PET Repotting Video II- January 2020

[@sunshine467sun]

I keep watching or listening your videos. They are really very informative and helpful. Please keep posting.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Sha Sun Thank you! I definitely plan to keep posting!

[@andredumas9547]

Hello Stephen, I have listened to 3 of your videos about the PET method and catasetums, I really like the way that you explain things. I have a catasetum tenebrosum that I will repot following that method. Thanks Stephen for this very interesting video.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Excellent! Let me know if you have questions!

[@momepenni]

Paula from Mexico. The warm weather is coming. 58 at night and 80 daytime. Repotted my two Catasetums today. They both are starting roots. I did not water it, I was temped with the new medium. The PET method. Used lava rocks on bottom. I staked them & banded them. Hopefully they will grow straight up this year. Cycnodes Taiwan Gold’Orange’ & Catasetum pileatum ‘Jumbo Green’ . Hope they bloom better this year. Taiwan didn’t spike at all & Jumbo Green budded but never opened all the way, but died off. My second year.

[@SVKLOrchids]

I bet they do well this year!!

[@momepenni]

@@SVKLOrchids Thank You very much.

[@scottgordon1781]

LOL you and me and zip ties :-) A no no at our society meetings , just so easy to work with .

[@SVKLOrchids]

A no-no at society meetings? lol Why not?

[@scottgordon1781]

@@SVKLOrchids maybe because its me and it is not green :-)

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@scottgordon1781 🤣😂

[@TropiChic]

Only two holes in the bottom? I'm worried about root rot cause humidity here is usually 80 - 90, but with tropical breeze.

[@SVKLOrchids]

I’ve seen some people add more holes throughout the pot. However, I’ve also seen many people in humid places with only two holes in their pots doing quite well!

[@TropiChic]

Stephen Van Kampen-Lewis I'll try it then. Thanks

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@TropiChic You’re welcome!

[@nitawal]

I’ve been binge watching your videos and I’ve been pondering about your sphag comment. I was always under the impression that we were supposed to leave the moss loose so that the roots have air. Is the very compact moss only for Catasetum or do you recommend to pack it very very tight for any orchid? Please demystify me. I trust your expertise.

[@SVKLOrchids]

I always pack the moss in, no matter the genera! It dries much more quickly than loose moss, probably because it has less water holding capacity when permanently squeezed. This means it also does hold enough water to keep the roots water logged.

[@nitawal]

@@SVKLOrchids will do! Thanks so much!

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@nitawal No problem!

[@maureenswallow3054]

Oops, I hope the plant survived the fall,as I am about a year behind at the moment I may find out as I work up your vids. good vid,I see not all leaves are lost in the dormant Period that in it's self is interesting, thanks bill.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Some keep their leaves a bit longer than others!

[@patriciasorchids3999]

My Catasetum saccatum (I bought in October) has sprouted a new growth. Now that I know where I can keep them when they are dormant, I just need to know if I can grow them. I have mine in a small milk container with pumice stones with a 1-2 inch reservoir. I will probably try the PET method. Thank you for another very informative video.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Patricia's Orchids You’re welcome! Hopefully it blooms soon!

[@adriansantos811]

Wife and I really enjoy your videos and inspiration you give to those of us without your length of experience. We have started a collection of Catasetum thanks to you and purchased a collection of Mini-Catasetum offered by Fred Clark, but I have a Cyn. Peruviana which still has green leaves and is now showing growth despite not being watered. In fact some of the Fred Collection is showing growth not in roots, but spiking growth from the base despite not having been watered for several months. My question is in regard to the Peruviana, it has had green leaves the entire time and does not seem to have hibernated. Wondering whether I should water that one or wait for roots to grow. BTW i am using the PET method which we saw demonstrated by yourself and other Brazilian KZbin videos.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Adrian Santos Sounds like a great collection! I’m glad my videos are helpful!! I would continue to withhold water for the Cycnoches until the roots are long. Please let me know if you ever chop that one up and want to trade!!

[@tracylovisone5874]

Love your videos. Can you do one on separating the bulbs?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Yes, I can do one those!

[@michaelpye5972]

So you don't cut off the old roots as many do?

[@SVKLOrchids]

I usually trim, but the old roots are VERY helpful for anchoring the plant so I keep them on.

[@isabelmoreno1534]

Also do you think that forcing back to dormancy on the shriveled Cats that had no leaves is a good attempt? What is PTE? Would send you pictures of my Cats if I knew how to attach em here, but don't see option. Thank you!!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Forcing dormancy on a plant with shriveled bulbs usually doesn't work out well! You'll need fat bulbs to get them through dormancy. Where do you live? Your plants should be growing like crazy this time of year!

[@isabelmoreno1534]

@@SVKLOrchids hello, thank you for your response. We live in San Bernardino. Gets over a 100 very hot and dry. Dont get humidity much.

[@janinacarlona450]

I like this video better than your first even though that was the one that sparked my interest in this method. I think the 2nd video is more relatable since it has a plant similar to the size of mine. There are many videos out there where a layer of time-released fertilizer is added while repotting. Would that be a good idea with this method?

[@SVKLOrchids]

For some reason this comment escaped me! My apologies! Anyway, I add the slow release fertilizer at the top of the media.

[@alvinchan5686]

Good morning Stephen Kung Hei Fat Choi (Happy Chinese New Year ) Need your advice again 。Some of my catasetum's are coming out of dormancy but the media( I use your PET method) they are still damp As you know I am in the tropics and the weather is quite humid，Should I repot and use dry media Or I should just leave it alone and hope for the best？

[@SVKLOrchids]

Kung Hei Fat Choi to you as well! If the media is not getting watered but is just damp from humidity, I think you’ll be ok. How we, this might be a good time to experiment and test some plants by pulling them out of the media. The tried and true methods work generally, but there are always tweaks that you can make based on local conditions. Now is probably a good time figure out those tweaks for your area.

[@alvinchan5686]

Good morning Steven Need your advice again my CATs are coming out of dormancy but they are sprouting from the top of the bulb instead of at the bottom。what should I do

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@alvinchan5686 My newest video talks about that very issue!

[@michaelpye5972]

Stephen, do you have any water in the well before you start watering? or do you just leave the plant on top of the dry spag until the roots are over 4" long?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Michael Pye Totally dry until I begin watering, usually around Memorial Day.

[@carolynfrazier9121]

Just caught this video and your other one from last year. Can I use lava rock for bottom layer? Thanks for posting and being so concise. Very easy to follow!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Carolyn Frazier Yes! Lava rock should work well!

[@martinspijker9661]

goodday Stphen..on what stage of a new growths live it starts to need good light? i have a couple already coming out of dormancy but the are not i a very bright spot..thnx..;) i got a little bag of seaweed lime, do you think that stuff is usefull in in mossmix? did you broke those clowesetum spikes??

[@SVKLOrchids]

I keep mine in bright light all the time! I've never heard of seaweed lime, so I can't offer any insight into that. The clowesetum spikes somehow survived. Only one bud popped offFF

[@isabelmoreno1534]

Hello, so we have a good number of catesetums. 2nd time we are attenptimg to grow this batch. We got em from SVO. But of course we messed them up already. I assume we got them out of sleepy time a bit early. They were kept dormant n plumped when we got em. Now they are shriveled w leaves. Today we saw a few of your videos. We did get them out of the pots. The ones without leaves we forced by to dormancy. N took off the roots that were hollow already. Put em in a box n away. The ones with leaves we also took off the hollow roots. N used our plastic containers like u. Not sure what u had at the bottom. Looks like bark. So we put bark at the bottom did the reservoir at the bottom too. N moss at the top. Were thinking of sprinkling some osmocote slow release pellets on top. So what do u think?? I mean we're hoping to regrow new roots for the ones that have leaves. N hoping to repair the shriveled bulbs. Would appreciate your input.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Typically you'll want to put an inorganic media at the bottom of the pot (rocks are common!) so they don't rot when the water well is full. I think bark in the bottom for one growing season is ok. Its tough to tell how to treat problem plants without photos, but there's a good chance you can water the plants during this part of the year.

[@mapreader43]

Thank you so much for your videos. I rewatched all of them last night because of a specific topic. I did not find any mention of humidity in any of them. I live about 50 miles north of El Paso and am concerned about our humidity levels. Sometimes single digit in parts of the year; sometimes around 60% in other parts of the year (irrigation season). Our temps are about the same as yours in Austin. I would like to grow outdoors also. Is there any hope. What about using a mister in the area of the plants, not on them. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Interesting question! My humidity often drops to the low 20's during the day in summer and then up to near saturation at night during the same period. I honestly don't know know if you humidity is too low. I think if you water at night during the warm part of the year, the water at the roots can overcome the low humidity at night. That's just a guess though!

[@mapreader43]

@@SVKLOrchidsThanks for your quick response. I'll try that and let you know. I have growths starting.

[@momepenni]

Thank you. I do have some questions. I don’t live in Taxas! So my environment is different. 5,000 feet above sea level, never very cold, never very hot. Right now November it is 75-78 F day and 50- 54 night. Spring starts here in end of February & beginning of March, So what potting method would you use here. I have two Catasetums that I got last winter. (1. Catasetum pileatum ‘Jumbo Green Gold’ the other is Cycnodes Taiwan Gold ‘Orange’)They grew each a big grows this year. One spiked, one did not. Now is the time for dormancy, so I will be giving it less water, no fertilizer till spring. I originally potted it in plastic vented pots with bark. What are the temperature requirements for Catasetums????? What is the lowest they can take??? I know from your environment that 100+ they can take with lot of water.

[@SVKLOrchids]

You can use the same potting method! An common alternative is to use just sphagnum. They can take cold temps into the low 40's (mine do, occasionally) without a problem if they're bone dry.

[@momepenni]

@@SVKLOrchids Thank you. They are both showing new growth. I had to propped up the one because the new growth was where the old bulb was lying down on the ground. It should be great trying to repot it. I might have to tie them upright. Last year’s growth, grew out sideways and not upright. Or I may have to put something in front of the new growth , to redirect it upright.

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@momepenni Strong light above the plant should help get those new growths pointed in the right direction!

[@momepenni]

@@SVKLOrchids I have them outside. I guess I should repot them first. Repot so last years growth is basically up right. The year before will be buried underground. And that is a no no. Maybe I should remove that bulb & plant it by itself. Or at repotting I can loosen it enough to tie those two together, and then get a light to put above it. The new growths are about 1/4 inch.

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@momepenni Sounds like a puzzle!

[@andredumas9547]

Hi Stephen, I now have 2 catasetums tenebrosum potted up using the PET method, so far so good. Have you done any research regarding the amount of light that catasetums prefer ? I am using led lights and keeping one at 2,000 fc and the other at 3,000 fc, I am not sure what level is best. Do you ? Thanks Stephen.

[@SVKLOrchids]

For this group, higher is always better! Fred Clarke recommends full sun in places that aren’t crazy hot like Texas. Mark Margolis (well known hobby Catasetum grower) grows a bunch of his in full Florida sun.

[@andredumas9547]

@@SVKLOrchids Thanks Stephen, then I will not hesitate to use 3,000fc. Morning full sun today in Ottawa is 6,000fc

[@charlesmckemie7274]

Great video and timing. I want to convert all of my catasetums to PET per your prior video. Seems like now is the time. 9a zone in Fl panhandle.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Seems like mine are waking up too! Figured others might be in the same situation!

[@charlesmckemie8921]

Yep. Several were waking up Especially my black pearl. They are all now in PET. Thank you

[@mb_ak9363]

Do you use the Nutricote on all your orchids?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Yes! Set it and forget it.

[@michaelpye5972]

Would small cubes of polycarbonate be ok for the bottom later Stephen?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Not sure that would work. Wouldn't they float?

[@michaelpye5972]

@@SVKLOrchids Probably but i will experiment

[@alvinchan5686]

Hi Good morning this is my first year of trying to grow catasetum My new shoots are coming out at an angle what should I do to make it stand upright like yours Thank you for your help

[@SVKLOrchids]

Alvin, Sorry for the delayed response! Not sure how this question slipped past me. Were you able to stake the plant so it grows correctly?

[@alvinchan5686]

@@SVKLOrchids I already had it staked when I tried to re stake I must have damaged some of the roots and now the plant is dead The other plant is not quite dead but it is not growing For your information I live in Hong Kong

[@MsHahaOOps]

Hi Stephen. I want to share a trick. You showed us how to use little containers that are used in aquariums for Osmocote containers. I purchased a bag of the containers and found that they won't stay closed. I put a drop of liquid glue (KrazyGlue) on the inside of the basket and let it DRY. The drop of glue is enough to make the circumferance smaller and the lids just snap shut.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Interesting! Is it easy to pop open again to refill?

[@MsHahaOOps]

@@SVKLOrchids Yes!, you are not gluing down the tops just making the opening tighter... but you have to make sure that the glue is dried before filling and closing the tops.

[@SVKLOrchids]

@@MsHahaOOps Ah, very interesting! Thanks for the tip!

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Great video as always! This P ET method is very similar to semi hydroponic set up. Do you grow any in semi hydro with leca beads?

[@SVKLOrchids]

I do not grow anymore in SH. It didn’t work for me. In all honesty, our hard water was probably the problem and I think it killed a bunch of plants. I use rainwater now, which should technically work better.

[@jennrisinger2483]

Thank you for this tutorial! I see that I need to repot my clowesetum, mine is too low in the pot and will likely have trouble when it flowers. I got it as a dry root division and now I know how to set it up properly. I have a question. Do I need to wait for signs of a new growth or can I go ahead and move it now, while it is still dormant?

[@SVKLOrchids]

You can definitely move it now! Dormancy is a great time to repot.

[@momepenni]

Me again! Thank You. Will do.

[@Twigarati]

I’ve been tempted to try epiweb but when I saw the price, here in Europe 😱 thoroughly enjoyed this video, thank you 😊

[@SVKLOrchids]

Yes, its pretty expensive here too! That's why I jumped on getting a massive box of the stuff nearly for free.

[@PopleBackyardFarm]

good information.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Thank you!

[@eduardocampos4202]

very helpful video.Thank you

[@SVKLOrchids]

Great! Glad its useful!

[@HamimChowdhury]

I had been waiting for long to see yours. Meanwhile Margarate East already executed her one just yesterday. The inorganic media used can you write here? Whats that. This time you are using basket and no nutricote in the bottom of the root ? Why this change? What results you in basket ? A thought provoking inspiration for me. Thanks Stephen, Van -KL

[@SVKLOrchids]

Hi Hamim, The inorganic media in my video is EpiWeb, but rocks work well too! I'll add the nutricote later in the summer. I'm experimenting with something new.

[@lookthrumyeyes]

Thanks for sharing Stephen. I'd feel a lot safer not having the cat & the hot iron at the same place at the same time

[@SVKLOrchids]

Verdant Escapades Ha! Indeed!