Repotting catasetums

[Kmac]

Hi all--

I have been away from the boards for some time, good to see both some new and old faces here!

I have a Q on catasetums, which I am fairly new to growing. I know that the time to repot them is when the new growth starts, before it gets lot of root going--instructions I was given are very clear on this. And I know you can't water them until the new growths have 3-5" roots. Does this mean I repot them using dry media, since I can't water them yet? Or do I dampen the media some, but not water them? I am a bit confused...

[Arne]

If water is given to Catasetum during dormancy there is a risk of rot. On the other hand, if water is given when the plant has grown a few short roots, further root production may not happen, hence the 3-5'' rule.

I would not hesitate to use somewhat damp medium for repotting as long as it dries out within a day or so.

[Kmac]

Thank you!
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[Dorsetman]

Ihave always taken the instruction about root length to mean , do not pot until they are that long. Otherwise, how do you know ? But I must also add that I ignore it. Pot when new roots are seen, and be very, very sparing with water until growing vigorously, that is the way I do it.
It can be surprising how long a bulbous orchid can go without water, especially a hard bulbed one one like cymbidiums ( and catasetums are in the same generic grouping).

[Kmac]

Thanks, Geoff. Nice to see you!
I actually went ahead and repotted them before i saw your reply. I used dry sphag, since they have been growing previously in sphag. They have nice, fat pbulbs, So I trust they will be fine until time to water.
As you say, hard to tell when roots reach the right length to water, but I’vebeen told May is a good guess. We will see!
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[Dorsetman]

There is a UK National Collection in this group - catasetiniae - and I once asked the owner/grower what he used for potting, and he said 2 parts chopped sphagnum moss and one part Perlite with the dust sieved out. Needless to say, his bulbs ( and spikes) were quite impressive.

[Kmac]

Thats good to know; i’ll try adding the perlite next time. Thanks.
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---------- Post Merged at 08:37 AM ----------

Thats good to know; i’ll try adding the perlite next time. Thanks.
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