Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/)

- Beginner Discussion (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/beginner-discussion/)

- - Newbie with Cattleya Problems (http://www.orchidboard.com/community/beginner-discussion/13377-newbie-cattleya.html)

Newbie with Cattleya Problems

~Hello~

I am glad to be part of the orchid board. Being a new member I am not really sure where to begin, but I am for the most part a novice when it comes to growing orchids with the exception of phals. Which I have had several for about 10 years.

I just recently within the last 6 months or so bought a few cattleyas which I am really concerned about. One appears to be healthy, the other is not doing well. The one which I am worried about the roots are getting dark and hard. A few leaves are turning dark brown.

I water both every 4 to 5 days. We have well water. Have good air movement, humidity of around 60-65%. Temps around 72-80. Home enviroment, bright east window.
I have used Dyna-Grow 3-12-6, every third watering.

I believe both need repotting and I am not sure where to start with that.
Such as what type of potting medium and how to repot them.

I guess I am going in the right direction by joining the forum, reading, and asking questions.

If anyone can give me some pointers on where to start with repotting the cattleyas I would be most grateful. And what I might do to save the one which is not healthy.

I took a few photos and will try to post them. The old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" usually is true when trying to describe this sort of problem.

The second photo is the one with the roots that are drying and getting dark.

I appreciate any help or suggestions.

peachick

:hmm I dunno. From the pics they both look ok to me. Dying roots do happen as they age. In fact, the second plant has a few p-bulbs that are somewhat shriveled, therefore you might want to water that plant slightly more often. Other than that, they look ok to me.

Then again, your bulbs could be shriveled if the roots are not taking up water because they're dead. I would unpot and take a look. I've a few catts in S/H, one tiny one in tiny bark and a bit one in bark and charcoal. There was a thread somewhere for favorite mixes, you could probably search it for ideas, but if you've never seen the roots and they're starting to look strange, i would definitely take a look now. Keep us posted!

They look pretty nice to me. Im curious what they looked like when you got them. I don't suppose you have a pic to compare huh?

Would watering more often help? Once every 4-5 days sounds a bit infrequent, but then again it also depends on your potting medium. Are you using sphagnum?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baloney (Post 123104)

Would watering more often help? Once every 4-5 days sounds a bit infrequent, but then again it also depends on your potting medium. Are you using sphagnum?

Watering every 4-5 days does sound a little light, only because in the picture it shows that the media is large peices of rock, or some other fast draining media. That was why I ruled out root rot. I dont think that type of media coupled with that water regimine could cause rot. It might be worth it to check, however, just in case.

While not a Cat expert, I will agree with Steve. I am thinking it's on the dry side. I find with my Brassias and Intergenerics I need to water more often when in growth spurts. But then, they tell me when they are dry with pleated leaves. Otherwise, the plant looks fine to me.