Cattlaya violacea in sphagnum

[aerides]

I just received a cattleya violacea in sphagnum. Very much need helpful tips. I have C. dowiana seedling in intensive care recovery after I tried to continue growing it in the sphagnum it arrived in. I tried my best to gauge the happy medium between bone dry and too moist. I was seeing the pseudobulbs beginning to shrink and had no idea what to do. I watered it a little bit more, but not until saturated. Finally, I knew I had to do something and repotted it into bark mix; it didn't have many roots but I think it be okay unless it just decides to croak, but Now This One !
I can't repot it now because it's not in active growth. So I need to keep it going in the sphag for the time being.
Help! And Thanks!

[isurus79]

Photos help a lot

[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.

[estación seca]

Sphagnum is an excellent medium for Cattleyas, especially seedlings, if growing conditions are otherwise good and the plant is watered before it's completely dry. C. violacea prefers warm temperatures and high humidity. It can be hard to water Catt. seedlings in bark enough when it's warm.

[Louis_W]

Easy there...

Lots of growers grow cattleyas in sphag. It isnt a crime it works for them.

At risk of being snapped at, I suggest you keep them on the drier side until they can be repotted. Bulbs can shrivel a little. It wont hurt the plant. Soak, wait until its totaly dry, then soak again. May be a week or more between waterings depending on your environment.

[Dalachin]

I definitely agree with not repotting until you see new growth. I got a violacea seedling last year and it seems to love moisture, I put it in semi hydro (leca with a resevoir) and it is growing well.

[aerides]

So sorry. Didn't mean to snap at anyone. Also, major cudos to those who grow cattleyas in sphagnum. I'm a huge fan of NZ sphagnum moss, always have been, for phals, paphs, miltoniopsis (especially), oncidiums, etc. It's just never worked for me personally with cattleyas and I'm very nervous about it.

And thanks so much for the suggestions and guidelines offered. Very helpful to hear positive testimonials that it will work.

So, definitely soak the pot, then? Let dry almost completely, but not crunchy because it will be difficult to re-wet? It's inside the house, but I can grow it quite bright and warm and with good air movement.

Despite my moody response yesterday, I will be happy to post a pic. Now that I've gotten over my shock, I see that it is a very cool plant and am excited all over again.

[Louis_W]

Ya I feel like crunchy is a little too far, but if it does get to that point just put the pot in a little bowl of water and leave it for 20 min. It wil resaturate.

[aerides]

I tried to photograph the plant, but there was nothing much to photograph. As I said in my first response, it's just a cattleya in a pot of sphagnum. Not photogenic.
That said, the good news is that it's a mature seedling, in a 5" translucent plastic pot. I assume it's NBS. The weight difference between wet and dry is unmistakeable.
The challenge will be to accelerate the wet-dry period as much as possible within bounds of overall good culture, and I like misting aerial roots.

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[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.