When to repot C. mossiae

[lily99]

About 1 month ago I got a C. mossiae mail order. It is currently potted in moss. The leaves, pseudobulbs and almost all the roots look healthy. I am concerned about the moss because it takes a long time to dry out and there is some light brown fuzzy mold growing on the surface of it. I read that this species prefers to be repotted after it blooms in the spring, and mine is no where near blooming. Should I repot it anyway?

[quiltergal]

I would if it were mine. I think the potting "season" is just a guideline. Generally if it's showing new root growth it's a good time to repot. Even if it's not there are occasions when I would. If I suspect something's amiss or am not entirely sure what's going on in the root zone I'll repot and risk losing a bloom cycle rather than the whole plant. Moss and I are not friends. It almost always stays too wet for my plants.

[Ray]

I generally agree with Terri on the repot when new growths and roots are forming, but if it is not currently doing so, you can be successful with the moss in the interim by barely moistening it when you water, rather than drenching it. It looks pretty compact already, so I'd manually loosen it up, as well.

[Brooke]

Here is the description of successfully growing your C. mossiae from an expert A. A. Chadwick.

Cattleya mossiae

If it were mine growing in the sphag, I would do as Ray says plus I would add additional holes to the sides of the pot, increase the light as much as possible and also the air circulation in the grow area.

You have a beautiful catt that will reward you with beautiful blooms in the future. Good luck.

Brooke

[euplusia]

You can remove the plastic pot in order to help the root system to dry out better. Then put the plant in a clay pot that is 1 or 2 sizes bigger. But I would not disturb the plant too much now. I would not remove the moss completely now, and would wait until June or July to repot in a bigger pot with fresh bark.

[lily99]

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to try to loosen some of the moss on the top. I don't see any signs of root growth yet.