Media got wet, roots stalled

[SouthPark]

When not much leaves are there yet ------ avoid dumping too much water into the media - that's to avoid getting the roots and media overly wet. Actually --- even if there were heaps of leaves, there is still a limit to how much water the roots can handle if water is dumped into the media.

Spraying some water onto the media surface - just enough for some water to get down into the depths of the media to keep things lightly moist ------ is no problem. Also making sure the general temperature (range) is still good for catasetum growing. A generally cold orchid (most of the day) with cold wet roots and not much transpiration going on is something to think about too.

Upper 60's (fahrenheit) is good. Much higher temperature would probably be much better ----- as in watch the night and day temperatures.

Originally Posted by mook1178

I can say that after that shot of water

With the 'shot of water' ----- just how big that 'shot' of water is/was ----- is important. Could be critically important here. A relatively 'small' shot will be ok. Don't give a relatively big shot.

Originally Posted by mook1178

The media for one of my plants got wet

I forgot to ask you mook. How did it get wet? Over-head automatic sprinkler system? Rain shower? Or you just decided to water it manually?

[mook1178]

I had just medicated, maybe a bit too much. Grabbed it with other ctsm while watering manually. Bi have a ctsm that is well into watering phrase. Realized after I stuck this one under the faucet. Probably code to happy a cup of water in a 4 in clay pot

[SouthPark]

Thanks Mook! Anyway ----- nice save. A good turn-out in the end.

[mook1178]

should have read that before I posted. LOL

Probably got close to half a cup of water. Hoping the repot was gentle enough on the roots. I know none broke, but those tips are sensitive as well.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Its pretty common for roots reaching out to stall and die when they hit wet media. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Wow! That’s not my experience at all.

Got any ideas that might explain that? Maybe the degree of wetness - you know, moist versus soppy? Is that unique to catasetinae?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Ray

Wow! That’s not my experience at all.

Got any ideas that might explain that? Maybe the degree of wetness - you know, moist versus soppy? Is that unique to catasetinae?

Yes, it’s definitely unique to Catasetinae! There are two reasons for dry dormancy:
1. Rot is much more likely if temperatures drop below 55. Dry roots will prevent this. However, it’s ok to give sips of water prior to new root growth if the old bulbs are shriveling too much. You really want plump bulbs to support the new growth coming in because the media should be bone dry.

2. For some reason, short (<4”) roots will often abort their roots if they detect moisture at an early stage. This is why you want plump bulbs during the root growing stage so you can keep the media bone dry. The original post is a classic example of this. The new roots encounter wet media and instantly stop growing.

[SouthPark]

Reference: QUOTE

Originally Posted by Ray

Wow! That’s not my experience at all. Got any ideas that might explain that? Maybe the degree of wetness - you know, moist versus soppy? Is that unique to catasetinae?

Excellent questions. A number of us catasetum-type orchid growers haven't encountered that issue at all.

So the quoted remarks "It's pretty common for roots reaching out to stall and die when they hit wet media. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." should really include something extra ------ such as common under what particular conditions?

And the topic can be extended to - what applied conditions or approaches consistently avoids that reported issue? eg. maintain some recommended growing temperature range, aeration of roots, maintain adequate humidity and lighting levels, avoiding soggy roots (in regular media that is, not semi-hydro or FWC) for relatively long duration of time etc.

[mook1178]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Reference: QUOTE



Excellent questions. A number of us catasetum-type orchid growers haven't encountered that issue at all.

So the quoted remarks "It's pretty common for roots reaching out to stall and die when they hit wet media. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." should really include something extra ------ such as common under what particular conditions?

And the topic can be extended to - what applied conditions or approaches consistently avoids that reported issue? eg. maintain some recommended growing temperature range, aeration of roots, maintain adequate humidity and lighting levels, avoiding soggy roots (in regular media that is, not semi-hydro or FWC) for relatively long duration of time etc.

For this particular case that happened to me. It was the water. I am convinced. My temps and light are acceptable for these plants. The media was completely dry before the accidental watering. The roots stalled, not dead or rotted. The green tips disappeared. Realistically the whole new growth stalled for a bout 7 to 10 days, roots and leaves. There are roots that blistered and lost their green tips. The leaves stalled out. The roots with green tips still stalled and did not grow. The only thing I can attribute this too is the water. All my other ctsm continued with new growth during this period. Like I stated, the media was wet for about 36 hours. Not long enough for low oxygen. Not long enough for rot to set in.

Now, was it too much water? Probably. Is there an amount of water that could be added and not affect the plant? Probably. The amount of water that the plant can handle at this time is probably affected by the culture conditions. So being able to add water to a ctsm in new growth before the recommended 4" roots is a crap shoot. I will forever err on the side of caution after this episode. The plants can handle not being watered and there is a high probability that too much water would be added and cause problems. So, for me, risk vs reward, I will not try to water ctsm before the recommended 4" root length.

[SouthPark]

Mook. My catasetum-type orchids are growing in tropical condititions. And I currently have about 6 catasetum in true dormancy. I'm maintaining light moisture by spraying water - relatively light amount - around the rims of the pots, enough for some moisture to stay in the pots to keep roots alive.

And then, once they come out of dormancy, I'll maintain the same procedure ----- and on top of that, will do what I did last season --- to spray water lightly on the new roots, and the surrounding media underneath. Lightly. I saw no issues last season, and not expecting to see any issues for the upcoming growing season. And I'm going to do the same thing for the next season too.

I forgot to also mention - that when I first started growing my first catasetum plant, I watered 'normally' a plant during active growth ..... into 100% sphagnum. The leaves began to yellow. I pulled the plant out of the pot, pryed the media and roots apart. Allowed for partial dryout. Then popped everything back into the pot, roots, sphagnum and all. The leaves turned green again around the following day.

[mook1178]

Glad it works for you and I'm not knocking your technique. However, I'm not going to change it with mine as an accidental watering caused harm.