Cattleya roots completely embedded in decayed potting media, please help!

[Leafmite]

I have grown Cattleyas for years in red lava rock, from seedling size to blooming size. I use basket pots to go with the rock so I can enjoy seeing the roots. I've never had a problem with the straight red lava rock. You will never, ever need to pick bark off the roots again which is one of the reasons I hate bark sooooo much.

[Optimist]

I pot my cattleyas in lava rock. Everything else in combinations of lava, hydroton small gravel, sand, and choir. Often, as I go up the pot, I add something else to the mix.

The thing is, the rock stabilizes the plant and generates a small bit of water retention.

Ban from your mind the notion that the roots are getting anything from the "soil" which they would be if they were terrestrial plants. In fact with orchids you must flush the medium lest it keep or hold too much nutrients Or salts. In Bangcock, I am imagining that there is plenty of moisture in the air. Plenty of mist, fog, rain, humidity. I live in a desert with about 2% humidity at times so I generate humidity and also water the plants more. You will be lucky enough to water less and let the plants absorb natural humidity from the air.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by LovePhals

I agree. Bud, why not lava rock? I use lava rock on all my Cattleyas and have pretty good luck. I usually do a top dressing of a more moisture retentive media, though. I know you are more experienced so am interested in why you don't suggest it.

Ideally it would be great to use Cattleya mix since this was prepared by experts specifically for this kind of plant. But if you only have lava rocks and nothing else....I guess it will also work.... I have seen here posted pictures of beautiful Cattleyas flowers using only lava rocks as potting medium.

[Wathepleela]

After much is said, not much done, I’m sorry!

I started “un-packing” the plant first thing in the morning, thinking I could let the difficult parts soak away while I went to the stores to get the mix. But I didn’t get far – the medium when peeled away still looks bright redwood-ish and compact on the inside, furthermore, roots are poking through it, some are even greenish! I don’t know how they did it, I can only venture to guess that they are strong enough to spear through the fiber of the husk, and for me to pry them apart would require micro-surgery skills. In short the medium though looking awful on the surface, is still shall we say, semi-serviceable and hasn’t decomposed enough to the point of breaking apart when you pick at it.




So I put the kid back in the pot, securing all around with a few wedges and gave it a big hug (I even promised it a lollipop later on - I swear I could hear a sniffle?) For the time being it stays in its unsightly lifted position, though with “new and improved” ventilation, I have made sure that the pot’s bottom holes are all clear.



The sack of RFFM (“rocks from fire mountains”) remains unopened. On my next trip to the nurseries I will inquire or ask them vendors to prepare me a Cattleya mix as Bud has recommended (funny thing is folks here don’t give much thought on how to care for plants as the local flora is so varied and abundant, but one never knows.)




Again a big thanks to everyone who have given much needed advice (not to mention mental support) to me over this cliff-hanging endeavor.
Further prognosis of the current condition would be very much welcome, I would like to hear what you think would/might happen... My hope is that in a few months the medium would deteriorate enough to enable repotting without too much hardship and hand-wringing.

[Wathepleela]

Originally Posted by Optimist

The thing is, the rock stabilizes the plant and generates a small bit of water retention.
.....

In Bangcock, I am imagining that there is plenty of moisture in the air. Plenty of mist, fog, rain, humidity. I live in a desert with about 2% humidity at times so I generate humidity and also water the plants more. You will be lucky enough to water less and let the plants absorb natural humidity from the air.

Yes, you're correct. It's the tropics here. Yesterday afternoon there was a downpour and my orchids were in heaven. Nevertheless, since all but the catt are mounted, it's a never-ending job of caring for them (someone says you'll become a slave if you mount them, nothing could be truer!) At home, I'm forever in the middle of giving someone ( the orchids I mean ) a bath no matter what time of day or night!

I also remember the vendor says the rocks keep the orchids "cool".

[oscar freak]

it was my first time dealing with this particular medium but i think the plant was simply to big for the medium,its a terrible medium at that it stays wet for far to long.will take a pic of the plant post transplant

[Bud]

Originally Posted by oscar freak

it was my first time dealing with this particular medium but i think the plant was simply to big for the medium,its a terrible medium at that it stays wet for far to long.will take a pic of the plant post transplant

Your plant looks happy and healthy. Whatever you are doing is good. Even the lighting is perfect. You have the correct shade of leaf color for that kind of Cattleya. Don't fuss over it ....leave it be. Repot after a year.

[Wathepleela]

Originally Posted by oscar freak

it was my first time dealing with this particular medium but i think the plant was simply to big for the medium,its a terrible medium at that it stays wet for far to long.will take a pic of the plant post transplant

Yet, inspite of "medium at that it stays wet for far to long" your catt produces beautiful flowers...which brings back to mind my catt vendor's instructions: "water it DAILY, you can do it either morning or EVENing"

I thought the common wisdowm was to leave the catt completely dried out before you dunk it again.

[Wathepleela]

AArrghhhh!!!



looks like it's gonna be twins!

[bil]

Originally Posted by Wathepleela

Yet, inspite of "medium at that it stays wet for far to long" your catt produces beautiful flowers...which brings back to mind my catt vendor's instructions: "water it DAILY, you can do it either morning or EVENing"

I thought the common wisdowm was to leave the catt completely dried out before you dunk it again.

I think it's more that if enough air cannot get to the roots, then they die, whether they get water or not. The reason people tallk about the media drying out is that it should then allow air in. Watering is like the soil in the pot breathing out as the water fills all the air spaces, and as the water is used up or evaporates, the air is drawn into the soil, like someone breathing in.

Keeping the medium permanetly wet stops air exchange.