Cattleya with ... virus?

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Dorothy

I would leave it alone and add a little root hormone to your water when you water it. If you make those roots too wet, they will rot. ( I have had root rot experiences with sphag under my conditions)
Otherwise, stick to the scheduled watering and fertilizing. Next time when you go to repot any orchid and you find the roots sticking to the medium - let them soak in water and they will detach. If you force them, the velamen (white coating on the roots) will tear off.
Others comments are welcome!

I totally agree. But remember the white Velamen is not the root. The root is a thread inside this coating. So if you tear it (the Velamen), it might not be a big deal. :

[Erin Raven Skye]

I totally agree with you, except that currently the plant isn't in a pot at all. I didn't want to repot, but when I lifted up the rock it fell out of the pot. So do I just leave it out of the pot? Is it trying to commit suicide? And no, I don't have those 'can't live without it' feelings towards the orchid (I can't remember how you phrased it) but it's such a pretty blue (if it ever blooms) I haven't seen an orchid like that since, and it's such a shame if it dies

[Dorothy]

Put it back in the pot with the medium you had it in. I have had plants fall out of pots, due to my own clumsiness. When you repot in the same medium .. just hold the plant over the pot and put in the medium around the plant so it sit a bit deeper. Bang down the pot when the medium seems high so it fills in the air gaps .

[Erin Raven Skye]

Originally Posted by Dorothy

Put it back in the pot with the medium you had it in. I have had plants fall out of pots, due to my own clumsiness. When you repot in the same medium .. just hold the plant over the pot and put in the medium around the plant so it sit a bit deeper. Bang down the pot when the medium seems high so it fills in the air gaps .

I didn't get this post earlier What I did was put it in an empty damp clay pot, so that the roots won't dry out, but won't get waterlogged from sphagnum. I couldn't find it anyway, and everyone seemed so against it.

[Erin Raven Skye]

Well, I couldn't find my sphagnum anywhere, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving the roots exposed to the air, so what I did was get a wet clay pot and put the orchid in it.

[Dorothy]

Sphag moss is a personal choice by what one has experienced. I have set up rootless catts in bark mix medium or coconut husk chip mix medium and they have grown nicely by just following regular watering, fertilizing and feeding. The best thing is to set it up and find a place it won't move so the roots can develop.