Wednesday, August 12, 2020

What do you do when you receive a catasetum by courier after 7 days

It is crucial that a buyer knows what to do when he receives an orchid from the post which has been delayed for a few days. If it is not treated properly the plant will probably die and then there will be resentment and maybe anger if the plant dies. Catasetums are extremely hardly plant and easy to grow. As long as the bulb is not soft and rotted it will grow new plants.
In the first 2 photographs you can see that the roots are all dried and this is because the plant has to be dehydrated first and then sent bare rooted.


Many people will immediately plant it in a pot and water immediately to hydrate the plant. New roots may grow but more often than not the bulb will rot. I will advise to first cut off all the roots as they are all dried and will not grow again.

After cutting off all the roots, carefully separate all the bulbs. Instead of one plant I have three.
The bulb that still has leaves must also have its leaves cut off .
The bulbs are then tied to hang vertically with a string or wire.
 I normally hang the tied bulbs under my pots and will water and fertilize with my other plants. After some time new plants will emerge from the side with new roots. Once the roots are long enough I will plant them in coco chips or charcoal.