Catasetum Growing Problems
 

How do you take care of a plant that you have no idea about? I've read quite a lot about them but when you don't know how to recognize the changes they take on, how do you know how to adjust, accordingly? For instance:

All 3 of these had leaves on what looked like healthy bulbs when I purchased them. I was told to water when the roots were around 1-2" but the medium I'm using (bark/Hydroton) hides the root growth. I watered according to how large the bulbs were growing, a little heavier/more often, the larger they got. Then the leaves turned yellow and fell off and then stopped all watering. Once again, they began growing (pics below taken tonight). I haven't begun watering the plant with the smallest growth yet (2 growths, pic #2), the plant with the multiple growths (pic #3) is getting water about once a week...I haven't a clue how long the roots are. And the plant with the largest growth (#1), recently lost 2 yellowed leaves which, I've now stopped watering all together. Obviously this means the plant wont spike, correct?

Am I doing this right? They are almost unsightly looking and I don't know if they're supposed to even look the way they do.

The yellowing bulb on this one plant #3), isn't soft or mushy so do I keep it? cut it?

Can someone tell me what to do? I need a lot of direction with these. In the meantime, I'll keep searching the forum.

Thanks in advance for whatever guidance you can help me with!:bowing

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Check out Sunset Valley Orchids - Grower and hybridizer of quality orchids, Vista CA for a really good general care guide for these plants. As for your specific situation, I would water #3 a lot. I dont know what your specific conditions are, but during growth, I water mine every day. These guys are thirsty when growing and love TONS of fertilizer. As for the yellowing bulb in pic 3, just leave it. The plant is consuming it and it will simply shrivel up soon and you can pull it off when its crispy.

Just guessing, but I would start watering your second pic in a week or so. The new growth looks fairly large.

The plant in pic #1 looks like its largest bulb is kinda shriveled, so you might want to get it nice n plump again before giving it a winter rest. It also seems kinda early to drop all leaves. You might have been underwatering it during this year's growth period. Again, Im totally guessing here and if you were underwatering, its ok because you are learning!!

All should get regular water & fertilizer, once or twice a week....and can be misted daily. I would treat the third one like it has a fungus, because it may have. It's hard to tell, but that yellow looks like it's spreading to the next bulb....which would explain the sudden dropping of the leaves. The yellow bulbs are not normal! You may have been watering too much, which will show some of the same symptoms as underwatering. If it were me, I would remove the yellow bulb, and cover the spot in cinammon. No good can come from that bulb being there, it is dead. If it does contain fungus, leaving it will just be storing spores. Besides, removing it provides a quicker way for treatment to get to the problem, via the open wound....you may be able to catch it before it spreads. I just lost an Encyclia the same way, didn't catch it in time!

Yes dont be shy with the water when they are actively growing, Min sits in spagnum moss which is kept constantly soaked and they just love it. whne the new growths mature dont just stop the water but as the leaves yellow reduce it gradually to ease it into dormancy.

Yellow bulb in #3 is not a fungus it looks like the plant is just using the energy stored in it, Catasetums usually dont show yellowing with a fungus they just turn black and get fuzzy. If it was a fungus the new growth would have already been killed by it.

Well, on my Encyclia that died that way, the yellow just kept spreading until the plant was dead. This happened in a period of about two weeks. So I just remove yellow bulbs.

What species of encyclia are you speaking of? Some species are prone to bacterial and fungal infections that many other orchids are immune to. What you describe sounds bacterial in nature, did any of the bulbs get mushy or have a strong odor. If so this would be a sign of bacterial rot which can be caused by over watering and or too high a humidity level.

Yellow bulbs on Catasetums and several other groups, but not Catts (at least from my experience) happen when the energy from that bulb is being sucked dry. Its normal and does not cause the plant any harm. It definitely freaked me out the first couple of times I saw it though!!

I agree with Steve's assessment of the three plants. I see that you're on the SE coast of Florida. I'm here in NE FL and I keep my plants in filtered shade outside, suspended in hanging baskets to keep the slugs and such at bay. This summer has been the wettest in several years and my plants are getting soaked regularly, plus I'm feeding them on a regular basis also, using a dilute orchid fertilizer about every 3-4 days. Daytime temps have been in the low to mid 90's, nights in the 70's. The plants are growing very well, and two of my seedlings have spikes. I repotted all of the seedlings to net pots with sphagnum in them and the root growth has been very good, plus I can actually see the roots growing down through the medium in the pots. I think that Fred Clarke's advice at his Sunset Valley Orchid site is good, but after the plants get new growths that are four or five iinches tall, i start watering them more, even if I can't fully see the roots down in the medium. My four larger plants are all in medium grade fir bark mixed with tree fern root fiber, fine charcoal, and perlite. They are all doing well too, judging from the lush leaf growth that I'm seeing. I would reommend that you grow your plants outside in bright shade or with early to mid morning full sun and afternoon bright shade, if possible. Coupled with the kind of watering I noted above (which has been liberally supplemented with good rain this season), I think you'll see some very fine growth, followed by good flowering. Anyway, that's my view of things.

Hope this helps. Good luck growing. Hey, it's always a learning experience. I've been growing orchids of one sort or another for nearly thirty years and you're always learning something. And you'll always kill a few plants, too, now and again. Conditiions change, the plants grow or deteriorate, the potting medium breaks down and the roots go bad, etc, etc. It's always something. Teaches you to keep your eyes open and watch closely what's happening. And it's always worth the work and attention, in the end.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Every response here has given me much needed insight and instruction.

I have been underwatering them...big time, I now realize by all of your responses. I was so afraid of rot and not knowing, not recognizing when they were/and are again!!, requiring water, I hesitated thinking I need to see more roots growing.

Plant #3-start watering and fertilizing regularly, plant #2-begin watering lightly in about a week and, start giving plant #1 heavier watering to try to get the bulbs more plump before their winter rest.

I've been giving it the light dvespertilio recommends....so far, the only thing I've done right with these!

Again, I've gotten so much information from every replied post here.

I'm very grateful to you all.:bowing :bowing :bowing

If you are worried about overwatering, make sure that your rates of evaporation are very high. Do this with lots of moving air (whether its from a fan or from a natural breeze, the plants dont care!) and warm temps and bright sunlight. I pot my Catasetinae in platic pots with slits cut in the sides. I then use wine corks standing on end for most of the media. On top of the wine corks I have an inch or so of spag. This technique allows moisture retention with lots of air movement around the roots. It allows me to water every day with absolutely no worry of root rot. :goodluck:

Steve, very interesting and curious...the wine corks. I can't visualize this but I get the objective. I was thinking that for next year, I'd use sphag. and add chopped tree fern and cc chips...to keep the spagh loose. How does that sound?

BTW, I watered all 3 today and will carefully/patiently wait to water again on the smallest one. I'm going to begin watering heavily the one with lots of new growth and the one with the yellowing leaves, I'll try to fatten up before its winter rest as you suggested. They've been getting lots of air movement and warm temps so hopefully, I'll get them plumped up again and maybe next season....spiking!:crossfing :crossfing

Should be good! I would recommend that you either use clay pots or cut slits into the sides of your plastic pots. Air movement around the roots is pretty important with these plants. It wierd because they like moist conditions but their roots need plenty of contact with the air. You could also put the cc and tree fern on the bottom of the pot and put the spag on top. That would also add another level of 'air-i-ness' to the roots. Just a thought. Im curious to see what you do and how your blooms will be! :goodluck:

Thanks again Steve for your thoughts. These are all in side slitted pots now. Next season, they'll go into the plastic, netted ones. I'll do as you suggested with the sphag. on top. All is not lost, just flowering for this season. I'll get it right for next year, thanks to you and the others, here!