growing cattleyas in baskets

[snowball]

hello everybody,
I have a question for anyone who can help. I grow vandas in baskets and do pretty good. I water them every morning and sometimes if the humidity is low I water twice a day. My vandas are all grown with no bark or moss.As I said I do pretty good with them. My question is can you grow cattleyas in baskets the same as you would a vanda? Do cattleyas do any good in baskets? I would like to try cattleyas in baskets but I dont want to kill my cattleyas. I wanted to check with someone that knows more about growing cattleyas than I do. I got alot of cattleyas and I dont really want to chance something I dont know anything about. If cattleyas do well in a basket do they need bark or moss or can you grow them like vandas? I know ther is more watering if in baskets. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks
Snowball

[fred]

hi snowball
As this is your first post welcome to the forum I am pleased that you have decided to join in with posting.

It may also help us to help you if you can go into your user settings and update your Profile with your Location.

I would not try to grow Catt,s like Vanda,s with out potting medium.

you could try Catts in a basket with a bark mix and also try sphagnum moss in another basket to see what medium works better for you.

I an sure the other members will also give you some advice with this.

[kmarch]

Hello snowball and welcome to the forum.

The most important thing with orchid culture is always to give the plant the culture/conditions it likes. So with a Cattleya for example, they like to be watered then allowed to dry out (as you probably know). It is possible to give this to them whether potted in a plastic or clay pot, while mounted, or even in a basket. A friend of mine has a Cattleya maxima that she grows in a basket.

If you try basket culture wiht a Cattleya, I'd recommend you still use potting mix, probably the same you are currently using essentially just substituting a basket for the pot. You'll notice there's quite a difference between Vanda and Cattleya roots. In the wild Vandas grow with their roots hanging in the air but Cattleyas grow wrapping their roots around branches so while Vandas do well in baskets with no mix (or even on hangers with no basket at all) Cattleyas do better with some kind of medium for their roots to grow in and around.

I'd also recommend you try it with only one plant first until you figure out how you'll need to adjust your watering. Because a basket is more open than a pot I suspect you will have to water more often.

Keep us posted on yoru progress and what you decide to do!

Happy Growing!

[snowball]

hello Fred and Kmarch,
Thank you so much for your advice. That was a quick come back.I have been reading on this fourm for a while trying to learn as I go. I'm not one to talk alot I'm kind of shy when it comes to one of these computers. My location is in Alabama and I will update my profile soon.
If I do decide to go with baskets which would be best plastic or wooden? About how much bark would I need to use? and last question do I need to soak the bark over night? Sorry for the questions but I gotta know.If I go with baskets I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again Fred and Kmarch for your advice.
snowball

[kmarch]

snowball,

It probably doesn't matter whether you use a plastic or a wood basket. Usually wood baskets have wider spaces between the slats and so may dry out faster, but it really doesn't matter which you use.

I once heard a charming anicdote about Abraham Lincoln in which he was asked by reporter about how long a man's legs should be. Lincoln replied, "Just long enough to reach from his body to the ground." So the answer to how much potting mix should be used is, "Just enough to fill the pot." Look at how your Cattleya is potted. You'll probably notice that the mix comes up to but does not bury the rhizome of the plant. This is how it should be after you've repotted it.

Sometimes bags of orchid bark come dry and sometimes they come pre soaked. If it is dry, set it to soak overnight. When I used to get my mix dry I'd set it to soak in warm water (warm seems to work better) when I was cleaning up after dinner on Friday and it would be ready to go on Saturday morning when I started my repotting, so I guess that's about 12-18 hours.

If you don't have one, I'd recommend getting a good book on basic orchid culture. I highly recommend Ortho's All About Orchids. It's probably the best, clear and concise book I know on the basics of repotting and the various types of orchid mixes. The book is readily available in large bookstores or through amazon.com

[prisana]

Hi Snowball, welcome to the forum.

Here are a couple of pics of my Catt in a wooden basket. I stuck it in there since Nov. last year. It's now got 4 new growths and when it's mature, I'm expecting to see some nice blooms.

I use medium bark and charcoal and some broken pieces of clay pot ( broken clay pot need to be sterilized ..baking or boiling ) the bark mix you can soak it over night if you wish. But a plant in basket, even it's in media, requires more watering than the potted ones. I live in S Florida and I water mine everyday or it will start to shrink.

[pikevi]

Hello snowball.

Welcome to the forum.

[snowball]

Hello prisana and pikevi,
Prisana the pictures were pretty amazing to see. The cattleyas dont look bad in baskets. As a matter of fact I was kinda surprised how good they looked. I do grow alot of vandas in baskets and their practicly naked nothing but roots. I was realy amazed at the first vanda I ordered because I had never seen anything grow like that. Nothing but roots. Now that I've seen pictures of how a cattleya grows in a basket I'm kinda thinking the same thing. They are odd but pretty. After seeing your pictures I think I will give it a try. Thank you so much for your advice and the pictures. The pictures were really amazing. Thank you again and have a good night.
Snowball