only the medium, around twice a week.
Next weeks the forecast is clear skies and high 80's so, with more watering it might be a boost for the roots to grow.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...pslcv7zpqu.jpg

How much rain do you get? Here in Los Angeles we get around 12" per year. A few years back we got around 20" of rain. None of my orchids had a problem with the rain despite the fact that nearly all of them are from areas with dry winters.

Many years ago I did lose a few random Cattleyas during the winter. They were mounted... but with moss. Since then I haven't mounted my more succulent orchids with any moss.

Here's a photo I took three years ago of some Cattleyas blooming on my tree...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7309/1...8222a9d8_c.jpg
Cattleya Portia coerulea by Epiphyte, on Flickr

This last January I created a thread on the topic of winter rain. You can see a pic of my anceps blooming in the rain. I shared a short video and some more info in a blog entry.

Last year I shared this other blog entry with you... Creating The Perfect Orchid For Southern California. Laelia anceps isn't the perfect orchid for Mediterranean climates because it doesn't usually grow during our raining season. There are some cooler growing orchids in the Cattleya alliance that will grow during our raining season. But generally these aren't as drought tolerant as anceps. So the goal is to combine the best of both worlds.

Last year was 19,4". It rains this qty in a few months, the cool ones.
The raining season was something that I haven't noticed in my investigations to buy the anceps.

Something I haven't noticed yet... a second new growth.
The roots, are they supposed to grow at the base of new growths or do they grow near the medium?

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psu2ldoejt.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...pswrnqqnh5.jpg

They come from the bases of new growths. It will happen.

I was wondering maybe focusing on the newgrowth base isn't the best choice.:)

Thanks, ES.

Your plant is happy - it's making multiple new growths at the same time.

I've read one must not fertilize Laelias when the plant is in its rest because it damages the roots.
Do you think I can start misting with fertilizer without new roots growing?
After all the plant has new growths and temps are reaching 80 F so watering must be resumed (so far I've been misting only, heavily but misting).:hmm

Be very careful. I wouldn't.

I would like to havr your re-evaluation of my laelia.

Today I've found this...

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6eyxvben.jpg

Although new roots are not growing from the new growths, it seems they are growing under the medium surface.

The two new growths are getting bigger each day. The biggest has a length of 2" already (5 cm) while the smallest has 0,4" (1 cm) but is growing really fast...well, both of them are growing fast.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7msts0hd.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psccygbhou.jpg

Temps outside are now in the 75 F with a forecast of 86 F (30 ºC) next week. Lowest HR's are now in the 23 %.

My intuition tells me to stop misting and start watering but, so far, the plant is going fine. So far I've been misting early in the morning in a way that some water gets out by the bottom of the pot. Let's say it's a heavy misting.

What would you do at this point? Or am I being worrying with any reason?

Finally I can see some roots growing, only one bellow each new growth. They're still small, one of them (the bigest) is only 0.5 cm (0.19 inch) and the other is starting to show.
Do you think it's now the right time to resume watering?

I'll post pics tomorrow, now the plant is already sleeping.:D

If humidity is still low I would water. The tips will die otherwise. If humidity is quite high they might get pretty long even without watering.

Humidity now (11:30 pm) is 45% and temp is 22 ºC (72 F). In the morning I presume it might be around 50~55% and min temp around 19 ºC (66 F).

During daytime, large south faced window fully open, indirect light, HR might be somewhere between 20~30% and temps around 25~27 ºC (77~81 F).

I woke up the plant and here's a photo. The roots are green because I've misted lightly the roots and top medium.
Since these are rupicolous I think I'm correct to reduce fertilizer dosage to a 1/4 of the recommended dose (NPK 13:3:15) and fertilize maybe once every 2 weeks. Am I right?

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...pswsjxkfxy.jpg

I would get the roots wet every day. I might wait a little before fertilizing - when the roots are lengthening more. I think it's more witchcraft than science.

I've found another new root, just bellow the bigger new growth. It's almost at medium level so tomorrow it might get into it.
I've been misting daily the roots and the top of the medium.

Yesterday I watered the plant for the first time since I bought it, 3 months ago (I've been only misting the roots and the top layer of the medium).
My temps are always above 70 F (21ºC) inside (outside 86 F / 30ºC) and my HR is always in the low 20's (outside bellow 20%).

Under these conditions how many times would you water it? I know they like plenty of water during the growing stage.

Here's some photos... new roots.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psuwgw0tnf.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4x0bvaow.jpg

New growths

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psxpdjgfpk.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psmalhzc4i.jpg

The plant

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4ug2ie5g.jpg

I would still spray the new roots every day. The bark should dry between waterings.

Cattleya Culture - Part 3

Though this link is much more important for a novice like myself, I thought it may be informative given the "stair-stepping" mentioned towards the bottom of the page, and the same happening with in the most previously posted pics. There is tons of great info if you search around a bit on the site

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Thanks for the link, CB14.
I've read it before but it's always good to read it again.:)

Haha, I just discovered it a few days ago in trying to absorb what I can about cattleyas. I just bought my 1st 2 recently.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

So far, I find catts and related one of the easiest to grow under my conditions. They're all hybrids, except the anceps... maybe that's why (I have 3 plants).

Do you think this is too much?
Just in case I've moved it further away (1 m/ 3,3 ft) from the window (large south window, bright indirect light).

Photo 1

Photo 2

I like to see that kind of pigmentation. It means the plant is definitely getting enough light to bloom, if other factors are acceptable.

Me too but let me put it in context. The new growths were growing towards the window giving the plant an "unbalanced" look. So I've rotate it. Then came the time to rotate it again 180º, so the new growths side that was getting less light is now getting lots of it.
I think I'll keep it away from the window for a week or so until it get acclimatized to such light levels.

Hello, my friends

I'm not sure about this but it seems to be a sheath.
I've read that anceps tend to get a sticky substance on their leaves and one of the advises is to spray water on the leaves to take off the sticky subst to avoid the problem that it seems I'm having: a sticky sheath.

Advise needed on this one.
Thanks

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8mxsvxcj.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...pstlye9rct.jpg

Done!

Misted it and then put it in a room with 80% humidity. The sticky substance changed from a glue to a lubricant so it was easy.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2xdlbaop.jpg

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/...psag75zbzl.jpg

"Please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting"

When I try to go to Photobucket it just loads and loads, doing nothing.