Kind Of Concerned – Cattleya Help

[Lithium]

I recently ordered two Cattleyas, however, I’m a little concerned about one of them. The Blc. Triumphal Coronation ‘Seto’ that I ordered seems a little worse for wear. Its pseudo-bulbs are shriveled and the leaves are a little floppy, still stiff, just not upright like the other one I received.

[silken]

A photo would help but you need 5 posts before you can upload photos. Just comment on some other threads to get up to 5.

[Lithium]

I’ll do that.

---------- Post added at 05:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 PM ----------

And not all of the pseudo-bulbs are shriveled, just a few.

[Lithium]

Here are the pics.

[silken]

It doesn't look that bad to me. Some Catts grow more sprawled out than others. Often the older pseudo bulbs are somewhat shrivelled and only the newer ones are plump. That's pretty common on most of mine. When I get a new orchid, I like to soak the roots in seaweed water as it really promotes root growth. You could try watering it with some of that added to your regular fertilizer or plain water. There is a dark coloured bract around the base of one of your growths that you could carefully remove. They eventually dry up but when they look dark, I like to remove them in case there is some rot happening. It's usually just that old covering tho.

[tucker85]

I agree with Silken, your plant looks normal. On cattleyas, once the back bulbs get wrinkled, they seldom plump up again. But the lead pseudo-bulb should be plump once it's acclimated to your environment and it's watered properly.

[silken]

I would be tempted to remove a few pieces of bark off the top. The pseudo bulbs themselves should not be buried. The rhizome connecting them should be just under or just showing above the bark. The pot looks a bit full. I can't tell for sure from the photo tho so I may be wrong. Make sure this plant dries out in the centre of the pot before watering. A kebab skewer placed down into the pot and left there would help. I just pull it out and see if it is wet and then put it back into the same place. The new bark will dry out a lot faster than bark that has aged a bit.

[bil]

Re plump pseudobulbs. I have noticed with mine that the new ones are plump up to the point that they flower, whereupon they wrinkle up, and don't plump up again. (OK, so mine is a small sample).

[NYCorchidman]

Well, not horrible, but I wouldn't be happy if I got something looking like that.
All the cattleyas I have bought came with very plump pb. Professional greenhouse usually keep plants well hydrated.
If you are concerned about the wrinkles, check the roots and see if they look fine.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I would go even further than silken an say the rhizome should be fully above the bark. Otherwise it will be more prone to rot.