Please need opinion or advice: Repot Cattleyas, yes or no?

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Do you want to share with us which species? Better yet...the hybrid name.

Of course, in this case I was analyzing
Rhyncholaeliocattleya Memoria Anna Balmores

Select that (now in bloom) to try to understand how to read the document

Thanks!

---------- Post added at 01:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

I will just put in a vote for a repot too, not because there is a new root growing (although good as that is the indicator for others to repot) but because the media and even old roots are already disintegrating.
New roots or no new roots is irrelevant, I know some people religiously only repot when there is a new root and that is fine but I personally do not wait that long, if I had in the past I would have lost orchids I was able to save instead.

I will emphasise this again if the substrate is going bad, the orchid will not be happy and won't produce new roots. Only happy orchids produce new roots. Ie orchids that have been freed from their smelly old substrate and given a clean fresh new clean out around their feet.

You can wait and wait and wait and decide the orchid is not ready to be repotted as no new roots are forming and sometimes it will die which is out of our control or you can take matters in your own hand, give it a fresh substrate, encourage new roots to form and prevent the orchid from going downhill before it happens.
I routinely see both approaches being used. I am certainly more proactive. The worst that can happen is that an orchid gets set back a little from a rough repot but practice makes perfect and the more experienced the better one gets at it so there will be less repot stress every time.

The most annoying thing about growing orchids is watering and repotting. The good growers water regularly and repot when its needed, the bad growers water randomly and avoid repots.

You make your own conclusions

Thank you! I understand and I believe the roots of one of them are suffering because the Medium is already discomposed,

I love to repot, cure them, made them happier in some kind of way.

[Keysguy]

If I may, I'd like to add a few comments on the question of blooming season based on my observations and in no way is it my intent to refute anything Roberta spoke to regarding genetics. Just want to add some other variables to noodle on.

As most here know Sade, I used to grow in a small greenhouse in New Hampshire within a hundred miles or so of the Canadian border. Then I smartened up and moved my collection to the Florida Keys which have a subtropical climate. I have close to 100 Catts in my collection.

Since moving them here 5 years ago, the vast majority of the complex hybrids bloom 2-3 times/year. They DID NOT do that until I moved them here! That tells me that culture MAY BE equally important to genetics in its impact to blooming season.

The question is, COULD I have coaxed them to do that if I had run my GH to the same environmental conditions (most importantly year-round warm temperatures (with an avg. min of say 65F) plus significantly longer exposure to bright light) than they experience here as provided by Mother Nature ? (the insane utility bills not withstanding)

My suspicion is that all things being equal, the genetic background of the complex Catts gives them the ability for us to coax additional bloom cycles out of them if you can give them superb conditions where I have found that a species Catt is only going to bloom in its native blooming season and the net effect of good culture is quality and quantity of blooms and overall plant health.

Again.......not meant to support or refute any other input here, just more things to consider. It's one more thing that makes this hobby fun.

Maybe we should do a joint project on one of those complex Catts that has a background with like 15 different species and see what we can get them to do in different conditions and see if we can figure out who is contributing genes that affect what?

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

If I may, I'd like to add a few comments on the question of blooming season based on my observations and in no way is it my intent to refute anything Roberta spoke to regarding genetics. Just want to add some other variables to noodle on.

As most here know Sade, I used to grow in a small greenhouse in New Hampshire within a hundred miles or so of the Canadian border. Then I smartened up and moved my collection to the Florida Keys which have a subtropical climate. I have close to 100 Catts in my collection.

Since moving them here 5 years ago, the vast majority of the complex hybrids bloom 2-3 times/year. They DID NOT do that until I moved them here! That tells me that culture MAY BE equally important to genetics in its impact to blooming season.

The question is, COULD I have coaxed them to do that if I had run my GH to the same environmental conditions (most importantly year-round warm temperatures (with an avg. min of say 65F) plus significantly longer exposure to bright light) than they experience here as provided by Mother Nature ? (the insane utility bills not withstanding)

My suspicion is that all things being equal, the genetic background of the complex Catts gives them the ability for us to coax additional bloom cycles out of them if you can give them superb conditions where I have found that a species Catt is only going to bloom in its native blooming season and the net effect of good culture is quality and quantity of blooms and overall plant health.

Again.......not meant to support or refute any other input here, just more things to consider. It's one more thing that makes this hobby fun.

Maybe we should do a joint project on one of those complex Catts that has a background with like 15 different species and see what we can get them to do in different conditions and see if we can figure out who is contributing genes that affect what?

Thank you for sharing this.
I totally agree even in the same environment if you go from one room to another or from one Green House to another the behavior is different, then imagine if the environment also favors the climate and other factors. please count on me for any lab or tests, I would love to.

---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:11 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Steve83

I wouldn't disturb the moss or algae. I believe it's beneficial, and the plants don't mind. My plants take to white oak quickly.

oaklichen.jpg - Google Drive

Thanks for sharing. Love the set-up 💕

[SADE2020]

I just want to give an update and a big THANKS to all. Look how wanderful the post repot has come out ... Love ❤️

[Roberta]

Looks great!