Cattlaya violacea in sphagnum

[Jmoney]

Originally Posted by aerides

Thanks for responding, but the subject of this post isn't dependent on a photo. A cattleya in sphagnum is a catteya in sphagnum. It's a cattleya violacea in a plastic pot filled with sphagnum.
Generally, sphagnum is not a recommended medium for cattleyas. As to why a premier vendor these days has taken to sending expensive orders of everything in sphagnum is itself the subject of a conversation. Nevermind how one is expected to manage it.
Disappointing response, but thanks for your time.

I grow mature cattleyas in sphagnum and I get tremendous growth and blooms. I know several growers who also use sphagnum. It is not a medium for everyone and (obviously) certain requirements have to be met for it to be a viable option. It is particularly excellent for seedlings. In my opinion.

[aerides]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Accelerating the wet/dry cycle can be done by dropping it in a clay pot (without disturbing roots) or by punching holes (I use an electric soldering iron for this) in a plastic pot. Increasing airflow across the top of the pot with a fan can help as well.

Great tips. This particular plastic pot is thin, translucent. It has two rows of 2" long vertical slits all the way around. I guess if I was going to pick a plastic pot to grow a catt in with sphagnum, this one seems ideal for the experiment. I wouldn't mind if there was a layer of drainage on the bottom though.
If it seems to be staying too wet for too long, the clay pot idea will give me a great option. (Luckily no roots have started growing through the slits yet.)
Thanks so much.

[estación seca]

What are your growing temperatures and humidity? Catt. seedlings in sphagnum dry out here in 2-3 days.

[aerides]

Originally Posted by estación seca

What are your growing temperatures and humidity? Catt. seedlings in sphagnum dry out here in 2-3 days.

I'm in the lower northeast US, on the cusp of the mid-Atlantic, and growing inside the house. Humidity never seems to be a problem for average hobby growing. Quite low in winter and satifyingly high, around 50%, in summer. By classic standards, I'd classify my temps as "warm", suitable for human comfort and for a large variety of generally adaptable orchids. Available natural light is spiked with high-energy LED spots that can be excessive for standard catt hybrids and mericlones if not watched.
The violacea was delivered on 7/25; watered on Friday, 7/26. I checked it today (8/2) because it was feeling quite light again. A little dampness in the bottom third so I expect to water it tomorrow Saturday, 8/3). 8 day gap seems within acceptable parameters. Do you agree?
Thanks.

[Leafmite]

Can you see the roots? All that matters is that the roots are healthy in whatever medium you have chosen. If the roots are happy in moss, then growing it in moss works for you.

[aerides]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Can you see the roots? All that matters is that the roots are healthy in whatever medium you have chosen. If the roots are happy in moss, then growing it in moss works for you.

I can see that it has some roots along the sides of the translucent pot - they look like older roots though. Just bought the plant so don't really know what going on in the "dark interior" unfortunately. Not in growth currently, so probably not the best time to go exploring. Will take it easy on water anyway.

It's in front of a large double-glazed window which will keep most of the afternoon heat away. LED spot supplemental light, which I've noticed seems to have a very positive effect on rooting. If I err on the side of dryness, hopefully I'll notice any signs of dehydration quickly.

Thanks for your response.

[estación seca]

If it's taking 8 days to dry I would consider not soaking the moss when watering. Dip the top surface of the pot upside down into water for 1-2 seconds only, so the water diffuses through the moss.

[aerides]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If it's taking 8 days to dry I would consider not soaking the moss when watering. Dip the top surface of the pot upside down into water for 1-2 seconds only, so the water diffuses through the moss.

I think that approach makes sense. Back in the days when orchid-growing as a hobby was taking off and instructions for would-be novice growers were becoming standardized (largely guided by the AOS) such partial watering was not encouraged. According to those guidelines, orchids should be watered until copious drainage occurred. Consequently, sphagnum moss was reserved for terrestrials and other moisture loving orchids (together with a far greater usage of clay pots than today). I admit to being infused with this approach.

A lot of that may have been because of the method and amount of fertilizing which also was so standardized, and such flushing discouraged the build-up of "salts" over time. These days people are using a lot less fertilizer so less build-up occurs. Also noticing that MSU Fertilizers readily available recommend fertilizing orchids in sphagnum once a month, but still with the reduced rate (which I expect will help so much with surface scum as well).

So, I will try very hard to take your advice. Sphagnum does become quite light even before it is quite dried out, which means that air begins to be reintroduced into the medium fairly soon after watering. This structural characteristic does make it attractive and tempting to use it as (in my opinion) a cross-over medium. Aside from that, there does seem to be something about the nature of cattleya roots in particular that requires them to experience a degree of actual dryness on their surfaces between waterings if they are to remain healthy.

This is mostly why I continue to not understand potting cattleyas in sphagnum in the first place when bark seems to work much better with far less fussing.

Thanks for engaging on this.

[estación seca]

My experience has been seedling Catts, in appropriately sized pots, in sphagnum moss, with daytime temperatures of around 80-85 degrees F / 26-30C, will use enough water to dry out in 2-3 days after the moss is thoroughly soaking wet. If it's taking longer your temperatures are probably lower than that.

[aerides]

Originally Posted by estación seca

My experience has been seedling Catts, in appropriately sized pots, in sphagnum moss, with daytime temperatures of around 80-85 degrees F / 26-30C, will use enough water to dry out in 2-3 days after the moss is thoroughly soaking wet. If it's taking longer your temperatures are probably lower than that.

They are cooler, about 5 degrees F.

I'd written an earlier response to you that I tried your moderate watering idea with great success. I didn't do the topsy-turvy method, but have a small slender necked
watering can that is very controllable.

I checked the plant for dryness with a bamboo skewer before watering, weighed and recorded it. Watered it sparingly, checked for dispersal, weighed it again and recorded it again. I expect to be able to water it again in three days.

I feel very comfortable with the plant now. I use both bamboo skewers to check moistness in the bottom of the pot, and a kitchen scale measuring in grams.

Also was very happy to discover a healthy root tip coming down through one of the bottom drainage holes.

I lost the earlier message when I was trying to send a couple of pics. They kept coming out sideways on my post. As I was trying to fix that, I accidentally deleted the post. Duh. Maybe there are FAQs on Orchid Board for posting pics.

Thanks again for your great support. I feel very happy now.