Question about my Catasetum

[hanzy08]

Hello board! I have a Catasetum that had a severe spider mite infestation and ended up losing it's leaves and spike. I repotted with a fresh medium once I got rid of the infestation. The new growth did not mature and stayed the same way. Two months later, it hasn't done anything so I figured it went into dormancy. I also stopped watering and only spritz it when it is bone dry. How long does Catasetums usually stay dormant?

[WhiteRabbit]

[euplusia]

Depends from its origin. Plants from Rondonia for example rest 2 months while plants from Mexico and Argentina may rest 5-6 months.

[estación seca]

Does the new growth still have leaves, or has it dropped them already?

[hanzy08]

Originally Posted by euplusia

Depends from its origin. Plants from Rondonia for example rest 2 months while plants from Mexico and Argentina may rest 5-6 months.

So mine is a mini catasetum. It is Catasetum tigrinum x Cirrhaeoides

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:59 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

Does the new growth still have leaves, or has it dropped them already?

The new growth has dropped all the leaves and stopped developing and it stayed that way for the past 2.5 months.

[estación seca]

I had a severe spider mite attack on two Cats when I was out of town for a week, even though I sprayed both with alcohol just before I left. Both had three huge, lush new growths. One plant lost all new growths. The other kept one of three new growths but it is now deformed and stopped growing prematurely.

After dealing with the mites I kept watering heavily. The one with no growths pushed a new growth from the most recent pseudobulb. The new growth was weak and deformed, and after about 2 months the plant rotted from the base. The other plant didn't produce any new growths, but the remaining new growth from this year looks OK.

It is still very warm here so I'm still watering heavily.

Since you haven't been watering much, the plant might think it's the dry season and it's time to stay dormant. I would probably keep doing what you're doing, and only spritz from time to time.

The problem is that will be a really long dormant season before it's warm, bright and humid again, and you shouldn't water (soak) dormant Cats until the new growths and roots are each several inches long. The pseudobulbs can shrink badly during the dormancy, and it can be frightening. We water no Cats until the time is right.

[hanzy08]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I had a severe spider mite attack on two Cats when I was out of town for a week, even though I sprayed both with alcohol just before I left. Both had three huge, lush new growths. One plant lost all new growths. The other kept one of three new growths but it is now deformed and stopped growing prematurely.

After dealing with the mites I kept watering heavily. The one with no growths pushed a new growth from the most recent pseudobulb. The new growth was weak and deformed, and after about 2 months the plant rotted from the base. The other plant didn't produce any new growths, but the remaining new growth from this year looks OK.

It is still very warm here so I'm still watering heavily.

Since you haven't been watering much, the plant might think it's the dry season and it's time to stay dormant. I would probably keep doing what you're doing, and only spritz from time to time.

The problem is that will be a really long dormant season before it's warm, bright and humid again, and you shouldn't water (soak) dormant Cats until the new growths and roots are each several inches long. The pseudobulbs can shrink badly during the dormancy, and it can be frightening. We water no Cats until the time is right.

Is there a way to tell if it's dead or alive? Now the cold weather is coming in it might go dormant till spring time is that correct? What happened to yours happened to mine i sprayed with alcohol before i left for a week and when i came back the leaves dropped and the spike dried up. I repotted it cause the media went bad.

[estación seca]

If a pseudobulb is green between the papery bracts and still firm, it's alive. If soft and squishy, or completely brown and hard like a piece of wood, it's not alive. Also, look at the roots. The fully-dormant Cat seedlings I received from Fred Clarke last fall still had bright white roots. I don't think these plants mind having their roots exposed somewhat and examined.

Yes, normally after they go dormant they don't grow at all until it's getting warm in the spring. Some people don't water them at all for months. Others take them out of the containers and let them sit bare-root on a bench in a humid greenhouse, with minimal watering or spraying. I'm going to follow Fred's recommendations, which are to leave in the container and not water at all.

[hanzy08]

Thanks for your input. The largest bulb is still green and firm and roots white. I'll just leave it as it is then. Thank you!!