Mounted Cattleya help!

[Draculaa]

So yesterday I walked into a local plant shop of mine and asked if they carried orchids, the owner said no, but that he did have a mounted cat. that needed a good home.

I couldn't just leave it there, so I took it, as he offered it to me for free.

I notice some troubling signs, particularly on the newest growth, but I'm not sure if they're actually something to worry about. I've attached some pictures as to help identify the problem.

[tucker85]

The plant should be fine but remove the moss that covers the roots. When mounting orchids it's OK to put moss between the roots and the mount but moss over the top of the roots keeps the roots too wet and also doesn't allow you to see the roots. Fungus problems on new cattleya growths often indicates that the plant is not getting enough calcium. Make sure your fertilizer contains calcium. If it doesn't, you can either switch to a cal/mag fertilizer that contains calcium and magnesium or use a cal/mag supplement a couple times a month.

[Draculaa]

@Tucker85
Thanks so much for your expertise. I'm going to de-mount and re-mount it properly. I hope these roots look nice.
Should I cut off the brown, gushy, hollow ones? Or leave them.

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by Draculaa

@Tucker85
Thanks so much for your expertise. I'm going to de-mount and re-mount it properly. I hope these roots look nice.
Should I cut off the brown, gushy, hollow ones? Or leave them.

I don't think it's necessary to remove the orchid from the mount. The roots are not in good shape and that puts stress on the plant. Removing it from the mount may put more stress on the plant. I would just remove the moss that's on the outside of the roots and leave any moss that's under the roots. Only cut off roots that you're absolutely sure are dead. If the outer part of the root pulls off easily then the root is dead. I've found that rotten roots on mounted orchids don't cause a problem. They just dry up and fall off if they're open to the air. New roots should start to grow within a few weeks.

[Draculaa]

I didn't see your post in time and decided to just do what I thought was best..

I de-mounted the orchid, cut the bad roots (many of them), let the rootball sit in a diluted mixture of a phosphorus rich fertilizer for about 10 minutes, THEN
proceeded to do the 'sphag & bag' method I've heard much about.

Perhaps I put too much stress on the plant but I guess it'll be a nice experiment. I do hope it works...

[ALToronto]

If this catt has no viable roots, a high P fertilizer is not going to help it. If it does have roots, bagging it in damp sphagnum will cause fungal growth that will kill it.

You should not have unmounted it. But since you did, re-mount it and give it some seaweed extract to promote root growth. Once the roots are healthy, then you can fertilize.

[Draculaa]

there are some viable roots remaining.
I made sure to disinfect the whole area it's in using isopropyl alcohol to ensure minimal bacterial/fungal opportunities. The roots are not touching any medium purposefully to prevent such things. No exposure to spores is really a possibility now...

I think undoing the whole process is going to be even more stressing.
Although I care for this plant, I did get it for free. And the sphag and bag method has had success with many, many people. So I really don't think I can lose here.

I will say I am very concerned about this cattleyas future based on the comments, although I'm not sure..

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by ALToronto

If this catt has no viable roots, a high P fertilizer is not going to help it. If it does have roots, bagging it in damp sphagnum will cause fungal growth that will kill it.

You should not have unmounted it. But since you did, re-mount it and give it some seaweed extract to promote root growth. Once the roots are healthy, then you can fertilize.

I agree. I would just go ahead and mount it. Mist the root area once a day and you should see new roots in a few weeks.