oh gosh, the picture didn't post. And its HUGE, I didn't expect that, nor do I know how to resize it on my mac. just copy everything except the (IMG)'s into the browser and it will take you to the picture. sorry about that.

Hi, As near as I can tell the lumpiness is from being dehydrated ,also the yellowing of the old leaf . Shade it off until it has more roots , the next new growth will probably be fine ,looks like lack of roots caused the trouble , protect it from heat . Good luck with it :) Gin

Agree with Gin re cause of lumpiness. Why are you growing this orchid inside? Just looking at the Climate figures on the net, perhaps it would perform better in shadehouse conditions.
Forget all this tropical stuff. I don't like 70 to 85. 60 to 85 is much better.
Have you been in touch with or joined a local orchid society to see how they grow their orchids?

I would say the same.

The thing with catts is that they have a definite growth cycle. Basically there's a time for sending out a new growth, a time for sending out new roots, and a time for blooming. Some catts have one cycle a year (kind of), while others have many. The bigger the plant (more growths), the more cycles will be happening simultaneously.

Anyway, you can't really do much to coax it into putting out roots when it doesn't feel like it. In the meantime, keep humid (because it can't hydrate itself by taking up water through the few roots) and give it less light than a healthy plant would want. Watch for new roots - if you're lucky, it's the kind that will send out new roots before a new growth and all will be well.

thanks guys. In response to arthur, I am growing it inside because I have no outside to put it, as I live in an apartment. I think the consensus is that I should increase watering from sundays to sundays and wednesdays, or will misting the top of the potting medium suffice? And if I should go the misting route, should I do it every day, every other? I feel like Ethel isn't happy being dehydrated, but would be even more unhappy overwatered.

no no, (I mean, you're right), the watering should be dictated by how dry the mix is (in the pot, not just the surface). Best thing for humidity would be to have some kind of humidity-generator next to it, like a humidifier, waterfall, fogger, mound of damp sphag, err, something..... IMHO, misting isn't effective and humidity trays aren't effective either, unless the space is semi-enclosed.

Did you figure out why the roots were dead to begin with? Was it from overwatering?

Increasing the watering when a plant has next to no roots is a death sentence. Without roots it can't take the water up. All you will do is kill off the couple of roots it still has.

The dehydration you have is because no or poor roots = not enough water, even if it's sitting in a pail of water. Increasing the watering will not help. You have to increase the *roots*, which means not killing the few you have left.

as Komi said, make sure the mix is dry (no moisture) several inches down before watering, even if it is longer than a week. If in doubt wait a day. You can't water on a schedule.

Also, since you are growing inside "reduce the light" advice, while good outdoors, may mislead you into putting it even further in the dark. At a minimum, it should be *in* a window, and not a north window.

That new growth you see will put out new roots as it matures, but it needs light for that.

OK, I haven't moved it from the light (85 watt cfl) and it is about 16 inches from a S. facing window where it gets bright indirect light. I have turned on my fogger despite the massive mess it makes, but I'm doubtful of how much its adds to RH. There is new growth, and of the roots I can see, where they were white and hard, they now have green tips, which I assume is growth. Since the ceiling fan in my room is on all the time along with a small oscillating fan trained just above the plants, on the lights, and the high temps (85-90 in the late afternoon) the orchid bark/perlite mix drys out by tuesday. I'll make use of the moisture meter I have. I guess what mislead me was information on the web stating "catts like to have their roots dry out in between waterings" Does this mean water, let it dry, leave it dry for a few days, then water again; or does it mean water, when the medium has dried out, water again? Thanks again

I just popped the moisture/light/pH meter in the pot and it recorded a 1 out of 10. Just for some scale, I also tested my thyme, which I watered on saturday and it recorded a 3, the lavender which I watered yesterday got a 6 and my drosera which is practically sitting in water got an 8. Maybe a light watering mid-week would be prudent...

sorry, I didn't process the part of your post that said you had an 85W CFL on it, and a south window. But I believe light is important not just to maintain the health of a catt, but to grow on that new shoot, *and* to grow new roots. So keep the light good.

I do put my catts (even phals) directly *in* a south window with no damage, but if your apartment is up high that might be too much, and the CFL light certainly is a good addition. I give re-rooting catts indoors the same light as the rooted ones (indoor light can't even approximate "high" outdoor light).

re moisture meter readings: you say the lady repotted your catt. If it's in bark, new bark tends to be hard to wet, which is why people sometimes soak it before using. Water when dry advice about catts refers to: water thoroughly, letting water run thru for several minutes, then don't water again until the medium is dry. Or soak for 15' when you do water for the first month or so. Be careful not to walk off and forget to take it out of the water, as I often do. That is obviously no good.

The white hard roots that you mention were too dry. The green tips they now have are the growing tips and a good sign of their health.

To repeat: you will get new roots on your catt when the new growth grows out, and usually as it matures. They grow out of and cluster at the bottom of the new growth. To hurry that up, you can paint the new growth with a gel cloning solution. Or, just be patient.

In the meantime, if you want the old roots you have left to branch or grow, water with a dilute liquid rooting hormone solution. Or use superthrive.

About the fogger--if it is causing damage to other things, I wouldn't use it.

About your dehydrated pbs: sometimes the deyhdrated pbs re-hydrate as new roots grow. But they don't always. As the new shoot develops, the plant starts to look a lot better as the new growth dominates what you see. But often the old ugly stuff stays ugly.

The state of that new growth will tell you how the plant is doing-- if it grows out, and when mature (it is mature when the dry covering starts to split) is taller and fatter than the old pbs, it's in great shape.

I have a Dialc Mizoguchi that came with a dehydrated pb that never re-hydrated, and is still on the plant, looking as puny and miserable as it ever did. But the new pb was very big and fat, and the plant bloomed with 5 flowers this spring.

Watering is a judgment call. If you are successfully growing lavender indoors, your judgment is pretty good, and you have really good light. I never could do it :).

I think, CFL notwithstanding, Mehitabel's first post is the most assertive and succinct strategy for care of this Catt. Missing from the o.p.'s post is distance from the CFL and also how many hours it runs each day and how consistently as well. Catts are usually in a fairly large particle quick drying mix and in clay pots besides. In good light (and an 85W CFL should qualify) it should be drying out consistently such that it could take water even 2x/wk without harm. Watering less often would possibly cause it to look stressed (dehydrated) but not kill it. Can't say more without details on the positioning of that CFL.

H

The plant is between 6 and 8 inches from the light, depending on which leaf. The light is on from 6:45 a.m. until 11 p.m. (just like me!) on a timer, seven days a week. It also gets direct sunlight from a S. window for the few hours the sun is in the right place. Since posting, I've been misting once (2-3 squirts) in the morning, but that has evaporated within a few hours. I think I'll start a light watering mid-week, and keep a careful eye on it.