new catasetum
 

my friend gave me these two catasetums he got from backbulb. do i have to have them in hanging baskets? because i only have one basket. if i have to, would it be okay to put these two in the same basket? anything i need to know about catasetum? these are my first

This is a good article on Catasetum culture: http://www.aos.org//AM/Images/pdf/catasetums.pdf

thanks you !!

That is the article that I was going to post when I read this! Its the best, most concise article on the care of Catasetinae. Also, I would not pot your plants up together. That is never a good idea for any species/group/hybrid/plant/etc. Every plant tends to have its own particular growing needs and should be treated separately. Good luck!

okay thanks! do they have to be potted in baskets? because i only have one basket

They can be potted in baskets, though most of mine are in plastic pots with holes/slits cut into them. These plants like to be fairly moist and heavily fertilized when actively growing. Having a media that allows lots of air flow around the roots allows me to water mine everyday. Your conditions will be different, but you should give them plenty of water without keeping them soggy and lots of fertilizer.

alright, i thought that catasetums grew spikes downwards through the basket

Nope, Catasetum spikes grow upwards. Cychnoches have hanging spikes, but either way, they do not require baskets for their spikes. You might be thinking of Stanhopeas that send their spikes down through the media.

maybe it was stanhopea i was thinking about. so a normal plastic orchid pot should work?

Works for me! If you grow indoors, however, Ramon has had really good results growing his Catasetinae in S/H (semi hydro) media, though I don't know how much you know about this technique. I grow all my plants outside all year long, so that technique won't work for me, but if I grew inside, I would definitely grow my Catasetinae in S/H.

i know a little about s/h, i was going to try it once, but then decided against it. they seem happy now, so i think ill keep them in their pots. one of them is in spagh though, should i repot? they seem happy

Spag is fine, just make sure it doesn't get soggy for long periods.

okay thanks for all your help.

No problem!

:)

what alliance are catasetum? i know laelias are catt alliance, and odontoglossum are oncidium alliance, but what about catasetum?

Catasetinae alliance

alright, thanks! :D