I ordered two phrags and a cattleya and they arrived without tags. It is kind of difficult to figure out their care without knowing what they are. Has this happened to anyone else?
Plants arrived in the mail and have no tags
- Thread starter Linda B
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Why? Phrags basically have only 2 basic cultural regimes and Catts have another.
littlefrog
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Although you should have received tags... Did you order them by name?
Yes, I ordered them by name. And they are both Kovachii hybrids. So I guess they both have the same care?
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I am a Cattleya grower. I basically put them into 2 major types, unifoliates and bifoliate. Meaning that the growths normally produce just a single leaf = unifoliate versus those that produce 2-3 leaves = bifoliate.
My culture is very different for each group.
The one sure thing that I do for my Cattleyas, I only repot when I see new root growth. No other time unless it happens to be a health emergency.
My culture is very different for each group.
The one sure thing that I do for my Cattleyas, I only repot when I see new root growth. No other time unless it happens to be a health emergency.
littlefrog
Hop-meister
Well... yes, but it will be hard to tell which is which. I'd be embarrassed to send plants without tags.
Kovachii hybrids in general the same as any phrag hybrid that doesn't have long petals. Intermediate temps, moderate light (whatever you would grow a phal in, maybe a bit more). If you aren't sure if you should water or not you probably should have done it yesterday. I add some oyster shell on top of the mix.
Definitely complain to the vendor.
sergeharvey
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Since you're from Canada, it means the suppliers wanted to get by the inspection agency because they probably don't have the necessary permits to export those particular plants: it happens all the time. If you carefully read your purchase confirmation invoice when you ordered and compare it to the packing slip, it should become very obvious which is which.
The cattleya is about two feet long and came bare rooted. So I soaked it for about 30 minutes in cal-mag and kelp and planted it in a pot just bit enough to fit the root ball.
This company is an international company. It's obvious which is the cattleya but the two phrags look the same, same size, same look and on the bags it was printed Hibrida. I ordered Eumelia Arias and Hanne Popow. So I will just wait until they bloom. But guess what? There were two seperate plants in each bag. So they sent me four phrags. Two have not so good roots and two have roots, galore.
Thanks for the tip. I have two phrags that are about fifteen years old. Both are besseae hybrids.
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I understand Linda B that your Cattleya is two feet tall. You still have not said whether it has one leaf per growth or two or three per growth. If mine has two or three leaves per, potting at the correct moment becomes critical.
A month or so ago, this plant was a new acquisition. Then I noticed that this bifoliate Cattleya guttata was starting to produce roots. I immediately repotted it into this 5” plastic net pot. By doing so, root damage and root loss can be kept to a minimum. Here is the same plant two weeks after repotting. IF I HAD WAITED until this point to repot, these roots could have been damaged easily as they are very tender. If they are broken or damaged, they could stop growing. They typically do not branch. Normally for me they reach 8-15” in length depending upon type. But if you repot at just the right time like I did, the roots are free to thrive!!
I looked at it today and the roots are now 6-7” long! They can maximize water uptake, fertilizer absorption, etc. The plant grows well and blooms properly. IF I DAMAGED or killed those roots, the overall health of this plant might suffer. It is often called “set back”. You might get less flowers or maybe no flowers at all. If the same mistake is made, the plant could decline and suffer!
Cattleyas with one leaf per growth is a bit more forgiving when it comes to repotting. That is not the case with the bifoliate Cattleyas.
NOT ALL CATTLEYAS ARE TREATED THE SAME by me.
A month or so ago, this plant was a new acquisition. Then I noticed that this bifoliate Cattleya guttata was starting to produce roots. I immediately repotted it into this 5” plastic net pot. By doing so, root damage and root loss can be kept to a minimum. Here is the same plant two weeks after repotting. IF I HAD WAITED until this point to repot, these roots could have been damaged easily as they are very tender. If they are broken or damaged, they could stop growing. They typically do not branch. Normally for me they reach 8-15” in length depending upon type. But if you repot at just the right time like I did, the roots are free to thrive!!
I looked at it today and the roots are now 6-7” long! They can maximize water uptake, fertilizer absorption, etc. The plant grows well and blooms properly. IF I DAMAGED or killed those roots, the overall health of this plant might suffer. It is often called “set back”. You might get less flowers or maybe no flowers at all. If the same mistake is made, the plant could decline and suffer!
Cattleyas with one leaf per growth is a bit more forgiving when it comes to repotting. That is not the case with the bifoliate Cattleyas.
NOT ALL CATTLEYAS ARE TREATED THE SAME by me.
We’ll if you have two phrag that are fifteen years old, you must have a green orchid thumb. I’d definitely be contacting the grower. No matter how many extra plants they sent. They should still be labeled!
I'm so sorry, The cattleya has one leaf on each of the four canes. I mentioned how big it is because of how heavy it is. It is going to be difficult because when it drys out, it wants to fall out of the pot.
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Then it is a unifoliate Cattleya. Those are a little more forgiving and easier to grow in my experience.
You potted it up and I would keep it a bit more shaded then normal. A nice bright spot with an hour or so of morning sun would suffice. Water it well so it pours out of the bottom of the pot. Then let it dry out between waterings. Roughly one day for every inch of pot. In a five inch pot, water every five days. That is a good rule of thumb.
Once reported, I install a rhyzome clip. A piece of wire that runs from the pot and goes over the rhyzome of the Cattleya. When done properly, this should help hold the plant upright and in place. I also put a stake in place to help hold it up.
Once you see new roots, you can gradually give it more direct sun.
You potted it up and I would keep it a bit more shaded then normal. A nice bright spot with an hour or so of morning sun would suffice. Water it well so it pours out of the bottom of the pot. Then let it dry out between waterings. Roughly one day for every inch of pot. In a five inch pot, water every five days. That is a good rule of thumb.
Once reported, I install a rhyzome clip. A piece of wire that runs from the pot and goes over the rhyzome of the Cattleya. When done properly, this should help hold the plant upright and in place. I also put a stake in place to help hold it up.
Once you see new roots, you can gradually give it more direct sun.
