Catasetum S/H

[Chlorophile]

I've been reading about catasetum orchids and their resting period when they are supposed to go without water. I don't have one and am not planning on getting one at least for the foreseeable future so this is purely a curiosity question. Would this still be a candidate for S/H and how would you manage something like that? I guess just letting the reservoir dry out once the leaves drop.

[fishmom]

Exactly right. I have a Fdk. that has been in S/h since it was a seedling, in 2009. I let it dry out completely in the winter, no trouble at all. It has been repotted a couple of times as it grew larger and as the LECA got crusty, but it doesn't even need that every year. I like knowing that it always has the water it needs.

[estación seca]

I have read people in Hawaii stating that, if night temperatures are routinely over 55 F / 13C, you can water Catasetinae all winter. I haven't tried it.

[Ray]

A "winter rest" is more about nutrition than about water. It's easy to see how that confusion arose- a plant in the wild gets fed when it rains. No rain ("dry season") equals no food.

Certainly treating the plant with a traditional drying works, but folks are also successful by continuing to water, but providing absolutely no fertilizer.

[Dandrobium]

I find Catasetums do quite well in semi hydro. I let them dry in winter as per typical culture for them. The problem I had was keeping up with watering in standard deli container pots. In the heat of summer, they would drink the reservoir dry almost daily. I kept up with the watering, and the plants did well, but I've since switched to a bark/perlite/sphagnum mix that is more water retentive.