When to repot Catt Seedlings?

[Kailyn]

I have three Cattelya seedlings I bought about 2 months ago. They are still very small but seem to be doing well (two of them have had a lot of visible root growth since coming home) I am a Catt newbie and really want these guys to do well. When should I consider re-potting? they are currently in the small sized terracotta pot. The one on the right has a root growing well over the edge of the pot, It's also less stable then the other two.

[Island Girl]

I don't really grow Catts, but I can say that you always want to time your re-pots to root growth (you want the orchid to have started putting out roots (I've heard 2 inches long is a good rule of thumb, some prefer shorter, & some longer... etc), emerging from it's newest lead(s)). I would also say that Spring is probably a good time of year, in most cases, esp. for an inexperienced person...

In the Spring, the daylight is getting longer, it's warming up, and everything is coming to life, including most orchids... So that is usually a good time to re-pot, because all of these things are signaling growth... but it's still important to make sure there is active root growth before you re-pot... (That's the most important thing – root-growth – (IMHO), even if repotting can't be done in the spring, for whatever reason)

So, if anyone more experienced with Catt-types comes along, and says differently, then by all means, take their advice, & ignore mine! Lol, I know a decent amount about Phals (certainly not everything, & not nearly enough, lol), but I'm fairly new to Catt-types, and there is always something to learn..

[tucker85]

I agree with Mary Linn about the best time to repot. But your three cattleyas can easily stay in those pots for another year or two. Cattleyas do best if they're allowed to grow undisturbed for as long as possible. They also like to grow in very small pots like yours.

[Kailyn]

Thank you guys for the insight I will leave them happily alone for awhile. I am worried i might need to better anchor the one in its pot as it grows bigger. it already kind of tips over. Any ideas about how to do this with as little disturbance as possible?

[Bolero]

Yep like the others have said, when the new roots have developed. This of course will depend on the species or parentage of the hybrid so you may find yourself repotting at different times depending on the plants.

[plumania]

If the pots are not too big,how about using an empty Yogurt container ?
Put some heavy , clean rocks in the bottom and fill a little with water and set the orchid pots on top of the rock.
Water in the yogurt container will provide humidity.
Sides of the container will keep the pots from tipping over. If you have enough space between pot and containers, put some rocks in there too.
Watering will not be too difficult in this set up.

[GardenTheater]

Another option is to put the smaller terra cotta pot, as is, into a larger one. Put some gravel in the bottom of the larger pot to get the top of both pots at the same height.

[Kailyn]

Thanks folks! i think putting the smaller pot into a larger to avoid the tipping as it grows sounds like the easiest way to deal with it, until the time comes for a real repotting.

[james mickelso]

Good advice from GT. Just let these catta grow undisturbed for the next two years. For roots growing out of the pot, try to turn them back into the edge of the pot and place a rock or something heavy on top of them to keep them down in the pot. But that really isn't necessary as most orchid roots don't need to be on or under anything. As long as they get wet when watering. Catts like tight quarters. The longer they stay undisturbed (to a point) they better off they are. These are two to three years from blooming under near perfect conditions. Once the new pbulbs grow to the edge of the pot, that is the time to repot. One to two more years. get some of Ray's seaweed gunk. They will really throw out roots which help the plants grow better.