Repotting Cattleyas 101: Tools, Media, and How I do it!

[@yliberal6355]

I really like how thorough you are to us newbies, who are looking for realistic information that you provide. Other sights seem to assume that we should know these things. For instance, not informing us of the potential hazards of breathing in perlite!!!

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Thanks for that, it really means a ton!! :]

[@ShyDog827]

You are quite thorough and well organized in your tutorial . I really liked that and plan on using all your tips. I’m just a novice , having just started with my meager collection of 3 phalaenopsis orchids and 2 Eplc. Hybrids. I rescued the 3 Phals from near death after leaving them outside in the winter ( one has bloomed for me👍🏻 ), and my 2 Cattleya orchids had very healthy root systems when I repotted them the other night. I’m both surprised and encouraged with my success!

[@cherylpenn4509]

potted like a real pro!!! Awesome video. Thanks

[@lindaannb]

Excellent, helpful advice! I wish you were still making new ones!

[@tameracoelho87]

Thank you for the very informative video. I learned a lot and can’t wait to see more of your videos.

[@vickystojmenov8046]

Excellent video, very informative, thank you and keep up the good work!👍👍

[@mysticshining]

Great video, thanks so much! Exactly answers some questions I have when I repot. I also think it's fascinating to repot and all the different considerations there are for each different orchid. Thanks!

[@kaycart]

Great tip about spraying the perlite. Another informative video, thank you!

[@zoraydaespiritu4830]

Oh thank God! Finally! A repotting video from my favourite orchid buddy. I've been waiting for this for ages since you promised me one. Thank you Carlos for a very informative video. I love it! More videos please.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Zorayda Espiritu Glad you enjoyed it :D hope your plants are doing okay!

[@SHARONSHORTOrchidsandGarden]

Fantastic. Thanks for sharing and happy growing.

[@OrchidandKitties]

you do the potting very expertly.I like it.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Orchid and Kitties Thank you so much!

[@jerrymalisz2066]

Wow, what a great tutorial. No wonder your plants look so healthy. Thank you for sharing all the information.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Jerry Malisz glad you liked it :) Thank you!

[@charlesmckemie8921]

Thank you for this great information for us beginners. You are a great teacher.

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Very nice repotting! thanks very much for sharing! I learn new things with yourr videos! That was helpful when you said add the media layer by layer and firm it. Thanks and Happy growing!

[@TheOrchidGeek]

MaryG Orchids Thank you, Glad it helped! :)

[@veegee49]

Good job young man you know what you're talking about your video was nicely done.keep them coming

[@MarkCampbell553]

Simply the best job!

[@222k3]

Loved watching this! Thank you very much for showing how you do it!

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Ajay Mathew You're welcome :D

[@anitahjelm9804]

Please keep up your video making! This is good stuff 💯💐

[@ArtistBrianSheffield]

Good video. Nice healthy plants!

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Hi there, I really like your videos . It's been a while since you posted one. Can you do an update, please. Thanks and happy growing.

[@playokay]

Nice content and a nice job editing this video.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

playokay Thanks!!

[@summerwood619]

Love your videos thank you for sharing

[@skyaperez7962]

Great tips. Thank you. I just got my first orchid from Amazon. I lots of dry and dead roots. Should I cut off all the dead roots before I report it. I see that you did not cut the roots when you repotted them.

[@willemh3319]

that was a really good vid nice easy on and not to fast or chaotic great

[@marshalls7340]

Good informative video

[@barbaradomagala9574]

Can you do a video on repotting a cattleya with new growths in multiple directions?

[@kayte13]

I notice that you don't cut off the dead roots before potting, like other people do. Will there be a prob with the decaying dead roots inside the pot? thanks

[@lynnbrooks5503]

Great vid Carlos. I notice you don't start with a layer in the pot before adding the plant, is there a reason for this?

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Lynn Brooks for these particular plants no because I wanted to ensure all of the roots had the most space available in its appropriate sized pot w/o overpotting. Then, I add my first layer by sifting the bark down to the bottom. When working with larger more mature Cattleyas & Cymbidiums ( where pots can get into 8" → gal. size +) it sometimes helps to build a layer.

[@69juamex]

Have a question, I see you repotting orchids while blooming, is that recommended and safe?

[@TheOrchidGeek]

It depends on the situation that you and your plant are found in... for example, the plant at 24:30 was blooming and It had new roots beginning to develop at the same time. If I had waited for the blooms to finish, The roots would have been even longer in length causing the probability of damage to skyrocket. That's why I decided to repot that particular plant at that moment in time, sacrificing the flowers. (One thing I did not do in the video but should have done is to cut the stem with sterilized clippers...that way the plant can focus all of its energy to the new roots instead of sustaining the three flowers.)

[@pinkycharm1]

can I ask where do you get your bark. all I have available around here is the miracle orchid mix which I don't like at all.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

pinkycharm1 I purchase my bark from Sunset Valley Orchids who imports Kiwi Bark from New Zealand. Happy Growing!

[@janefromtennessee]

The Orchid Geek. Is it expensive? Do you use oerlite? I don't know what medium is. Not yet

[@oishd6077]

@@janefromtennessee newzealand pine bark is the costliest and actually the best as claimed by many..

[@johnmickel2330]

Thanks from Escondido( john)

[@missanna208802]

This isn't meant to sound rude, ok..I just don't understand something and have always been confused about what I call the 'double-dipping tub method." You have a far larger collection than I do and it's a nice collection, so maybe you know something I don't and can explain the reasoning behind it...I don't understand the purpose of wearing gloves or sterilizing anything when growers set the plant in the bin of new media, reach into the bin with the dirty hands, and then push the new medium around the roots that are broken and no doubt oozing virus if its present. Any hand that has touched any part of the plant is potentially virus carrying, and then that hand is dipped into the bin of new media for all the other plants. When the next plant is set into the bin, the process is repeated, and the virus from the first plant is in the tub of medium and can be passed to the second and so on. I've seen a LOT of growers do this-even nurseries. I can see it being fast and easy for just deflasked seedlings..having one tub for 50 seedlings, but then a new tub still would be used for other things. I have done stupid stuff like peeling dry pseudobulb sheaths off one Cattleya and then the next without cleaning hands between plants, and I caught myself pretty early but just because there's no liquid sap in the dry tissue doesn't meant that there's no virus in that tissue, and some viruses can chillax in tissue and on surfaces like that for fifty years, so I always get my new pot and dump the amount of needed medium into the pot before I start digging around in my plant. Everything else is done like normal, but this way I'm not reaching into my clean medium that will be used with other plants with my dirty hands. If there is a little bit left over, throwing that bit away is cheaper than replacing a plant, but I try to be conservative in my estimation and if I need more, I can dump more onto my surface, sterilize hands again (because I just touched the bag which is not sterile) and continue working.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Hey missanna208802, Thanks for your question as you have a very valid concern. The reason why I use a torch, gloves, and newspaper is not to entirely stop virus from spreading, but rather prevent it. If you look closely, when I clean the roots of my orchid I never set the actual plant (bare root) on my media mix but rather inside a clean pot (I use it as some type of protection) which I then put into my tub in order to make the process easier and less messy). Now, I could remove and put on new gloves before and after messing with the plants roots, but that would be too tedious for me when trying to repot my entire collection before winter. Repoting my orchids during the "potting season" while staying 100% clean is extremely time consuming and is never even guaranteed ( As you mentioned, viruses may not only spread via liquid sap/exposed tissue but also through contact with dry surfaces that have been exposed to the virus). I have learned to take several steps in order to prevent the spread of virus in my plants not only with my current collection, but also with all of my new additions. Such "preventative" measures include isolating new plants from any vendor and repoting to my own media before adding it to my collection, testing for virus regularly, ensuring I have the most sterile/sanitized working environment to my ability, and washing my work bench with Physan 20; in any case, if I even come close to suspecting that one of my plants is virused it goes in the trash. I must admit though that I am guilty of "double dipping" my gloved hands into my tub in order to get more bark and it is a risk that I and many others take when repoting. furthermore, my collection consist of over 400 plants which makes it very tedious to change my gloves 2-3 times for repoting one plant. Now, just because I do it a certain way it does not mean its the only way to repot. I could potentially add an extra step or two to my routine, but due to the volume of plants that I am repoting, I have decided to trust myself and take that small risk ( I should have probably recommended the extra step/steps in my tutorial to those who have similar concerns as you. I will be sure to add that to my next repoting video). I absolutely urge you to keep on repoting the way you do! It seems like you have your head in the right place and if you are able to make your repoting process even MORE safe/sanitized do it! Thanks for your question, it was a good one! :D T.O.G

[@missanna208802]

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I guess it also depends on the grower and where their plants come from. I'm guessing since you've got orchid ties, that you get most of your plants from nurseries who do a lot themselves to make sure they have clean stock, too. You don't seem like the type who spent a lot of time trading plants with people online who's methods you know nothing about because of those ties, but yeah..horrifes me when I see people "sterilizing" with alcohol. Also-since you have those ties and it's very hard to find this info-can you comment on the efficacy of physan and what viruses it is supposed to control because I kid you not, if memory serves, I read a study that said milk..probably whole fat, was better at inactivating some virus than quaternary ammonium compounds. Last question- I really want a Catasetum/Cycnoches species or hybrid that smells awesome. I can do dry, but I can't do cold. Minimum is 68. Any color but pink.

[@TheOrchidGeek]

you're welcome, I hope it helped a bit :) I will have to look into the claim about milk being more efficient than Physan 20 in preventing viruses. I am not to sure how true that claim is but let me do some research and ill get back to you. Now for your final question - I would recommend Cyc. warscewiczii which has large green flowers, holds 5-10 flowers when mature, and it smells like BANANAS! I'm not kidding either! it smells like the juicy-fruit chewing gum LOL Right now most species and hybrids are in dormancy so you don't want to water them. Once they begin to develop new growths and those growths put out roots that are 3" to 8" inches long, then you may begin watering once more.

[@missanna208802]

I'll see if I can find that study and I'll send you the link. Warsceweczii has been on my radar for some time. I have a book that says either that or chlorochilon smells like jasmine, but I think that info is just wrong. There are a few errors in the book I've caught and whenever I research those two, everyone says they are fruity. I do love juicy fruit..oh my god reminds me of JACKFRUIT. Do you know what jackfruit smells like? I bet it's just like that. Believe it or not, but we actually get whole jackfruits in Idaho sometimes. I got hooked on them in Hawaii and the firs time I saw one here this year, I cried. Got me a 30 pounder, I did. Took days to get it all apart.

[@oishd6077]

I wanted to say the same damn thing!

[@blackdemonh3966]

You can show how to repot a laelia enceps

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Kevin Calles your request has been received :D

[@gloriastellaarita5175]

Hello Carlos, how often do you water your catleyas?

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Hey Gloria! I water my cattleya's once a week and allow for the growing medium to dry out in between watering. Now that the fall temperatures have dropped, I am finding myself watering Once every 7-9 days. With the colder temperatures now, it is important to keep an eye on how fast your cattleyas are drying out and water accordingly.

[@gloriastellaarita5175]

Thank you so much for replying.

[@Adriana-vl8uv]

Very well explained ty for sharing 🌾🌾🌾🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌺🌺🌺🌺🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

[@tinacarrera3027]

Where do you get your potting media at?

[@TheOrchidGeek]

Tina Carrera I purchase the bags from SVO, who gets them imported from New Zealand.

[@janefromtennessee]

What is the media??

[@TheOrchidGeek]

janefromtennessee New Zealand Kiwi Bark :)

[@irajhekmati102]

You forgot the most important thing , and that is to water your pots after finishing repotting!