Repotting Cycnodes
 

Hi

Recently I bought 2 pcs of Cycnodes (Taiwan Gold and Super Swan x Yellow Diamond). I have about 20 different orchids, so I do not have problem with repotting in general, but these two are my first orchids which require winter dormancy.
Both of them have small, new growths - the biggest is about 1 inch long, but roots of new growths not yet reached a ground. A soil in pots is quite good 'composted' - probably it was pure spagnum mose and is few years old. The surface is green with moss and algae. On the surface I can also see small fertilizer balls (only in one pot).

My question is: can I / should I repot them now or maybe it is too late?
If it is too late how should I fertilize them this year? I can remove fertilizer I see but I do not know what exactly the soil contains.

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Now sounds like the perfect time to repot :)

I use time release fertilizer on my catasetum / cycnodes, but it is not anything to be too concerned about. It is hard to over fertilize these plants during their growing period. Also, these guys can handle less than optimal growing media, so I would just drop the old media into a new pot and fill around it if you are upsizing.

I agree that if you really need to up-pot (like if the pot is falling over), drop into a larger pot and fill in with more medium. It's too late to do anything that disturbs roots. (And these don't mind if they are crowded.) If the medium is somewhat broken down with the potential to stay wet (but not now, far too soon to give them any water) it also doesn't really matter - in active growth you also can't over-water them... not only are they hungry but they are thirsty. I use time-release fertilizer because when they're in active growth they're really hungry, and my fertilizing isn't all that consistent.

You can quite safely wait to "really repot" until next fall when they go dormant. The oldest roots (in the bad medium) will be dying anyway, that's just what they do. At that point you can remove the old medium and the old dead roots. But for now, it's fine, those new little sprouts are just starting. You need to resist the temptation to water. (Put your hands in your pockets if you are tempted to reach for the watering can :biggrin:) No water until the new roots are 10 cm or so, and the new leaves have started to spread out. It is better to wait a bit longer than necessary to start to water than it is to start too soon.

So, I will probably just put them to a little bigger and better pots and fill free space with new soil. I'll wait to 'full repotting' to next year.

Unfortunately one of plants (this one with the biggest bud) was watered before shipping. Should I continue to watering or let her dry?

When is the best time to start watering?

I would suggest letting the wet one dry out. When the new roots get to about 10 cm (4 inches) you can start watering. If they are hiding down in the medium so that you can't tell how long they are, the new growth will also be about the same size - and the leaves will be starting to open out. (Now you especially don't want to get water into that tight little new growth, it needs to open out so that water doesn't get trapped) Yet another indication is that after the first group of new roots are starting to get long, there will be a second batch starting at about the time that you're ready to start watering.

There is a lot of excellent cultural information on the Forum... under the section on Catasetum and Stanhopea, look for posts by isurus79 (or just use the Search function) - he also has some videos. Another source is Sunset Valley Orchids, the owner, Fred Clarke, has done a huge amount of work with this group.

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I strongly recommend you read the growing information Roberta posted at Sunset Valley Orchids. Look near the top for Cultural Information then Catasetinae. It is far too early in the season to continue watering these. Also sign up for the E-mail list at Sunset Valley Orchids. Fred sends out detailed growing instructions several times per year, appropriate to the season, with photos.