Question
QUESTION: Hi Wayne,

Today I purchased a mini cattleya called pot. little fortune 15, but I want to make sure I take good care of it since I killed all my other orchids. I have one other mini cattleya that's almost completely dried out, but the new growth is still intact and has even produced one tiny root-tip. So I'm thinking Cattleyas are a little more forgiving that other species.

Please let me know if you're familiar with pot. little fortune 15, and what care guidelines you recommend.

Thank you!

-Theo

ANSWER: Thank you for your question Theo.  In years past, minicatts were a novelty and their reputation was tarnished because of a poor choice of parents.  There are a few hybridizers that now specialize in minicatts and their success is based upon a careful selection of parents. One of these growers is Fred Clark of Sunset Valley Orchids (SVO) of Vista, CA..  Growing requirements will vary by parentage.  Some growers of Potinara Little Fortune report some crippling of the flowers upon initial flowering that may be corrected upon subsequent flowering.   My data base is somewhat out of date and this may be a recent hybrid.  I suspect, however, that one of the parents may be Potinara Fortune. I will share some insight I gleaned from a Fred Clark seminar. I have been impressed by his careful selection of parents and growing advice.

Cattleya luteola is a yellow cattleya species which he prefers to used in creating his yellow minicats. He recommends that this species (and hence some of its minicatt hybrids be grown like a phalaenopsis with shady, warm, and humid conditions.  His general cultural advice for minicatts is to "water before it becomes completely dry".  When watering, completely fill the pot with water,, letting it drain out.  Fertilize after two waterings..  He grows his minicatts in clay pots in a mix of 3 parts fir bark and one part sphagnum.  Pot size should allow for three years of growth. Repot every three years when new roots are showing. He recommends CalMg 13-3-15 plant food (one tsp/gal for RO or rain water).  For municipal water, he uses 15/15/50 or 20/20/20, again one tsp per gallon.  These plant foods were developed at Michigan State University but are not readily available.  Try googling Michigan State fertilizer.  If you have occasion to attend an orchid show, vendors of orchid supplies present at the show may have this plant food.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Wayne,

Thank you for your reply! I heard many orchid enthusiasts condemning mixing moss with fir bark, but without any logical reason. The minicatt I purchased is in both mediums and has finished flowering. I don't see any new growth, but looks very healthy (thick fleshy leaves and pseudo-bulbs)and it's busting out of it's tiny plastic pot. Should I repot it now? Is it OK to use native moss I find here(New York)?

If it's ok to treat it like a phal, does that mean I should keep it in dimmer light than other kinds of cattleya?

How many times does it flower and does it have a rest period??

Answer
I would wait to repot until you see new roots emerging from the base of the plant.  That way the new roots get a chance to root into fresh potting mix.

The sphagnum moss should be long fibered and it should be used only if you are potting into a clay pot The reason for this is that clay pots are quite porous and tend to cause the potting mix to dry out more rapidly than in plastic pots. Growers using sphagnum use either Chilean or New Zealand. I haven't heard any explanations as to why one is preferred over the other but suspect that they have tried moss from several locations and, for whatever reason, find one works better than the other. There are two reasons that orchid growers tend to stay away from moss: it tend to compact over time and tends to keep the mix either too wet or too dry. I simply don't know whether a locally grown moss would work as well as the more accepted mosses.

If you grow phalaenopsis in an east window where they get morning sunshine, that would be fine. All cattleyas undergo a rest period which simply means that they are not in active growth. Minicatts may have a tendency to dry out fairly rapidly because of the small pot size. For this reason, while no feeding is necessary, when the mix is totally dry, a water drench is beneficial. If you have the opportunity to talk with the previous owner, you might pick up some valuable information on how that person grew the plant.  It is difficult to have one approach for all minicatts because they have different parents with different requirements. Try to keep the humidity up.  While excessive watering can cause a plant to rot, providing humidity and good air flow will not.