Originally Posted by fishmom (Post 908485)

Take Roberta's good advice. I have two After Dark plants, one in S/H and one in a bark mix medium, and both are healthy and thriving. I would say you should use whatever method you like best. A bonus about using S/H with catasetinae is that the new roots will all be well adapted to the medium you choose if you repot now. You can orient the plant in the new pot so that the growth will be close to upright and have plenty of room. Be sure to leave the old roots to anchor the plant firmly and give the new roots a good base to grow from.

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts (Post 908473)

Conventional wisdom is to completely leave it alone until the new roots are 3-4” long. Then resume normal feed and water.

I too love that plant! Healthy looking exemplar

Originally Posted by Roberta (Post 908475)

It doesn't want water until the roots are 3-4 inches (and the leaves have started to spread out so there isn't a "pocket" to collect water) Repotting is best done before that happens, though...before the new roots get going. So it could be repotted now, then set it aside and ignore it until those new roots are well established and the new growth is leafed out. (Since one can't see how long the roots are unless it's in a clear pot and maybe not even then, I am guided by the leaves, and also look for the second flush of roots to get going... by that time the first batch will be well on its way. (The second batch of roots is typically a month or 6 weeks after the first)

Originally Posted by fishmom (Post 908485)

Take Roberta's good advice. I have two After Dark plants, one in S/H and one in a bark mix medium, and both are healthy and thriving. I would say you should use whatever method you like best. A bonus about using S/H with catasetinae is that the new roots will all be well adapted to the medium you choose if you repot now. You can orient the plant in the new pot so that the growth will be close to upright and have plenty of room. Be sure to leave the old roots to anchor the plant firmly and give the new roots a good base to grow from.

Originally Posted by Subrosa (Post 908494)

Just because the roots get 3"-4" long doesn't necessarily mean you have to start watering. You definitely shouldn't water intil that point, but there's some thought that Catasetum get "lazy" about growing roots once they find moisture. I wait until the previous year's pseudobulb shows signs of shriveling before I start watering.

Originally Posted by mofms1 (Post 908501)

Thanks! Wish I could take credit for how it looks, but I haven't had it long enough. :) Will the new roots come out from the top, like air roots on a phal? I'm worried I won't even see the new roots and will miss my chance to repot it.

---------- Post added at 08:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 AM ----------



If I repot it now, it will definitely go in a clear pot. Phals are a lot easier and I don't worry as much about seeing the roots, but all the other orchids seem much pickier so I think I'd feel better seeing the roots. So, if I repot now, I should wait for leaves and a second growth of roots before watering. Am I getting that right?

---------- Post added at 08:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 AM ----------



If I put it in s/h should I wait to make the switch? Another person on here asked about how to let it "rest" if it is in s/h, and I'm concerned about the same thing. If I put it in s/h now, doesn't that count as watering it? I have put maybe a teaspoonful of water in there since I got it. I was told to do that once a month when the flowers were in bloom, but other than that I haven't watered it at all.

Sorry if it's a lot of questions, but it's actually kinda hard to find some of this info online b/c most of the searches just show really vague care tips or plants for sale.

---------- Post added at 08:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 AM ----------



I'm not sure which bulb is from last year. Would that be the thick, smooth, shiny, lighter green one? I think it might also be the tallest. How shriveled should it get? Is that when I could move it to s/h? I'm trying to get all of the orchids in s/h because I feel like I will kill them with love and fussing with them otherwise. :)

Originally Posted by mofms1 (Post 908501)

Thanks! Wish I could take credit for how it looks, but I haven't had it long enough. :) Will the new roots come out from the top, like air roots on a phal? I'm worried I won't even see the new roots and will miss my chance to repot it.

---------- Post added at 08:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 AM ----------



If I repot it now, it will definitely go in a clear pot. Phals are a lot easier and I don't worry as much about seeing the roots, but all the other orchids seem much pickier so I think I'd feel better seeing the roots. So, if I repot now, I should wait for leaves and a second growth of roots before watering. Am I getting that right?

---------- Post added at 08:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 AM ----------



If I put it in s/h should I wait to make the switch? Another person on here asked about how to let it "rest" if it is in s/h, and I'm concerned about the same thing. If I put it in s/h now, doesn't that count as watering it? I have put maybe a teaspoonful of water in there since I got it. I was told to do that once a month when the flowers were in bloom, but other than that I haven't watered it at all.

Sorry if it's a lot of questions, but it's actually kinda hard to find some of this info online b/c most of the searches just show really vague care tips or plants for sale.

---------- Post added at 08:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 AM ----------



I'm not sure which bulb is from last year. Would that be the thick, smooth, shiny, lighter green one? I think it might also be the tallest. How shriveled should it get? Is that when I could move it to s/h? I'm trying to get all of the orchids in s/h because I feel like I will kill them with love and fussing with them otherwise. :)

Originally Posted by fishmom (Post 908558)

Responding to a couple of earlier posts, when I want to rest the plant, I do a thorough flush, dump as much water as possible, and then just let it dry. I do that when the yellow, falling-off leaves tell me the plant is going dormant. If I need to split or repot the plant for some reason, I do it after it is dry but before new roots appear; this prevents damage to the new growth. The old roots, even if impaired somewhat, will anchor the plant to prevent wobbling in the pot as the new roots develop.



I don't add water during the dry period, although I would do so if it looked like the plant was in distress, with severe shriveling. Anytime you add water and just let it dry out, you add to the salts in the reservoir, unless your water is very pure. They will still be there when you start watering in the new growing season. This is why regular flushing is so important.