How to repot a Cattleya orchid in bark and sphagnum-moss

The basic steps of my repotting of a Cattleya orchid in bark and sphagnum moss:

1. rinse bark under hot running water;
2. soak it in osmosis water (or distilled or rain water) at least for one hour;
3. let drain off;
4. place a first compound layer in the pot;
5. place the plant;
6. fill the pot without pressing, leaving at least one visible root; 
7. free the holes at the bottom of the pot;
8. cover the exposed roots with some wet sphagnum;
9. water soak(or shower from above) when is dry;
10. fertilize at normal dose but only during active growing.

Cattleya orchid, repotting
in bark and sphagnum compound

The Cattleya plants are epiphytes in nature, as well as the Phalaenopsis, they grow suspended, stuck in the branches of trees with their strong and spongy roots ready to absorb every drop of rain water that flows through and dry out quickly on the light breeze of tropical forests . You can not play these exact conditions in a flat, so that every enthusiast is looking for a practical solution as much as possible good to growth, and maybe the blooming of these fascinating orchids. To convince a Cattleya that the best place to stretch its roots is the vessel that we provide we must try to make it airy but moist, never soggy or compact!

Medium bark and sphagnum compound in osmosis water

Medium bark and sphagnum compound
first layer on the bottom of the pot

For Cattleyas medium or large sized a substrate of bark in not too small pieces and moss is a good choice, because the bark does not absorb a lot of water instead sphagnum is like a sponge, it soaks for maintaining good high humidity for a long time.

The percentage of sphagnum mixture should be slightly different depending on the needs of the plant and also the conditions of cultivation: in every house there may be lower or higher temperatures and more or less dry air, etc.. Each orchid roots prefer to be more or less dry before being watered again and every grower has his times and his ways to water, in general, we can begin with a mixture of about 80% bark and 20% sphagnum moss and then we will adjust accordingly the drying time and the reactions of the plant.
After all of that let's go to repot!



I use a mixture of bark and sphagnum moss ready for sale in orchids specialized nurseriesbut you can buy bark and sphagnum separately, at exhibitions and trade fairs in orchids or more rarely in normal nurseries, and prepare the mix by yourself.

Repotting Cattleya orchid in bark and sphagnum moss,
placement of the plant

Usually the compounds or the bark that we buy are dirty, dust and various other things that are inside could damage the roots of orchids so the first thing to do is wash the bark under warm running water, perhaps with the 'help of a strainer so as not to take away the small pieces of moss.

Since the new bark does not absorb water at all, you need to soak it for at least an hour to moisten it well, since the tap water is often too full of limestone or other elements that can cause serious damages to the orchid roots is better to use RO water (or distilled or rain water).

You place a first layer of mixture on the bottom of the vase and then you place the plant.
The rhizome (the part that joins the pseudobulbs between them) should not be covered by the substrate but placed above.
The Cattleya tend to grow upward then the oldest part of the plant will be almost certainly under the bark, that's okay.

Repotting Cattleya orchid in bark and sphagnum moss,
one root visible through the pot

Is better to try to position the new bulbs facing the center of the vase and the old ones close to the edge to allow more space for the new vegetation. It 'also very useful to keep at least one visible root through the pot to get an idea of the situation inside.

Keeping the plant in place you add the mixture of bark and sphagnum moss to fill the vase.
You should never press the bark but only flick the pot to settle the mixture inside.

Once you have filled the jar is essential to free the holes at the bottom with a stick, I do rotate slightly until check up, so I can be sure that there is enough air moving and that water from the watering is able to go out freely don't stay long touching the roots risking to make them rot!

Repotting Cattleya orchid in bark, 
free the holes on thebottom of the pot

Repotting is almost finished, just need to check if there are roots that remain outside the substrate because if they stay exposed to the dry air of the house will not have much chance of surviving, I cover them with a bit of wet sphagnum moss.

Repotting Cattleya orchid in bark and sphagnum moss
cover the exposed roots with some wet sphagnum

Cattleya orchida love to have the roots dry before receiving more water, but should not become too dry, it is very important to learn to understand the signals that plants give us to avoid stressing them by wrong watering, the only way to learn is to practice !
Good repotting!