[sandra]

Nancy, I've lost roots on my cattleyas many times and as well, cut all the roots off after blooming when I repotted them, out of necessity because of entire root rot. Some growers deliberately remove all the roots with each new repotting and say it promotes new growth faster without ever skipping a season. Cattleyas are amazing because it takes more than losing or cutting off all their roots to kill them.

I've also bought a couple of catts that were pre-packaged as you described and I've found that the quality of these plants can more than sometimes be questionable. Two of them had developed rot but I think it was brewing before I ever took over their care.

You can keep your catt in a bag with some sphag. or you can put it in medium, potted up rootless. I've used the bag/sphag method on dendrobiums with success, never tried it with catts. Which ever you choose, make sure you first cut all the dead roots to stop the spread of rot, a suggested rooting hormone soak might help. Some disagree that a rooting hormone on a totally rootless catt is a good idea but I haven't experienced anything negative about it's use. Keep it out of direct sun and no watering for 2-3 weeks. After then, start watering it regularly and keep it in a sunny location. You should by then start to see a lot of growth activity, without having to unpot it.

I have a huge catt that I removed every single root from (this past June)after it's last blooming. The ps.bulbs became shriveled, the leaves did too. It wasn't until just a few weeks ago that the leaves smoothed out again. Patience is one thing required when having orchids.