Just purchased my first Cattleya! Any and all advice welcome - Orchid Board

sewagner86 · #1 01-22-2022, 12:14 PM

Hello all!

I just purchased my first cattleya after only having phaleanopsis orchids. I am excited and nervous all at the same time but ready to expand and potentially fill my home with other plants!

The cattleya I purchased is called Amazing Thailand. The listing says its small and not in spike or flower. It is coming with a self watering pot.

Any tips, tricks or advice for me? How different is this going to be from my phaleanopsis orchids? Should I keep it in the self watering pot?

Thank you!

Roberta · #2 01-22-2022, 12:30 PM

A big difference between Phals and Cattleyas... Phals need to be a little more damp than Catts... they need "humid air" around their roots (not wet but not bone dry). Catts tend to want to dry out somewhat more before being watered. The "self watering pot" sounds to me like a bad idea... but depends on what the medium is. (It is the goal of letting it almost dry out before watering again that you want to meet... if it is in inorganic medium or large bark, that's different than a more water-retentive medium) So you'll need to see what you get before deciding. Photos will help a lot. Also, this particular Catt can be grown a little cooler than your Phals... Phalaenopsis tend to get unhappy below around 65 deg F or so, I looked up the ancestry of that Catt and it could easily go down to 55 or 60 deg F. Also, Catts need quite a bit more light than Phals. So the more information you can give us about your growing area, the more helpful we can be.

sewagner86 · #3 01-22-2022, 04:06 PM

I live in SW Virginia. All my plants sit in front of a window that faces the west maybe southwest. It's pretty bright shade there. I can add artifical light if needed. I keep my home pretty consistent year round 66-68 degrees or so and I try for about 50% humidity. It's very humid here in the summer and dry in the winter so humity can vary from about 35 in the winter, which I try to combat with a humidifier as my skin is not happy with it that low, to about 65 or 70 in the summer. Outdoor Temps range from 90s in the summer to lows of teens in the winter.

For media, I purchased repot me's cattleya imperial mix which has Medium Monterey Pine Bark, Large Sponge Rock, Hydroton, Medium Stalite. The plant is coming with some media, but I won't know if I should really use it. I also have various sizes of slotted pots ranging from 3 to 6 inches so I have a variety for whatever I get. I also have MSU orchid fertilizer for my plants that I have been using on my phals.peals.

Anything else I can tell you and anything else I should consider getting?

Thanks!!!!

Roberta · #4 01-22-2022, 04:14 PM

During the spring, summer, and fall the Cattleya (and probably the Oncidium) will actually be happier outside - good air movement, more consistent light. Phals generally do prefer indoors. As far as pots and medium go, you'll need to observe your plants. Keep in mind the goals for the amount of water each needs. Your collection is still small enough to give each plant individual attention. But if you choose your media to give the results you want, you can water everything the same and get the different results. (I hang my Laelia anceps, which need high light and also have to dry out fast, above my Cymbidiums which also want high light but need to stay damp. The area gets watered daily in summer and every other day in winter. The Cyms are in small bark and stay quite damp. The Laelias are mounted or in baskets with no mediium or perhaps a bit of large bark, they dry out in a couple of hours. Everybody is happy and I don't have to think about who gets what)

thefish1337 · #5 01-22-2022, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sewagner86

I live in SW Virginia. All my plants sit in front of a window that faces the west maybe southwest. It's pretty bright shade there. I can add artifical light if needed. I keep my home pretty consistent year round 66-68 degrees or so and I try for about 50% humidity. It's very humid here in the summer and dry in the winter so humity can vary from about 35 in the winter, which I try to combat with a humidifier as my skin is not happy with it that low, to about 65 or 70 in the summer. Outdoor Temps range from 90s in the summer to lows of teens in the winter.

For media, I purchased repot me's cattleya imperial mix which has Medium Monterey Pine Bark, Large Sponge Rock, Hydroton, Medium Stalite. The plant is coming with some media, but I won't know if I should really use it. I also have various sizes of slotted pots ranging from 3 to 6 inches so I have a variety for whatever I get. I also have MSU orchid fertilizer for my plants that I have been using on my phals.peals.

Anything else I can tell you and anything else I should consider getting?

Thanks!!!!

the repotme mix for cattleya works good in my experience. your indoor temps sound fine for cattleya. to ensure successful repotting, make sure you repot into new mix only when new roots begin to grow from a new growth. there are exceptions to this if the media is rotting or too retentive for your conditions. you may have to baby the mix until that happens by really ensuring dry down. ultimately you will have to find the ideal combination of pot, and media to meet the watering requirements based on your conditions.

given your summer conditions you might consider growing outside but that's another learning curve. you should post a picture of the plant!

estación seca · #6 01-22-2022, 05:25 PM

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

When you say it's small, how small? Very small seedlings need smaller particles than what is in the mix you bought.

sewagner86 · #7 01-22-2022, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

When you say it's small, how small? Very small seedlings need smaller particles than what is in the mix you bought.

So, looking at pictures of the reviews left, they aren't huge. Let me see if I figured out this photo attaching thing hahaha. It's a picture from one of the reviews.

estación seca · #8 01-23-2022, 09:58 AM

I think your mix will be fine.

sewagner86 · #9 01-23-2022, 11:22 AM

How big should I expect this plant to get? From what I have been reading, cattleyas can get pretty big.

Roberta · #10 01-23-2022, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sewagner86

How big should I expect this plant to get? From what I have been reading, cattleyas can get pretty big.

Cattleya size range is everything from mini to monster, depending on parentage. This one can get fairly large, but will do so slowly. If space is a consideration, you should focus on some of the smaller hybrids. Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO) is my favorite for these, but there are also some other excellent sources of the small-to-medium Catts.