Bottom of the shelf Cattleya and Vanda inputs welcome
 

So I found a cattleya and a vanda that was bottom of the shelf at Lowes for a few bucks. Was going to try my luck with them (I've only had phals, and new in general to orchids).

So for the cattleya. Has minimal root system, has some blackspots on the leaves and looks like its starving for water (leaves are wrinkling). It was in a pot about 1" by 1" maybe slightly larger and had about 3 pieces of bark in it. I wouldn't even say it was "potted". The material you see in the picture was NOT from this orchid (was from a phal I was putting in LECA). Imgur: The magic of the Internet.

What are your recommendations to keep it alive? While I know it isn't ideal and people like to see a plant sending out new roots before repotting in LECA, I don't think I have much choice. Here was my plan.

1. Soak it in KelpMax solution (the 1Tbps/gallon solution) for a few hours
2. Pot in small ~3" pot with LECA (S/H)
3. Water every few days with KelpMax and my fertilizer.
4. Switch to water and fertilizer every week to 2 weeks and the KelpMax every month.

The questions for this is. How much different is the watering of the Cattleya and a Phal in S/H? I've read that Cattleyas need to dry out more. Should I water roughly every other watering for the Cattleya compared to the Phal?

On to the Vanda. This looked to be in slightly better shape, but still not great. It didn't have much of a root system either BUT it has a brand new root coming out! So this looks to be an ideal time to repot in S/H. This Vanda was basically in the same condition 1"x1" pot, a few bark pieces and that was it.

My plan for this was to do basically the same thing as the cattleya.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

1. Soak it in KelpMax solution (the 1Tbps/gallon solution) for a few hours
2. Pot in a larger ~4" pot with LECA the largest I can find (S/H). My theory on this is that since vandas need to soak in water but need to "dry out" the larger pot and the larger LECA pieces when water will allow it to absorb water, but will allow it to dry out faster. The S/H will just keep the moisture up.
3. Water every day to every other day with KelpMax and my fertilizer for a few waterings
4. Switch to water. Fertilizer every week to 2 weeks and the KelpMax every month.

I know that Vandas don't like to stay in water at all and grow in the air best. But this thing is small and has no root system at all so I've got to put it in something I feel.

For both plants, I'm putting it in an east facing the window that gets the most light in the house (it is winter where I am at and the sun is not very intense).

Any other suggestions or did I just describe the best way to kill these two plants?

Also I got a dendrobium that is quite a bit larger and in bloom (good root system). I'm planning on repotting it S/H. Everything that I've read is that it is basically the same as watering a phal in S/H. If I keep it in the same schedule as my other phals do you think I'll have issues?

S/H is not a way to rescue sick plants. I wouldn't move any plant to S/H unless it were healthy, and actively growing roots. Moving to S/H entails killing the old roots, and developing a new root system, adapted to the new conditions. Only healthy plants reliably survive the move.

The whole point of S/H is the roots never dry out. The reservoir needs to stay full. There is no difference in watering in S/H between Phals, Dendrobiums nor Cattleyas. In general, the more frequently you water plants in S/H, the better they grow.

The Cattleya doesn't look too bad. A 3" / 7.5 cm pot is too big. Use a 2" pot and fine bark. Keep it warm and bright. Water when almost dry. Don't let it go dry for long. When it perks up and starts growing new roots, you can consider moving it.

The Vanda link you posted never loads for me. I wouldn't move a Vanda to S/H in winter. Pot it in large bark, or bare-root it in a vase. Use the Search function in the top menu to search on Vandas in glass vases.

There are several different kinds of Dendrobiums. Watering them in S/H is no different from other plants. Again, I would not move it to S/H unless growing new roots.

Transitioning from one method of culture to any other radically different method is highly stressful for a plant. I would do the bag & sphag on the Cattleya until it started growing new roots, then transition it. The Vanda I would probably put right into whatever culture I planned to keep it in long term, but it would definitely receive extra scrutiny until it started putting on new leaves. If I were a more patient person, it would get the bag & sphag treatment well.

I'm going to differ - somewhat - from the gentlemen above.

If the plant currently has no roots, it doesn't matter what it goes into, as it is a "rescue" in all cases. If you plan on doing semi-hydroponics with the plant, go ahead and do so now.

Soak in KelpMax, water it in with KelpMax, then water with it two more times in a row. Then go to monthly applications.

Absolutely NO fertilizer until they have new roots and are actively growing.

Thanks for the information everyone.

When you say use KelpMax for two more waterings for me that means just using it two more times. Sounds simple enough but for me when I water which is every few days, I simply dump water over the LECA balls to top off the reservoir and make sure the LECA balls are damp. I don't remove the water that is in the reservoir every time I water. I do flush the plant every few weeks though to make sure there isn't any build up of salts.

So technically for me, my phals are sitting in fertilizer water solution/KelpMax solution/water all the time as I don't flush every time.

Should I be flushing every time I water? Instead of topping up the reservoir, should I be for example flushing the plant under tap water and then filling reservoir up with water/fertilizer solution/KelpMax every on my schedule (e.g. once a month for the KelpMax solution) and then on the next watering do the same thing?

I'll answer because I guess I'm an earlier riser than Ray. Always flush the pot at each watering.