Cattleya Walkeriana needs some TLC

[BellaOrquidea]

I recently purchased some orchids online and added this Cattleya (Cattleya walkeriana v. Tipo) into the cart with the description As is: Needs reppotting. My first thought was yeah sure I can do it but needless to say that once my order arrived the plant received was not what I had expected and I am in need of advice as to how to save this Cattleya.
First of, the Cattleya came in a slotted pot which was inside another 4” solid pot. The roots had overgrown and poked through the draining holes in the second pot. The roots were brown and dried so when I pulled the smaller pot it came out very effortlessly. Once I inspected the Cattleya more closely I found that 4 pbulbs were rotten and two more have a very dark brown almost black coloring. They are firm to the touch. Additionally this Cattleya has three more good pbulbs, although one is dangling as it seems to have been damaged awhile ago. I will include some pictures so you can see and hopefully we can save this plant.

[orchidsarefun]

This is what I would do:
Pot the bulbs you consider good into a shallow pot. Make sure they are secure with a clip. Use medium bark
Next place the pot on a hangar outdoors. Under a shrub, no direct sun
We've had a lot of rain. Great. On off days make sure watered 2x per week.
Outdoors currently has high humidity but also the pot will dry quickly, wind etc.
No fertilizer.
Mine currently has 8 new growths and evident root growth too. If you can do the above I think the plant has an excellent chance.

[Leafmite]

Good advice!

Good luck with it!

[BellaOrquidea]

Thank you for your suggestions. Do you think it will make a difference if I use the RePot me Cattleyas mix? It contains:
Medium Orchiata Monterey Pine Bark, Large Sponge Rock, Hydroton, Medium Stalite.
Only because is the only suitable media I have & don’t want to delay the much needed repotting by ordering the bark.

[Nexogen]

Two months ago I replanted a Cattleya walkeriana exactly in the state where your plant is. I attached it to a piece of cork and I sprayed it every two days. Now it is in a very good condition.

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by BellaOrquidea

Thank you for your suggestions. Do you think it will make a difference if I use the RePot me Cattleyas mix? It contains:
Medium Orchiata Monterey Pine Bark, Large Sponge Rock, Hydroton, Medium Stalite.
Only because is the only suitable media I have & don’t want to delay the much needed repotting by ordering the bark.

Sure

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Nexogen

Two months ago I replanted a Cattleya walkeriana exactly in the state where your plant is. I attached it to a piece of cork and I sprayed it every two days. Now it is in a very good condition.

I have a pair of Cattleya Mini Purples in net pots with no medium and the pots are filling with roots. I spray the roots every day or two and water it well once a week.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by orchidsarefun

This is what I would do:
Pot the bulbs you consider good into a shallow pot. Make sure they are secure with a clip. Use medium bark
Next place the pot on a hangar outdoors. Under a shrub, no direct sun
We've had a lot of rain. Great. On off days make sure watered 2x per week.
Outdoors currently has high humidity but also the pot will dry quickly, wind etc.
No fertilizer.
Mine currently has 8 new growths and evident root growth too. If you can do the above I think the plant has an excellent chance.

Good advice.

[Optimist]

The stability issue is very importent. Pot clips, tie to wood inside the pot, zip tie to mesh etc. I have found that rootless orchids will survive if you water more consistently (they do not have roots and so cannot use the roots to create the food they need-- a lot of biochemical things happen in an orchid root). Placing the orchid in an area where it will not move, and where you cannot jostle it around is helpful to root re-establishment.

[BellaOrquidea]

Originally Posted by Optimist

The stability issue is very importent. Pot clips, tie to wood inside the pot, zip tie to mesh etc. I have found that rootless orchids will survive if you water more consistently (they do not have roots and so cannot use the roots to create the food they need-- a lot of biochemical things happen in an orchid root). Placing the orchid in an area where it will not move, and where you cannot jostle it around is helpful to root re-establishment.

One of the things I’ve noticed by watering like this is that I start growing fungus or whatever that white fussy stuff is on whatever is touching the plant. That’s why I felt that the suggestion mentioned above of bringing the Cattleya outside was best for me.

How can I still do this if I wanted to grow new roots on let’s say a phalaenopsis orchid that doesn’t like as much light as a Cattleya?