I got a Cattleya! Now what?

[butterfly_muse]

Good evening, everyone! I was out at Lowes this evening with my fiance and while he stared at electrical equipment, I wandered off to the garden section where I found a nice, large (compared to the tiny $6 bags) cattleya selection.

Since we have recently moved and my phals hate my west facing window, I decided to try something new. I have read that catts like more light than phals by a lot, so I figured I might give it a go. My cats also seem to like it, lol.

I have some questions as to how to care for it. It's an epilaeliocattleya golden sunburst, according to its tag. The instructions that it came with said to put it in bright light but no direct light - is this true? Can they handle western-facing windows? How often do they like to be watered? What kind of medium? When I picked up the bag it was packaged in (it was in a plastic bag and there was a white mesh net over its pot), water came out of the bag, but I'm not sure if it was maybe due to an overhead sprayer used on everything, or what. It seems very dry and its roots are white instead of green. The tag says water twice a week while warm and once a week while cool (I'm having to do this with my phals, so that seems like it could be right, though I wouldn't want to overwater it), or is this a kind that likes to dry out totally between waterings? It also looks to be in a mix of lava rock and bark, but I haven't dug down further to see what else may be in there. How often do I fertilize? Should I repot it? It doesn't seem to be in distress, it looks very healthy. Is there anything else specific to catts I should know? Also what is that tan-brown sheath thing on the outside of what I think might be a new p-bulb? Is that normal for cattleyas?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for the advice!

I have attached pictures

[Nanook 2010]

Google "cattelyas for the beginner part one - American orchid society". And see what the experts say....or use the search engine on this site......or just flip through old posts on this site and you will find out all you need to know



Good luck and just enjoy

[vjo]

The kitty looks a little discusted at the new pet Cat...lol...Jean

[butterfly_muse]

Hahaha it does look like that, doesn't it? He was actually listening to my fiance in the other room (which is why his ear is back) and sniffing the cattleya at the same time. He rubbed his face on the leaf he sniffed and then left it alone to stare out the window. Birds and passing cars > plants.

[WhiteRabbit]

Many can take quite a bit of light, but may need to become slowly acclimated. (You don't know how much light it is accustomed to)

Yes, that brownish material is the "sarong", sheathy material that protects the new growth. Eventually it will become very paper-y like.

[james mickelso]

Cattleyas can take quite bright light and yet not full sun during the middle part of the day. Maryland....I would say from morning till 10am and afternoon from 5 until night. but after you acclimate it a bit just a shear curtain across the window would be about right for it or if there is an overhang above the outside of the window it should take the light ok after 5pm. With the epi in the cross those leaves should be a middle green. Like a green bean. They like to dry before watering again but that is rather subjective. It depends on how quickly they dry out. Here's how you do it. Water the begeezus out of it, let it drain, then lift it and feel how heavy it is. Then let it dry for 2 or 3 days. Now pick it up and feel how light it is. If still heavy, wait another 2 days. You will be able to feel how dry it is. Just try it. The orchid will love good clean water low in dissolved salts mainly calcium. Anything below 100 ppm is good. They love a breeze. This plant looks very healthy and the roots are good. With a cat around, I would get a ceramic pot to put this pot into so it has some stability. Take it out of the decorative pot when you water and let drain thoroughly before putting it back in. It will help to put some coarse gravel in the bottom of the decorative pot for the orchids pot to sit on so there is no impedence of air flow through the bottom drain hole. Feed with any liquid plant food or whatever you feed the phals. 1/4 strength at every watering. Once a month just run plain water through the pot for a couple minutes. Or get the media wet, let it drain for a few and then run more water through it to wash out any accumulated salts. That is what fertilizer is anyway. Once the sheaths are dry and papery, carefully take them off. they hide all kinds of nasty things like fungus, mold, bacteria, and bugs like scale and white fly. Just use tweezers and take it off in strips like paper. Also the flesh of the pbulb photosynthesizes and there is about 50% as much area as in the leaves. And here is a good green to guage yours by. And watch the evil cat. I can see it's planning something terrible ;-P

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Cattleyas can take quite bright light and yet not full sun during the middle part of the day. Maryland....I would say from morning till 10am and afternoon from 5 until night. but after you acclimate it a bit just a shear curtain across the window would be about right for it or if there is an overhang above the outside of the window it should take the light ok after 5pm. With the epi in the cross those leaves should be a middle green. Like a green bean. They like to dry before watering again but that is rather subjective. It depends on how quickly they dry out. Here's how you do it. Water the begeezus out of it, let it drain, then lift it and feel how heavy it is. Then let it dry for 2 or 3 days. Now pick it up and feel how light it is. If still heavy, wait another 2 days. You will be able to feel how dry it is. Just try it. The orchid will love good clean water low in dissolved salts mainly calcium. Anything below 100 ppm is good. They love a breeze. This plant looks very healthy and the roots are good. With a cat around, I would get a ceramic pot to put this pot into so it has some stability. Take it out of the decorative pot when you water and let drain thoroughly before putting it back in. It will help to put some coarse gravel in the bottom of the decorative pot for the orchids pot to sit on so there is no impedence of air flow through the bottom drain hole. Feed with any liquid plant food or whatever you feed the phals. 1/4 strength at every watering. Once a month just run plain water through the pot for a couple minutes. Or get the media wet, let it drain for a few and then run more water through it to wash out any accumulated salts. That is what fertilizer is anyway. Once the sheaths are dry and papery, carefully take them off. they hide all kinds of nasty things like fungus, mold, bacteria, and bugs like scale and white fly. Just use tweezers and take it off in strips like paper. Also the flesh of the pbulb photosynthesizes and there is about 50% as much area as in the leaves. And here is a good green to guage yours by. And watch the evil cat. I can see it's planning something terrible ;-P

Hahahaha, I actually had to move it to the bathroom because I checked on it and there were tiny teeth marks on the tip of one leaf...!!! *RAGE* So, the window ledge of the bathroom is way high up and out of the reach of the cats.

I took it out very carefully the other night to look at it, there are some lovely pieces of styrofoam on the bottom to help with drainage and it has a bark/lava rock mix for medium, so it seems quite happy. Do you have any idea how old it may be? And are those black spots on the cattleya in the pic you provided normal? What causes that?

Thank you for all of your advice, I kind of want to go get more...you know, when my fiance isn't home so he just..won't notice...? xD

[james mickelso]

Usually one pbulb per pbulb every season but not always. This is probably a division so I'd guess 3 years old. The black spots on the pic I sent is nothing. People fret about all manner of spots, stripes, mottling, dried edges, and most of it benign. Plants have amazing ability to fight all kinds of diseases. Black rot starts and the plant fights it and it stops. So don't sweat the blemishes. Just keep an eye on them.

[Orchid126]

I live in NJ and I keep all my cats in an unshaded, uncurtained south window during the fall and winter, so west should be okay. In the summer I take them outside in morning sun. Indoors they get watered well once a week to ten days and then are allowed to dry, but they are in bark, perlite, lava rock and charcoal. You will have to test the bark/lava rock mix it's in by using a skewer. Keep it in the soil and if you think the plant needs water pull it out and test it against your cheek, lip, or the back of your hand. If it's wet, don't water. Keep checking until the skewer is dry, then water. James michelso's suggestion about hefting the pot is excellent, but I'm used to the skewer method.

[Skayc1]

My cats would have also knocked the poor plant over...can't trust them a bit, I only have mini phals & a phalaenopsis.