Looking for help with a BC. Makai

[ErinH]

Hello. I was wondering if members would be willing to help me with a concern on my Bc. Makai.
I purchased her in June and she was needing repotted - the nursery confirming that a repot was needed. I waited until spring to do so and I waited to make sure I had new growths as well. So I waited until end of May to repot. She had two new growths when I repotted and has since added two more and has been putting on a ton of roots. Around repot time I added a grow light directly on her to increase the amount of light she was getting from the east-facing picture window she sits near. I water her once a week and follow the weekly weakly method of fertilizing with MSU and flush once a month.

Recently, I had one of the leaves turn yellow and that Pseudobulb died. It was in the older part of the plant so I didn’t think anything of it. However, I am seeing some other leaves starting to turn. They get wrinkles and lose some color. I did the check of running a tissue on the underside of the leaves looking for signs of mites and came up with nothing. I’ve also examined the plant for signs of scale but I am not seeing anything. Should I assume it to be a pest that I am just not figuring out and treat it? Or could it be something like my light is too much for it or some other care issue?

This last photo is her exact setup in my grow space.


Thanks for any help you are willing to give!

 

[monocotman]

I’d say that the plant is fundamentally healthy and you may be just losing a few older bulbs and leaves after a repot. It happens. If you are seeing new bulbs and tons of roots then just give the plant some time to adjust after repotting. How much sun do you give your plant? Catts like this can take a few hours a day as long as the temperatures are not extreme. It helps with flowering.

 

[ErinH]

Thank you for responding! The plant gets about 5 hours of indirect sun through the blinds where the sun comes in pretty strongly. And then I raise the blinds when the sun is not so direct. I don’t always wait for the light to be indirect and go ahead and pull the blind up and let the sun come in through the window directly. The grow light is on her also for 14-15 hours. I can certainly start raising the blind to let the sun come on through, if that would be more appropriate. Thanks again for your help!

 

[monocotman]

If you are happy with its flowering then carry on doing what you’re doing!

 

[big923cattleya]

Being a Brassavola nodosa hybrid, this plant grows like a weed. It is always putting out new leaves if given enough direct sunlight. It needs around four hours of really good sunlight to be happy and bloom. You want a nice bright green leaf color. The color of the leaves will tell you whether or not it is happy. A dark, forest green means it needs more light, a yellow green means less light. With your sunlight peaking through a window, through blinds, there is a good deal of sunlight strength lost. The number 1 reason, by far and away, a Cattleya hybrid does not bloom, is not enough light. Plain and simple. A plant light above the Maikai will not provide much light unless the out put is strong enough and close enough to the orchid.
I grow quite a few Cattleyas under artificial light and most of them have the tips of leaves 3" below the light tubes. These are high intensity T-5 tubes. So it appears to be in a nice orchid mix, in a well draining pot and should be quite happy. Cattleyas do not hold on to leaves for a long period of time. They stay on typically 2, maybe three years. The fact that yours are losing a few is likely just a sign that it is growing and happy. Everything looks good to me. Given good watering, feed once a month at half strength, and get it more light and you are well on your way to a happy plant.
Welcome to the greatest orchid site around!!!!

 

[Ray]

I think it needs more water.

Taking into account actual usage and transpiration losses, a plant uses roughly 18000 times more water than it does fertilizer to grow.

 

[ErinH]

Being a Brassavola nodosa hybrid, this plant grows like a weed. It is always putting out new leaves if given enough direct sunlight. It needs around four hours of really good sunlight to be happy and bloom. You want a nice bright green leaf color. The color of the leaves will tell you whether or not it is happy. A dark, forest green means it needs more light, a yellow green means less light. With your sunlight peaking through a window, through blinds, there is a good deal of sunlight strength lost. The number 1 reason, by far and away, a Cattleya hybrid does not bloom, is not enough light. Plain and simple. A plant light above the Maikai will not provide much light unless the out put is strong enough and close enough to the orchid.
I grow quite a few Cattleyas under artificial light and most of them have the tips of leaves 3" below the light tubes. These are high intensity T-5 tubes. So it appears to be in a nice orchid mix, in a well draining pot and should be quite happy. Cattleyas do not hold on to leaves for a long period of time. They stay on typically 2, maybe three years. The fact that yours are losing a few is likely just a sign that it is growing and happy. Everything looks good to me. Given good watering, feed once a month at half strength, and get it more light and you are well on your way to a happy plant.
Welcome to the greatest orchid site around!!!!

Thank you very much for this information! I really appreciate it. This has helped me more than all the book and article reading I’ve done on my own for months.
I really appreciate this forum too! I’ve been reading posts for a bit and was intimidated to ask a question - but I am so glad I asked! Thank you for lending your expertise to my questions.

 

[big923cattleya]

Oh that is so cool! And you are very welcome. Glad you found us!

I have been learning about Cattleyas for 50 years. Such intoxicating flowers.

 

[big923cattleya]

Oh that is so cool! And you are very welcome. Glad you found us!

I have been learning about Cattleyas for 50 years. Such intoxicating flowers.

I have such crumby internet service here!! It is all I can do to keep my cool sometimes.

 

[Arne]

I think it needs more water.

Taking into account actual usage and transpiration losses, a plant uses roughly 18000 times more water than it does fertilizer to grow.

I agree with Ray. It needs more water.

 

[southernbelle]

I think it needs more water.

Taking into account actual usage and transpiration losses, a plant uses roughly 18000 times more water than it does fertilizer to grow.

I agree with Ray. New mix does not hold water well for 1-2 months, so requires more frequent watering. Other than that, you are probably doing fine.

 

[big923cattleya]

Sure it looks dry. It is dry. My first impression was that the poser of this question was fairly new to Cattleya care. She will learn over time how to improve her potting skills, understand her plants in greater detail. And at least she attempted a repot on her own.

So many people I meet in local societies up here are afraid to repot. The very idea is put off until the orchid really suffers.
But at least coming here where thousands and thousands of hours of orchid experience over the years has hopefully put her on the right path.

 

[ErinH]

I think it needs more water.

Taking into account actual usage and transpiration losses, a plant uses roughly 18000 times more water than it does fertilizer to grow.

Thank you! I will adjust my watering.

 

[Nancy T]

Here is a tip I read somewhere, not sure where. It helps me decide when to water the plant. Initially, I was going by the weight of the pot--if light, time to water; if heavy, wait. Now I use a wooden barbecue skewer in the potting mix. I only have a few plants so this method is feasible. Each day, I check the plants and the skewer. If it is wet, the plant does not get watered. If dry, time to water the cattleya. Paphs are watered when the skewer is still damp. Phals when the skewer is damp but dryer than the paph skewer. I try to put the skewer back in the same hole in the potting mix so that I am not constantly piercing roots. I change the skewer every 6-9 months. Has anyone else tried this method?