HELP! 2 cattleyas with no roots!

[GGracieGoodman]

These two cattleyas have little to no roots when i took them out of their sphagnum moss earlier. I dont know what to do and if you guys suggest putting it in water or something can you explain exactly how, because i have no idea. There is one little new root coming in on the smaller catt.

Thanks in advance.

[Orchid Whisperer]

From the photo, they do not look dehydrated yet. Rinse off, place each in its own empty terracotta pot, place in a shady spot. Spray the inside of the pot with plain water daily until roots start growing.

As an alternative, if your summer is humid, hang the plants bare root somewhere outdoors in the shade. Spray any root stubs with plain water daily, again until it starts growing new roots.

[GGracieGoodman]

Thanks! I dont have any terracotta pots, will just plain plastic pots work? Also the pseudobulbs are quite shriveled, you cant really tell by the photos. On the small catt (the one that has the weird elevated rhizome) there is one that isn't as bad and is good shape but the leaves are pretty shriveled as well.

[mexicowpants]

Here's what OrchidWhisperer told me for a remarkably similar situation:
"Place the plants in an unglazed terracotta pot with no medium. If the plants want to tip over, you may need to tie the rhizomes to something heavy in the bottom of the pot.
Place the pot in a shaded location. Wet the inside of the pot once a day, preferably early in the morning. This is to provide some humidity. If the plant is strong enough, it will send out new roots.
Cattleyas dislike soaklng. They prefer to become nearly dry in between watering. Longer soaks will kill roots."

With this method I had new root growth within 2 days. Not saying it'll work that quickly for you (I think I may have struck lucky), but I feel I can vouch for this method. Plastic pots won't work because they don't retain the water to create the necessary humidity.

So there you go. Monday is always a good day to go pot shopping



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[GGracieGoodman]

Thanks!

[estación seca]

The plants can't take in water without roots. They will continue to shrivel until they form roots. There are two things you can do to encourage root formation: Put the plant in the most humid environment possible, with bright shade; and dip the plant in a solution of kelp extract 1-3 times per week.

People rooted Cattleyas in the days before kelp, so it's not a requirement. But it often makes rooting go faster.

[mexicowpants]

Originally Posted by estación seca

There are two things you can do to encourage root formation: Put the plant in the most humid environment possible, with bright shade; and dip the plant in a solution of kelp extract 1-3 times per week.

People rooted Cattleyas in the days before kelp, so it's not a requirement. But it often makes rooting go faster.

The kelp extract seems to be the missing link here - the only thing I was doing that orchidwhisperer hadn't mentioned.

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[Orchid Whisperer]

Yes, the kelp extract is a good choice if you have some. It may be especially useful if you have at least a few roots, as kelp extract will encourage branching from those roots.

I have not had much luck getting the kelp to produce results if there are not at least a few short roots, but you can try it.

I am curious how the Cattleyas lost their roots. Were they planted in sphagnum when you first got them?

The terracotta pot is important for the reasons stated. You could try putting some porous stone or broken pieces of brick in a plastic pot, that could work. However, I suggest you should pot Cattleyas into terracotta pots when you have roots growing again. Not impossible to use plastic pots for Cattleyas, but if you do, the medium must be very coarse and free draining.

[silken]

I was curious about the moss too. Most people don't grow Catts in moss. When I buy at orchid shows from places like Ching Hua, they are stuffed tightly into moss. But I immediately get them out. Blooming or not.

[GGracieGoodman]

I got them an orchid show from a vendor I think was Taiwan or something. They were tightly packed into moss when I first got them and they still had blooms, so i didnt want to shorten the lifespan of them. I also didnt have small enough pots to put them in when i did want to repot them. They were in this disposable, thin plastic type pot. Both of the catts did have roots, the big one was really root bound, but with dead roots.