Hi, everyone! This is my cattleya. I purchased it a week ago from a big box retailer--they always have beautiful phals, catts, and oncidiums. I have been successfully keeping phals alive for a few months (except 2 to root rot--I learned from that), so I thought I'd get bold and buy a catt.

As you can see, it is huge, growing way out of the pot. It seems to like me--I expected to see nothing out of that sheath, and indeed there was nothing the day I bought it. The day after, 2 buds emerged, and have grown drastically within a week.

I want to repot it ASAP, because there is moss/greenish areas on the medium, and everything is very much packed in. It came that way--I am NOT an overwaterer. But first, I think I have to divide it and let it start more new root growth. I also don't want to upset it, since it looks very anxious to open those two buds. I just want to get the timing right, here--am I on the right track with what I plan to do?

And can someone explain the major hack job that someone seems to have performed on it? Why does it look like some pseudobulbs and a lot of roots have been cut off? Granted, those roots look dead (dried and crispy), but still...?

Well...I'm TRYING to get the pictures to upload. I followed the directions, but it doesn't seem to want to work. I don't understand why it is so complicated to just upload something from my own computer. No way of knowing whether it worked...