What to do with this Catt. ?

[liquidmojo]

I figure that after my Cattleya is finished blooming I am going to need to repot it. The problem is I have never owned an Orchid this big before. Do I just place it in a larger pot or do I need to divide it for the health of the plant?

cattleya.jpg

I added a ruler next to it to give you guys an idea of what I am talking about. Oh yea...For anyone who uses metric measurements I don't know how to convert it, but the Catt. is over two feet tall and in a ten inch pot. Also it has grown around its self and about half of the roots that I can see are broken and in bad shape.

cattleya2.jpg

I knew I was getting into something when I found this one in the far back room of a nursery! LOL! But for the price I just could not pass it up! The cool thing was after a month of having it I got blooms and it has been going constantly for over a month now with about six more sheaths that haven't opened yet!

Sorry I got side tracked there! I'm just still excited about this Orchid!

So If anyone has ideas or hints about what I should do...after all the blooms are done of course! I would greatly appreciate the help!

Last note: The Cattleya is a Bc. Goldenzelle x Sc. Boltoni x C. Harrisonjane. Wow That's a long name! LOL

[exasperatus2002]

You should bring it here and I'll trade you my easy going Brassia Rex and a Dendrobium noid (purple/white flowers) for it. You have two ways to do it. But first, I wouldnt split it up unless your looking to unload some. Specimen plants are awesome. You can carefully cut the pot off and clean up the roots good & repot in a larger pot or if your sure the rest of the roots are ok then keep it in its pot and put that pot in an even larger one and put the bark in. That way your not disturbing the plant in anyway. My concern though would be about the condition of the bark in the pot now. Has it started to deteriorate and lead to root rot? Catts seen to get root rot easily from what I've heard after I had my first case of rr on a Catt.

Dont rush anything when your repotting & be patient when putting it all back together.

[kmarch]

Lots of questions here, first off about dividing: You do not need to divide for the health of the plant. Cattleyas can just get bigger and bigger and bigger. I've seen them at shows in pots 2-3 feet in diameter. So The question then becomes: do you want one big plant with lots of flowers or do you want 2 or 3 small plants each with only a couple of flowers? That's an easy choice for me. I always want a big plant with lots of flowers. There seems to be a point, a certain size, which I call "critical mass," and once the orchid reaches this size it seems a lot more vigorous and it blooms better. I like to allow an orchid to reach that critical mass.

I used to think that Cattleyas could go a few years without repotting but I dont' believe that any more. I agree with exapseratus about cattleya roots being some what susceptable to rot when left in mix that is breaking down. When using bark based mixes, I repotted every other year. I chose pots that allowed for about 2 years worth of growth. In other words don't over pot them. Before I moved to Australia and got really busy, I considered repotting my cattleyas every year.

When repotting I'd give it a good heavy watering and a bit of a soak which will loosen the mix and make the roots more pliable and less likely to snap off during the repot.

I am currently running a bit of an experiment with 2 of my cattleyas, they're both minicats. They're potted in pea gravel which of course doesn't rot like bark. So far they are both almost 2 years without repotting, both growing and blooming well.

[liquidmojo]

Thanks for the input! I really like the idea of a large Catt. with lots of blooms! I'll go with just repotting it. I was hoping I could just leave it together, like Kmarch said "I want a big plant with lots of flowers"! Also thank you for the idea of soaking it first. My books do not suggest that and it sounds like a very good idea when I read it.

As for the condition of the bark...it seems to be mostly deteriorated. I would say between 60% and 75%. I have just always been told and have read that you should not repot a Cattlleya until it has finished blooming. Is this good advice?

Sorry Exasperatus my wife would kill me if I traded it! She fell in love with it when she saw the flowers, plus she's the one who gave me the twenty extra dollars to buy it after I spent the rest of my money on other Orchids.

[exasperatus2002]

Originally Posted by liquidmojo

Thanks for the input! I really like the idea of a large Catt. with lots of blooms! I'll go with just repotting it. I was hoping I could just leave it together, like Kmarch said "I want a big plant with lots of flowers"! Also thank you for the idea of soaking it first. My books do not suggest that and it sounds like a very good idea when I read it.

As for the condition of the bark...it seems to be mostly deteriorated. I would say between 60% and 75%. I have just always been told and have read that you should not repot a Cattlleya until it has finished blooming. Is this good advice?

Sorry Exasperatus my wife would kill me if I traded it! She fell in love with it when she saw the flowers, plus she's the one who gave me the twenty extra dollars to buy it after I spent the rest of my money on other Orchids.

LOL It was worth a shot! I love Cattleyas.

Kmarch--excellent idea about soaking first to make the roots more pliable.

[Vivienne]

Very pleased to hear that you are leaving it and potting up. It is going to be even more magnificent in years to come!!

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by liquidmojo

I have just always been told and have read that you should not repot a Cattlleya until it has finished blooming. Is this good advice?

Yes it is. Usually most catleyas have some brief rest period after flowering and before new growth starts. This is the best time to repot cattleyas.