Problem Cattleyas! How to Overcome Issues
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- Sometimes you have orchids that should be doing just fine, but aren't. It took a bit of sleuthing to figure out why a few of my Cattleyas are doing poorly despite my best efforts. I show you what is happening with these problem Cattleyas and my proposed remedies. Join me as I discuss some avenues for general problem solving and how to think a bit outside the box you're typically contained within.
I agree with you on the drying too fast oppinion. I have almost all the unifoliate cattleya species, except for 3-4 and I grow them on warm windowsil (around 35C during the summer). They do great, but the ones in plastic pots and mid bark get watered every 2 days and the ones in pure sphagnum are watered every 4th day (if they are actively growing). I've heard many experienced growers saying that catts like to be on the dry side, or they can take a lot of heat and need tons of light to bloom, unfortunately when I followed these advices I had plants like your warcs. Everyone should observe their plants and climate and as you said think outside the box about what the issue is and action, even if this is breaking the 'sacret rules of orchid growing'. My plants grow and flower well, especially in pure sphagnum and burn if not protected even from my morning sun. And I learned that from experience.
Coerulean Well said! I think everyone should start with the tried and true methods and venture out if they don’t work!
Excellent video ! Love that you are sharing and discussing the problem ones and not only the success stories !
Whoops, just seeing this comment now! Thank you!
I'll just say it now... congratulations on reaching 1k 🎊🎉🍾🥂
Ninja_Orchids Ha! Thank you! Only three more to go!
Thank you as always for sharing your knowledge 😁 I got very lucky, by accident with one of my newer cattleyas... a maxima var. coerulea.... I ordered it from a nursery and it was much smaller than I'd expected so I put it into a small clay pot with only a hole at the bottom... I have to say that the new growth on that plant has grown much faster than any new growth on my other cattleyas in clear plastic pots full of holes....
Bonnie Sue Kimball Ha! That’s great! Sounds like clay is the way to go!
Hi Stephen! I grow several C. warsewiczii's (I actually have the exact same cross from SVO) and I do think you're correct about the temps being a little too high but i think this species particularly likes higher humidity compared to other catts. When i moved it from my outdoor SoCal patio to my warm greenhouse (60F min nights, 85% humidity), I noticed the increase in humidity really stimulated root growth, giving me nice fat bulbs. The reason i think your seedlings are doing better is because adults of this species, following a winter rest, it is CRITICAL that you do not increase watering frequency until the new growth is at least 4 inches tall, according to Chadwick orchids.
Good information! I’ve been considering experimenting with semi-hydroponics to help with cooling the roots and increasing moisture for the plants. Also, I asked Andres Niessen about their care at this year’s Orchid Digest lecture and she mentioned this species likes it a bit shadier than other Cattleya. This makes sense since my adult plants really are a light green, like that color a Cattleya gets when it’s at the upper end of its light tolerance.
@@SVKLOrchids interesting.. it’s so hard to pinpoint the exact causes of these things but that won’t stop me from trying to grow this great species. Happy growing!
@@miloreidel Same to you!
Yes, I was just about to suggest the need of a solid winter rest which as per Chadwick's observations leads to much better, fatter new growths. Is there any update on this Catt since the upload of the video?
@@galyasorchids2928 unfortunately not! Still looks the same!
Some people think I mollycoddle my orchids but I don't. I just try to give them what they want. I am still learning, always learning. Another great video. Thanks for taking the time to make another great video.
Patricia's Orchids Thank you! They say orchids thrive on benign neglect. I partially agree lol
In your pots I've been adding large coco chunks to hold on to humidity a bit longer.
That can certainly help!
Hi Stephen , I live in Florence, Italy and my temperature and humidity conditions are very similar to yours, perhaps with a few degrees less than the maximum temperature. A great Cattleya grower lives near me and he suggested that I add to the bark a 30 % of perlite and zeolite which serve to retain water by slowly releasing it. perhaps it could also be useful for your warscewiczii in difficulty. greetings Saverio
I’m not familiar with zeolite. Is that similar to vermiculite?
@@SVKLOrchidsZeolite has very interesting chemical characteristics because it is able to retain moisture and minerals present in the fertilisers to gradually give them away. If you want I can find you and send you some interesting articles about it
@@SaverioPestuggia thank you!
Thank you so much for the information, great video: Between you and William Green I have learned a lot. Keep up the good work!👍👍
Awesome! I’m glad our videos are helpful!
i hope you figure out the warsc issue because i can see rex having the same problems. Maybe switching from clay to plastic pots would be enough? 🌿 many congrats on 1000 subscribers 🏆
Thanks! I think our chats have had a big impact to my viewership, so I definitely owe you a beer or two! As for the rex & wascewiczii problems, they're from similar habitats so I wonder if a bit more moisture at the roots is what they need! I want to try s/h for at least one of them and finer grade bark for another. Clay definitely makes them dry more quickly!
Thank you for the advice. Congrats on reaching 1 thousand.👍🏼👍🏼 Keep up the good work.
Miche Thank you so much!!
Thanks for this video. It's nice to see an experienced grower share their "problem" orchids. I have high hopes for my Cattleyas now that I live in sunny California. But I too have some that have been struggling to stay alive, let alone thrive. If I see any signs of new growth, I tend to keep them and hope for the best. I have already moved them to a shadier spot and added sphagnum moss to the media. The plants and myself were not prepared for the intensity of the sun here but most of them have acclimated fine. I know it's hot and dry but why not try Vandas? I look forward to more of your videos.
Tracy B H Thank you so much Tracy! You read my brain! I do want to try a few and actually asked Martin Motes about the best way to do so. I’ll grow them in a clay pot with very large bark chunks.
Thankyou love your vids
Thank you! That warscewiczii is about to open buds right now!
Interesting video and i think a good call to put some sphagnum around the base. I noticed with some orchids the seedlings or keikis seems to be more adaptable than the adult ones, like they are set in their ways or something? It might just be my mind playing tricks though 😊
Great video 😁
Ha! I think you’re right!
Thank you for sharing!
Let me know if you have questions!
Well said.
Thanks!
Well, it looks like you know the Golden rule of potting bifoliate cattleyas. Never touch the roots. Put annex pots on. Never touch the roots and never touch the roots ;) BTW, my new easy favorite annex pot method is getting the very stiff cloth pots from 247 garden. Get the ones with velcro, velcro that bad boy around the front lead and let the new growth grow into the annex undisturbed. They are stiff enough to hold their shape yet no cutting is needed to form them around the other pot. Also, i just fell in love with you over your social media rant, youtube included. Especially when you tell someone something like, "I tried clay media in clay pots 15 years ago and it doesn't work well jn conditions like ours for reason x y and z, they don't listen, and then a year later, they've switched all of their plants into a different media again. Last thing I will seriously say..for stressed plants, if you have the space indoors, you could make a nursery with t5 led shop lights which should put out the light needed to bloom cattleyas if they are t5HO equivalent...you know what? I will check this all out for you if youre interested.... Ok I'm not liking what I'm seeing while looking at these. They don't have the same brightness as a t5ho. That said, if you're only planning on nursing the plants back to health, you don't need as much light as if you were going to grow them indoors forever like me. I could bloom my unifoiate catts under t5ho 4ft 4 bulbs in a basement. Some of these bulbs have about half the amount of light... Anyway, Led shop lights are cheap, they don't put out the heat of t5ho, and the heat doesn't come down on the plants like it does in florescent bulbs. So you could get a grow tent or make one with pcv pipe, pvc clamps that you cut to size from greenhouse megastore, and have a much milder climate for them to recover in where you can keep the humidity high so they don't dessicate in the time it takes to make a new lead or two and a new set of roots.
Yep, I do have a small nursery inside my house with an LED light! It's where I grow my tiny seedlings!
How much ppm do u use for the fertilizer that you put in your cataleas.
Thanks Stephen!
Another great video 👍
Elena Barnes Thanks!
I used to have about 4 catts in my greenhouse in Kansas. My greenhouse had a non-vented heater which kept the greenhouse at 50% all winter and the two polyethyene plastic sheet covering gave them diffused 83% sunlight. Since these orchids were given to me I had no idea I had the perfect climate for them in there. I had them hanging from a rod and a gentle breeze from a fan. Omg they would bloom in March and my whole house would smell amazing. I lost them when we moved and I tried to grow them under lights. I have a greenhouse again in Kansas so I am looking to get into them again. Do you have recommendations for large catts that are easy and are extremely fragrant? I never got their names.
There are always 1 out of 2 main problems with cattleyas, - growing too wet with a lack of sun or growing too dry with enough of sun.. Everyone knows their conditions and its easy to choose .. More on the wet side is always better for me..
If seedlings are doing well watering is sufficient.
I grow with higher light which dries the plants quickly, as you alluded to. I find adding more water is an easier solution than dealing with wet media!
Thanks for plugging local orchid societies as a resource for plant growing advice! Have you ever been asked to speak for the Manhattan Orchid Society? Although most of the membership seems to be windowsill or under-lights growers, it might be fun. Cheers!
Hi Karl! I haven’t been asked to speak to the Manhattan OS. Sounds fun!
@@SVKLOrchids Okay, I can run it by our officers. I bet you'd be a hit!
@@Kawabunga9 Ha! Very cool!
Lots of good advice!
Thank you!
One question from me about the the dry looking and reportedly limp in places warscewiczii. How have the nighttime lows been in your area for the last few months? Im an indoor grower and my cattleya collection(I don't have any warscewiczii ) seem to just barely tolerate 78f at night. Once the evenings get into 75 or less the roots go into high gear...in my conditions anyway. Perhaps the nighttime "lows" were to high for the past few months and the plant refused to open its stoma? Shut stoma=no or very low co2 fixation, not much sugar produced and might be why it looks so starved. No nighttime Co2 uptake would be hard to overcome. Nighttime summer temps in their range are said to be in the low 60s. Just a thought. Might be moisture uptake time as well.
Random question. How fast does perlite give up its moisture in your outdoor conditions?
I enjoy the updates. Thanks for posting them.
Brandon Silvester Hi Brandon,
Really interesting question about the nighttime lows. Our nighttime temps will stay above 75 degrees for months on end, hovering just under 80 degrees. We’re getting the cooler nighttime temps now and I’ll keep an eye out for root growth. This really is a species a assumed would melt in the heat. One thing I’m thinking about is why would the adults not open stoma at night but the seedlings do? I’m not saying you’re wrong, just trying think out loud!
@@SVKLOrchids Your seedings might be from several generations line breed winners. The seedlings might be the best of the best heat tolerant genetics the species has to offer? VS a mature plant that may be from an older more original line or division? If they fatten up through fall it could be moisture, night temps, day temps and stoma issues. It all counts. And hey I'm wrong all the time. As long as the plants give me time to adjust its a learning experience.
Brandon Silvester Very interesting ideas! I’ll definitely post another video to document how things are going this fall!
I am by no means an expert however I have found my seedling acclimatize much easier then an “adult” plant. I would guess that’s because the adult is “used to” a certain environment whereas the seedlings are not. Therefore the “adult” plants need a more gradual introduction to their new environment because they are slower to acclimatize.
Again, just something I noticed in my own collection, not saying it’s true in your case.
I grow my Cattleya’s in my version of semi hydro so hydration is not really an issue for my plants once they’ve acclimated to semi hydro.
I recently moved and burnt my tolumnias badly, not because the light was to strong in the new environment but because I tried to acclimatize them to the higher available light to quickly. Learned a big lesson there.
Danielle's Orchid Ranch There’s a lot of truth that seedlings adapt faster than adult plants. The same is true of humans! 🤣😂 I actually might try semi-hydro again with one of my adult warscewiczii. I use rainwater, so it should work well.
I was thinking of semi-hydro as well. But you may still need to add a top layer of moss to counteract the low humidity.
Great advice. Thank you
Charles McKemie Thanks, Charles!
Thank you! Do you test your plants for virus? I do.
Elena Chilova I have not! I need to though.
I need help with my Pot. Burana Beauty, when i got it was, not satisfied, i told them about it, but everybody said it is fine.
My problem is it had some leaves wrinkle and like purple brown leaves, now i have more, praying my plants don't die😢😢..
Need help im 82 new at this
Tough to say without photos! Can you send photos to me on facebook, reddit, or instagram? Or on Orchidboard?
@SVKLOrchids
Yes, I'll try to send to you , thanks very much
Do you have cattleya trianae? Any suggestions to get her to bloom i really think that it is 3 or 4 smaller orchids all in one pot. If i could send you a phot of her i would.
If it's 3-4 smaller plants in a single pot, there's a good chance they aren't large enough to bloom! The most common remedy for a Cattleya that isn't blooming is to increase light. In low light conditions, they often grow well but don't bloom.
@@SVKLOrchids ok ya I really dug around in the bark and ya there are 4 sections of small plants, she is pretty good light and has put out 5 new growths this last year with 4 potentially more new eyes.
I have sent you pictures, but seems like you are on getting them, FB
I don’t see any on Facebook or Facebook messenger
This sounds very simplistic ... but is it time to PET the adults? The seedlings are doing well because the Texas environment is now their normal, maybe the adults are having a hard time adjusting ..?...
Gary Lewis Well, the PET method only works for Catasetums and would rot Cattleya roots! However, there’s a technique called semi-hydroponics which might be better for the Cattleyas... Your comment actually has me thinking about doing an experiment with s/h for one of these guys. Great idea, dad!
Hello and thank you. Who do you buy your cattleyas from? I am looking for another grower and live in NJ. Thank you.
Oh, quite a few places! H&R Nurseries was my favorite but they have closed or are close to closing since their owners retired. I think my favorite source now would be Sunset Valley Orchids. Waldor Orchids is in you’re neck of the woods and has great stuff. I’ve also imported from several South American vendors over the years too. Are you interested in their names as well?
Yes I pretty much get everything from Waldor Orchids but thought it would be nice to try another vendor. I think the shipping would be much higher if from South America correct?
If much higher for shipping I wouldn’t be interested and will stick to ordering in the US. Thank you kindly - I really enjoy your videos.
@@tameracoelho87 I get on a mailing list for the South American vendors who are attending an American show. Then they ship from the show, nearly eliminating import import fees and charging normal shipping prices.
Tell the others vendors, please!
@@zapcoaching you want the names of the South American vendors?
Stephen: read sue bottoms article and also Roy Tokunaga re calcium deficiency. Thanks a million ...Going to try calcium/mag supplement. Thanks again
Janet Lee You’re welcome!
Do you have snake issues with your orchids? Considering your environment
I love snakes! Sadly, we don’t have very many on our property.
What's funny I know growers out west they grow cattleya in sphagnum which is a big no no for us here in Florida. But it's so dry out there I see why..
Here I've seen growers go bareroot in pots... Bareroot! Which trips me out, but they grow well and they bloom like crazy.
Todd's Tropicals You know, Claudia Walworth in Florida grows some of the best Cattleyas I’ve ever seen (on the Internet, haven’t been to her place) and she grows them in spag! Mauro Rosim grows his in spag as well, but in Brazil. I honestly don’t know how they do it. I assume it’s voodoo magic! 🤣😂
@@SVKLOrchids 🤣🤣🤣 gotta be voodoo, they'd be dead as doornails if I did sphagnum.
Todd's Tropicals Ha!!
Subbed ...
Please explain
@@SVKLOrchids subscribed
@@FreedomRider1982 Ohhhh! I add subs to my videos in different languages and I thought they were acting wonky. lol Anyway, good to meet you!
@@SVKLOrchids Likewise ... I'm a beginner but I'm learning !
Sometime ago I told u about black pbs here in Miami, so I used used some garden lime for my Catt orchids bz I thought mb it was a cal/mag deficiency. Lo and behold the all turned blacker and I had to trash. I looked at roots-black and rotted. The ones that I did not use cal supp on did not rot. Wd you have any idea what I did wrong or what the heck happened.
Unfortunately not! Too many variables to hazard a guess!
Stephen: How are you?
Been following your vids especially the summer ones because I have some problems. Down here in Miami, FL it has been raining every day single day. Every day for the summer and even now, bz og hurricane Gamma, it pours - My cattleyas and other orchids are soaked and I am seeing brown pseudobulbs and rot.
I don't understand why some growers advise drenching with hydrogen peroxide or fungicide. While it is pouring down rain, how can you drench with hp/fungicide? more wet... Then in the a.m. before rain starts, I lift the umbrella and the morning sun burns the heck out of the leaves so I have big brown burn spots. Right now it is drizzling constantly, and also very humid. Texas is hot but do you get heavy daily rains? I don't hear you commenting on heavy rain in your vids. Combination humidity and it is a recipe for rot.
I am cheesed off. Happens every summer. I have Physan, hp, and Phyton 27. I cant be pouring Phyton fungicide every day during rain downpour.
Any suggestion wd be appreciated. Sorry for long post./
Are you sure your plants are calcium deficient? That can cause rotting also.
Yes, I was thinking about calcium deficiency as well. Todd is in Florida and can speak to that climate better than I can. Check out this article from Sue Bottom, who is also in Florida: staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/CalciumDeficiencyInCattleyasbySueBottom.pdf
Here in central Texas we don’t have to worry about monsoonal rain in summer, quite the opposite in fact since that is our dry season! Is it possible to build a greenhouse roof over your grow area? Or have them mounted? I would check the calcium deficiency angle first though. These plants are from parts of Brazil with very wet summers, so I suspect yours could be a case of a minor tweak that pay dividends to your collection!
@@SVKLOrchids I treat with thiomyl every month also.
Todd's Tropicals That’s not one I’m familiar with. Is it an anti-fungal?
I have and use CalMag. Thanks Stephen. Will read. Mb I have my own special rain cloud hovering over my townhouse. Orcs are on back patio hanging on trellises. HOA restricts building structures. I have a large umbrella which I open up for sun/shelter for some of the orcs. Looks like rain now. Cannot use lots of chemicals. Am on chemo now so ..this is my little hobby. Anyway..it is what it is...on with the hydro peroxide. Thanks
I would prefer dry cattleyas any day over too wet cattleyas esp if there is no chance to dry out bz of too much rain over a period of time. Give me dry..
have you looked into Australian dendrobiums ie dockrillia and such they love high temps and low humidity also many of them can go cold well i have several of them and they grow very well for me in Australia mine have experienced almost 50 deg c in summer mostly 45 is the median temp and as low as 5 deg c in winter
beau barton I had one complex hybrid from Fred Clarke and sold it. I have wanted to get some speciosum though!
@@SVKLOrchids speciosum are difficult to find even for me just so many hybrids and crosses out there but I had a couple of natural variations in the species years back but they collapsed with 3 years of conservative heatwaves took them down been I have been unable to get the species again but I'm looking lol
beau barton Are you in Australia?
@@SVKLOrchids yes I am I'm on the dry Inland side of the Great Dividing Range about 600 km from the coast in New South Wales near the border of Queensland
@@jomilkman580 Ah, very cool! You've got some great native orchids over there. I'm very jealous!
Did you consider fusarium infection? I hear a lot of conflicting informations about this disease in orchids. What is your opinion about it?
RoXx aNna I thought about it and should probably cut into the plant to see the tell tale ring. It’s a good question! This reminds me to cut off a back bulb...
RoXx aNna I just checked the porphyroglossa for fusarium and it appears negative for that disease. Thank you for the reminder!
@@SVKLOrchids
I am glad your plant is not infected. Hopefully she will recover just fine.
I have an issue with fusarium and I don't know how to handle it. I found the purple ring while cutting old bulbs on cattleyas that seem otherwise healthy and have a lot of roots. I had two plants that died a few years back and had fusarium, but this thing happend in a period when I unfortunately neglected them, because I had a really hard time at work. The poor plants didn't receive water nor fertilizer as often as they should.
Since I care for them properly I had no more issues. So it seems to me that this fungus affects the orchids mostly when they are stressed from other causes.
What do you think?
RoXx aNna Yes, diseases only general often find a welcoming home in a stressed plant! Luckily this isn’t a disease I have much experience with. Here is an article from Sue Bottom about fusarium. She’s got several article that touch on the subject, but this one is dedicated to it: staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/FusariumInPhalaenopsisbySueBottom.pdf
@@SVKLOrchids Thank you for the answer. I hope neither of us will have the chance to get much experience with fusarium. Seems a nasty problem.
I’m ready for this video because I have a stubborn White bridal x Hawaiian wedding song. The darn girl is never happy!
It’s so true my Cattleyas absolutely love the heat of my greenhouse during the summer. 95-105 and they are happy campers.
There’s always one Debbie downer Cattleya in ever crowd! 🤣😂
Your cattleyas look too dry i grow them in full sun in miami with always a dish with couple mm of water at least, the plant cant throw off roots if it is bone dry.
frank gordon smith Well, I’m only showing the sick ones in those video! 99% of them are doing very well!
@@SVKLOrchids Make more cattleya videos, do you have any brassavolas?
frank gordon smith Yes, I’ll definitely make more Cattleya videos! Maybe next week I’ll show the success stories. I’ve only got one Brassavola (nodosa x subulifolia) cross and one former Brassavola (now Rhyncholaelia) glauca that grows like a weed.
Ye cattleyas!
Another great video Stephen. Thanks!
Lea Frigula Thanks, Lea!