Repotting cattleyas
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

Repotting cattleyas
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
Register Repotting cattleyas Members Repotting cattleyas Repotting cattleyas Today's PostsRepotting cattleyas Repotting cattleyas Repotting cattleyas
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 07-13-2023, 04:48 PM
Dani8 Dani8 is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2022
Posts: 11
Repotting cattleyas
Default Repotting cattleyas

Hi, I have a few cattleyas that have been in leca/seramis mix the last few years. I like that I can easily water from above and I don't have to worry about the media breaking down, but I think it's collected salts and the plants are just not doing great. My tap water is softened through adding salts and only 6 months ago I switched to ro water.

The shelf they were on fell yesterday due to a storm and since most of them ended out of their pots, I want to repot them but I'm not sure what to use this time. I live in a cold climate and they are indoors from October till may.

What would you recommend as potting media considering I have ~30 orchids and don't have the possibility of dunking them in water every week or flushing with ro water regularly.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 07-13-2023, 04:58 PM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is offline
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,858
Repotting cattleyas Female
Default

First, Welcome.

I leave it to members who live in a climate similar to yours to recommend media and potting strategies. But one important item... using softened water was likely a "slow poison"... most water softeners replace calcium with sodium, which is horrible for plants. The calcium-containing hard water won't harm the plants at all. RO water can be beneficial, it may take some time to overcome the damage due to the sodium that the plants were exposed to prior.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 07-13-2023, 11:44 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,654
Repotting cattleyas Male
Default

Welcome!

How do you water your plants when they're inside? Whatever medium you use, it is best to thoroughly soak the medium each time so plenty of water runs out the pot. That means carrying each pot to a sink or shower, or having plants in large trays to collect the water. Member WaterWitchin has posted photos of her tray setup. She sets plants on plastic drop-down lighting grids in boot trays with drain holes drilled. The drains empty via hoses to buckets that can be emptied.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 07-14-2023, 01:39 AM
Dani8 Dani8 is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2022
Posts: 11
Repotting cattleyas
Default

Because the ro water takes a long time to fill a bucket, I just water from the top as much as needed so the medium is wet, but there's no more than 1cm water in the tray. With the leca/seramis it works.
I can't use the shower or sink because water at all taps is softened and the ro water is collected in a watering can but takes 1 hour per 10 Liter watering can. So I can't afford making a lot of ro water to then throw down the drain if you understand.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 07-14-2023, 02:27 AM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is offline
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,858
Repotting cattleyas Female
Default

Is there an outdoor faucet where you can get water? Usually, outdoor faucets are designed to be used for plant watering, and so are not plumbed through the water softener.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)

Last edited by Roberta; 07-14-2023 at 02:29 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 07-14-2023, 03:37 AM
Dani8 Dani8 is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2022
Posts: 11
Repotting cattleyas
Default

No outdoor faucet. It's a block of flats and I asked my neighbours if there's any tap with water before the softener and they said there is none. The garden doesn't get watered unless it's really drought, maximum once per year.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 07-15-2023, 12:02 AM
Jmoney's Avatar
Jmoney Jmoney is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 397
Repotting cattleyas
Default

perhaps collect rainwater? many grow catts in a bark based mix, some (like myself) use tightly packed sphagnum, but most water heavily each time.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-15-2023, 07:26 PM
Leafmite's Avatar
Leafmite Leafmite is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Ohio
Posts: 10,953
Repotting cattleyas
Default

I live in a place where we have winter, too, and the plants need to come indoors. Any medium will accumulate salt, minerals and fertilizer but most of the time, the medium is changed every so often. Not so with the lava rock that I use...my orchids get a chance to establish a really healthy root system because I do not change the medium. For this reason, I need to flush the medium with water to get rid of old fertilizer, salts an excess minerals. Sometimes I get lucky and we have heavy rains that do the trick but, other times, I need to run each pot under warm (not hot) water to do this. I have to do this with my other houseplants, too.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
__________________
I decorate in green!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
cattleyas, live, media, salts, water


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cattleyas - How Dry is Dry? mopwr Cattleya Alliance 14 08-09-2022 09:04 AM
Wooden baskets engulfed by large cattleyas - is Repotting even possible? piping plover Potting & Repotting 67 07-30-2022 04:54 PM
Repotting cattleyas from moss into bark/When is the growth cycle deadline to repot? BrassavolaStars Beginner Discussion 3 10-23-2019 08:15 PM
My method for repotting cattleyas.. tucker85 Potting & Repotting 13 06-01-2012 07:47 AM
Repotting Cattleyas Austin Powers Beginner Discussion 6 04-06-2010 06:01 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:49 PM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.