Successfully Growing Cattleya Species

Renowned cattleya grower and Illinois Orchid Society (IOS) member, Bill Rogerson, has received hundreds of American Orchid Society (AOS) awards for his exceptional plants. In 2019 Bill shared his experience and growing guidance in an AOS webinar. From his years of growing cattleya orchids, Bill brought insights about the main pitfall in growing cattleyas, which is failure of the plants to set roots after being repotted. Because cattleyas tend to drop their roots once they are repotted, the best time to repot is just as new roots are about to form. Accordingly, knowing if a plant will root before or after it blooms, and when it will bloom, helps you know when to plan to repot.

Blooming Seasons and Growth Patterns for Cattleya Species

Repot before the blooming season for the following species that follow the “Root before Bloom” pattern

Repot after the blooming season for the following species that follow the “Root after Bloom” pattern 

Species following a somewhat unusual growth pattern

For the following species, the inflorescence emerges from a leafless pseudobulb. After blooming, regular pseudobulbs along with new roots begin to grow. These should be repotted in early summer as the new regular pseudobulbs along with new roots begin to emerge.

This information on cattleya growth seasons and blooming patterns is published by the IOS with permission by fellow member Bill Rogerson.