Hello all

[jdlan55]

Hi all. Newbie to the geek forum. I have been growing orchids for 5 or 6 years now and have had pretty good success. I have an LC Trick or Treat thats looking poorly. I have had this orchid for 4 years and it has bloomed twice. It is gorgeous. This past summer was its best growth season and it looked fabulous. Now its dropping leaves, the new growth has died, and its looking terrible. Any ideas or suggestions to help save it would be appreciated.

[kmarch]

Hmmmm....sounds like the roots might be suffering. When did you last repot?

[jdlan55]

I repotted last spring. The only thing I can think of is the temps this winter. I usually bring them in from outside when temps fall below 50 degrees. I have a bright "florida room" on the north side of my house where they winter. This winter temps have been cooler there. I would guess maybe mid 50s for night time. It almost appears to look as if its overwatered but I am notorious for letting my orchids dry between waterings. Maybe I've let this one dry too much. I usually water at 10 to 14 day intervals this time of year.

[kmarch]

Well....55F night time winter temps should be ok. When I lived in Michigan my catts got down to 55-60 at night and they did well. They got warmer during the day (75F) so they weren't always cool. I was careful to keep water off the new shoots when it was cool.

The overwatering/underwatering question is tricky because the symptoms for both are largely the same. But if you're watering about every 10 days to 2 weeks I suspect your cattleya is probably being underwatered.

What is it potted in?

[jdlan55]

I repotted in fir bark, charcoal, perlite and sphagnum moss. I've used this mixture with good success on cats and phals. I think I'll pull it out and take a look at the roots. My experience has been when they start downhill theres no stopping them from dying. I was hoping for a better experience with this one. Its one of my favorites. The rest of my plants look good. I have a phal and an oncidium in spike.