cattleya seedling care and potting
 

hello!
i just bought from ebay a cattleya seedling but to be honest i dont really know how to care for it! i've read they need a bit more water and light than adult plants, but i dont know whether the info is accurate or not.
the roots are super small and wrapped in that media (not sure what it is).
i'll enclose some pictures so you can all see! i put it in a clear pot and drilled holes for ventilation, but it is still in the little 'basket' thingy it came with...
if someone could help me growing this little plant i would be very grateful!!

thank you all in advance!:)

1. The plant's roots are growing in a coconut husk slab, (I really don't know how to describe it, but the material is 100%, without a doubt, coconut husk).

2. If it matters, the "little 'basket' thingy" is called a plastic net pot.

3. Yes, seedlings generally need more moisture because they lose water through their pores faster. As they mature, they don't require as much water to function properly because they get more-and-more efficient at conserving water and nutrients.

4. Your seedling is a pretty established seedling that has already been hardened off for you. It will not be difficult to grow at home. You can grow this seedling closer to how you'd grow an adult counterpart.

5. Grow in bright indirect light.

6. Because I don't know what kind of Cattleya it is I'd recommend to grow it in intermediate to warm temperatures.

7. Water about 3 times a week during active growing season, (usually the warmer months), as a general guideline. If you get good at it, you should really be allowing the roots to dry between watering.

Reduce watering during cooler months.

8. Moderate humidity is adequate enough to grow this orchid, (50% - 80%).

:agree:

What kind of Cattleya is it?

Thank you so much the information was so complete!
So you advise me to leave it in the slabs right?
I bought the plant as 'cattleya blc fitz Nicolas pink' from a French ebayer.
The picture showed a bright pink flower with yellow lip

another thing, it has some brown spots at the back of the leaves, the seller told me it is normal on cattleya and vandas. is that so? i'll attach the picture for you to have a look at, thank you!

That blotching is caused by a type of purple/violet pigment the orchid can create when exposed to high light levels. The pigments are called anthocyanins.

Your orchid is fine. There is nothing wrong with it. Yes, it is normal for a Cattleya to produce some anthocyanins in response to exposure to high light levels that will not give it sunburn.

Glad to hear that! Relief! Thank you again

I was curious about mounting orchids...
Would this be suitable? It is quite small and I never mounted one before. Maybe it's better to leave it alone?:scratchhead:
Thank you!

I think you should definitely leave it alone until the newest growth has fully matured...4-5 months?

I have several Cattleya seedlings mounted and they are doing fine. I mist them once or twice a day and they dry out completely between waterings. They seem to be doing well, new roots and new growth on most of them.

Wow great to hear that! How should they be mounted? Like phals? Or just sitting on the slab?

I just glued them to pieces of hickory bark, and they are growing! As I mentioned earlier, I spray them every day. They receive a very dilute fertilizer (about 1/16 the amount described on the instructions) with every spray. Some small ones have failed to form roots, but most seem to like it! These are Cattleya rex.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/...3a12cbfa_z.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/...ea1dba41_z.jpg

Wow how cute are those clinging little things! Can't wait to experiment!! Thanks for sharing!

Hi, I was wondering one thing...this Catt hasn't shown any change in its growth since I bought it..is it normal?or are they supposed to grow faster?

It's not been long, and growth may be slower this time of year (if there's any at all - different species and hybrids may have different habits). If it's not declining, I wouldn't worry.

Yes I think it's normal. The seedlings will sometimes just sit there for a month or two and do nothing. You might start to see some new growth in late winter. Keep it a little dryer during these cold, dark months.

OK will do thank you!

It looks healthy and seems to be doing well the way you have it growing. In a year or so, it will likely extend its growth beyond the coconut fiber material (rhizome and roots will creep out of the existing pot). When that happens, pot it in a coarse material (looking at your first photo in this thread, same kind of material that is in the pot in the background). My experience is that hybrid Cattleyas seem to like terracotta pots very well.

Good to hear that! I hope it's gonna stay that way! I have little experience on orchids, let alone seedlings!! I follow the suggestions given and a bit (but not entirely) my instinct...
If it will keep grow nicely I'll share what I did! Right now, I think it's too soon to tell!:scratchhead:
But I will keep our up to date with its progress!
Thanks for all the help you all are giving me!

I have mine in lava rock and water once a week at this time of year, but I agree that you shouldn't repot it yet. They really seem to love lava rock and it makes watering easy.Iit is hard to over water in lava rock and it stays moist for a long time.

Can I use expanded clay pellets instead of lava rock when the time comes for repotting?

Sure. Clay pellets are almost the same. Lava rock is cheaper and easier to get, which is why I started using it.

I would say be sure to rinse the clay pellets thoroughly (i.e., several times) before using them.

Same for lava rock, for that matter :)

Thanks for the suggestion, I usually boil my media after becoming paranoid about bacterial stuff that could kill my beloved! I'm not sure if its a good thing to do with bark, but I think clay is OK to boil :s

I'm gonna try it as the sole media when I next repot a plant,right now I mix it with bark

The good thing about the clay or lava rock is that it won't break down. I believe bugs don't like it as much either.

Great!!

Another question about seedlings.. I just got a den helix seedling but the newest leaf got damaged during transport, the one next to it is yellowing and now another one on a different cane looks paler than the others...I think the cold weather during transport may have affect it, but I'm not sure. Any tips on how I can maximise its chances of recovery?? Right now it's on coco husk slabs and I out it in a small pot with some clay pellets to prevent it from moving around.
Thank you all in advance, I'm so new to this world of orchids but I want them all already!!
Btw I put moss at first around it but the seller advised me yo remove it,so I replaced it with leca!

Finally the cat is growing!Attachment 112770

Oh happy day :cheer: