cattleya in moss

[damon lowes]

Hi, I am a newbie and have just received some cattleya hybrids in the post from Orchidgarden. One of the cats (white island) is in moss and when I watered after arrival it was super wet. I live in the UK and these will be grown on the windowsils of my house. I am not sure if I should remove the moss and replace with bark? Would the move cause the plant to cattleya to sulk? Any advice and method for repot welcome.

[SouthPark]

Orchid growers do successfully grow orchids in moss - or spaghnum moss. And they know from their own accumulated experience how much water to apply to the moss, and how long they should wait before they next add water.

You can certainly repot in bark to be on the safe side. And make sure that the bark is pre-wetted by soaking in water - because very dry bark repels water, which isn't a good situation (ie. the orchid can die of dehydration if water isn't able to 'wet' the bark).

Make sure your pot has enough big drainage holes in the bottom of it for air to pass through the pot. Don't allow any water to build up inside the pot and stagnate.

And when your plant is on the window sill - it's extremely beneficial to have a gentle breeze or gentle air-flow that not only passes over the leaves and stem, but also flows through the pot and over/through the media, and over the roots (within the pot itself). That is, avoid still-air environments.

Also make sure that the orchid has a comfortable temperature to grow, and adequate light.

The removal of the moss won't harm the orchid.

'sulking' is generally a human behaviour. Cattleya orchids are unlikely to have emotions. Instead of considering it as 'sulking', consider inactivity or slowed growth or halted growth as just inactivity or suspended growth activity. This can happen seasonally - such as if the temperature is relatively low. Or the orchid doesn't have particular requirements (water, light etc).

Super-wet roots and media is no problem ----- provided that the water in the super-wet region stays oxygenated or aerated enough. But the adequately-oxygenated-water condition cannot always be guaranteed for super-wet spaghnum moss.

So - instead of using spaghnum moss, a lot of people may use suitable-sized bark with a pot that has big enough drainage holes and a growing area that has very good air-flow. The air flow through the pot and airy media gives the roots a good chance to get the oxygen they need to survive and do well. Orchid roots need oxygen to survive. Not enough oxygen due to stagnation of water around the roots and media can lead to dying roots - rotting etc.

[Subrosa]

If you'll be growing I traditional organic medium I would repot to something airier, as SouthPark suggested, pretty much immediately. I recently received a Cattleya in miss, but since it's going into semi-hydroponic culture I'm waiting until it starts growing new roots to transition it.

[camille1585]

The UK climate is usually not the best suited to growing stuff in sphagnum since it dries out slowly in such a damp climate. Sphanum also requires more expertise in judging how much/when to water, so as a newbie, you are probably better off moving it to a traditional bark based medium.

Now would be a good time to repot it as the plant is in an adjustment period anyway after transport and the change in growing conditions. Be wary about the bark mixes you often find in garden centers, they often (but not all brands) have too many fine particles mixed in and you have to sift/sort to get rid of it before potting up.

[aliceinwl]

I picked up a couple of Cattleya types in moss at a show last year. Even though the plants looked healthy, the roots were pretty much already dead. I did a repot within the week coupled with a pre-soak in a kelp based rooting stimulant. Both plants started pushing new roots in the new media fairly quickly. I think the quicker you repot the more likely you are to save any living roots that might be present.