Cattleya alliance seedling advice needed

[judith_arquette]

Just wondering how the care for seedlings (almost a year old but still very small) differs from that of more mature plants. Thank you in advance for any/all the advice/tips I can get

[silken]

I tend to keep my seedling Catts in a bit finer mix, sometimes with a bit of moss and not quite as strong light as my mature ones. They likely need a bit of extra moisture too. I let my mature ones get dry before watering.

[judith_arquette]

Thank you Silken

[silken]

Hopefully some others will chime in. I'm no expert, but many of my seedlings that I ordered have survived. Quite often seedlings are the only choice around here

[Leafmite]

Not sure if you mean that the Cattleya is just out of a flask, is a year out of flask or if you have had it a year....

I have gotten many tiny Cattleya seedlings but since I use red lava rock/LECA and basket pots, I often will water them daily in the summer and every other day in the winter. I plant them, roots and all, on top of the medium and just weigh down a few roots with rock. That way, I don't damage the roots and they continue to grow (and grow down into the rock). This is for the very tiny, fragile seedlings. Older seedlings have much longer roots and these seedlings can be treated as a mature Cattleya.
With Cattleyas, I find it very important to give them an extra calcium source. So, when potting them up, I mix in eggshells and, after, add eggshells every couple of months.
Fertilizing? I fertilize all my Cattleyas the same but with the really small seedlings, I flush the pot more often so as not to damage delicate roots.
I hope this helps. For many years, I only bought seedling Cattleyas, many of them seven years to blooming (at least in perfect conditions...it took me ten years to bloom one of them). I still buy seedlings as many are just not available or are outrageously expensive for the blooming size option. Seedlings are also very rewarding to grow. Good luck!

[judith_arquette]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Not sure if you mean that the Cattleya is just out of a flask, is a year out of flask or if you have had it a year....

I have gotten many tiny Cattleya seedlings but since I use red lava rock/LECA and basket pots, I often will water them daily in the summer and every other day in the winter. I plant them, roots and all, on top of the medium and just weigh down a few roots with rock. That way, I don't damage the roots and they continue to grow (and grow down into the rock). This is for the very tiny, fragile seedlings. Older seedlings have much longer roots and these seedlings can be treated as a mature Cattleya.
With Cattleyas, I find it very important to give them an extra calcium source. So, when potting them up, I mix in eggshells and, after, add eggshells every couple of months.
Fertilizing? I fertilize all my Cattleyas the same but with the really small seedlings, I flush the pot more often so as not to damage delicate roots.
I hope this helps. For many years, I only bought seedling Cattleyas, many of them seven years to blooming (at least in perfect conditions...it took me ten years to bloom one of them). I still buy seedlings as many are just not available or are outrageously expensive for the blooming size option. Seedlings are also very rewarding to grow. Good luck!

Thank you Leafmite, they are almost a year out of flask, my apologies for being unclear. I really appreciate the help

[Fairorchids]

The general rule is:
Less light
More water
Higher temperature

As the seedlings grow, you can gradually increase the light level (after 9-15 months).
I prefer to grow them warmer till they are close to blooming size. If you reduce the temperature sooner, they will just grow a little slower.
I do not reduce watering till they are adult plants.

[judith_arquette]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

The general rule is:
Less light
More water
Higher temperature

As the seedlings grow, you can gradually increase the light level (after 9-15 months).
I prefer to grow them warmer till they are close to blooming size. If you reduce the temperature sooner, they will just grow a little slower.
I do not reduce watering till they are adult plants.

Thank you!