Moss in the Catasetum medium

[Skippersmom]

Hello Catasetum connoisseurs.

I am in Nebraska. Plants go outdoors when night temps are consistently in the 50s or better. From Mid-Oct until spring we ride the struggle bus indoors but mostly my orchid selections ride out the less optimal conditions o.k.

This 'Cyc. Taiwan Gold' came to me as just a pseudobulb last October. (ordered from a good source)

It did not bloom in my possession. It was in a tiny 1.5" pot which didnot seem likely to hold anew healthy bulb, so when ready to start coming out of dormancy I repotted. I did mostly a Cattleya bark mix and lightly layered ina skosch of sphag because of the dryer conditions in my house.

So it's looking healthy with it's outdoor spot. I am a bit concerned about the moss growing in the entire pot. Clearly with the next potting I need to choose maybe a better aerated pot and forego any sphagnum....

My question is, does anything need to be done about the moss in the pot now? An anti-fungal dip? Let it dry out more? Leave it alone? Other thoughts?

[Clawhammer]

Leave it alone, its harmless. Catasetinae like to be wet throughout the growing season so this kind of thing is inevitable if using a clear pot.

[Dimples]

Algae isn’t a problem. Water + light + nutrients = algae. Pop the pot inside an opaque cache pot if you don’t want to look at it.

[Roberta]

I grow most of my smaller Catasetinae in sphagnum. Sopping wet is what they want when they are growing, crispy-dry is fine when they aren't. I don't use clear pots, so don't need to look at algae which is no problem at all when it is present. (I find clear pots disintegrate in sunlight in a couple of years, black and green ones have more UV inhibitor in them so they don't deplasticize so fast).

A plant starting with a single pseudobulb may take a few years to get up enough energy to bloom. So be patient, observe the growth requirements, and you will be rewarded... but not necessarily quickly. Plant looks good. Maybe next year.

[isurus79]

I would not change either your media or pot and wouldn't worry about the algae! Just sit back and enjoy!