Cattleya Orchids Care: Complete 7-Step Care Guide

Cattleya is a genus of epiphytic orchids found from Costa Rica to Argentina, with more than 100 species and thousands of hybrids.

These orchids are highly coveted globally due to their ease of cultivation and exquisite blooms. They are especially popular for:

• Specialized exhibitions dedicated to Cattleyas
• Some highly valuable species
• Their varied and eye-catching flowers

Similar to Laelia orchids, Cattleyas are mainly epiphytic and easy to care for.

Keep reading to learn more about Cattleya orchids.

How to care for Cattleya orchids

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To care for your Cattleya orchid:

• First, pot it or hang it on a tree.
• Choose a good substrate.
• Ensure it’s placed in a slightly warmer location.
• Give it bright light, but avoid strong midday sun.

These are the basic principles of Cattleya cultivation. Applying these correctly, along with the tips provided in this article, ensures beautiful blooms every year.

If it doesn’t flower, you might face these issues:

1. It’s too young; Cattleyas typically bloom between 4 and 7 years old.
2. It’s not getting enough light, the most common reason Cattleyas don’t bloom.
3. Other incorrect cultivation practices.

For more tips, read the article on how to make an orchid bloom.

The care tips below apply to most Cattleyas, so they’re likely to work for your orchid too.

1 – Temperature

Ideal temperature is crucial for any orchid. With suitable temperatures, they:

1. Develop better
2. Become more resistant to fungi
3. Have better blooms

Cattleyas prefer slightly higher temperatures, not excessive ones.

Ideal conditions are:

• Daytime: 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 81°F)
• Nighttime: 13°C to 16°C (55°F to 61°F)

They can tolerate temperatures up to 35°C (95°F), but it’s not advisable. In such cases, maintain high humidity, good ventilation, and more shade to prevent damage.

To stimulate flowering, keep a difference of 8°C to 11°C (14°F to 20°F) between day and night temperatures.

Cattleyas need bright, filtered light. Gentle morning or late-afternoon sun is fine, but protect them from strong direct sun during the hottest hours (10 am – 5 pm).

2 – Humidity

Maintaining proper humidity is essential for orchid care. Good humidity helps Cattleyas withstand heat and diseases.

Ideal humidity for Cattleyas ranges from 50% to 80%.

Maintain humidity by:

• Natural means, depending on your region’s climate
• Placing trays with wet gravel near the plant.

However, be cautious of excessive humidity; it can lead to various fungi, bacteria, and diseases, as mentioned earlier. Ensure the area is well-ventilated for water to evaporate effectively.

TIP: To check the humidity around your orchid, use an inexpensive hygrometer. Humidity indoors is usually very different from what weather forecasts show.

3 – Substrate for Cattleyas

Cattleyas need a substrate that provides good aeration to their roots while keeping them secure in the pot. Suitable substrates include:

• Coconut husk chunks
• Gravel
• Sphagnum moss (in small amounts)
• Pine bark.

Ensure the rhizome is never buried; this can lead to the orchid’s death.

Additionally, over time, the substrate becomes old and needs replacement. To determine if it’s time, check if it:

1. Retains too much water
2. Dries out too fast and no longer holds any moisture.

If either is true, it’s time to change the substrate. As it breaks down, old substrate stays soggy, loses aeration, and can rot the roots.

To learn more, read the article on the best substrates for orchids.

4 – Watering: how and when

Unlike Vanda orchids, which have no pseudobulbs to store water, Cattleyas have efficient water-storing pseudobulbs.

Hence, they require less water than other orchids.

Watering should be done approximately once a week during colder months and twice a week during warmer months. Let the substrate dry out before watering again. When watering, ensure the entire substrate gets moist, allowing water to drain from the pot’s bottom.

Proper watering ensures your orchids’ health and enhances blooming.

It’s recommended to:

• Use room-temperature water, preferably rainwater. Avoid softened or distilled water.
• Water in the morning, as with Phalaenopsis orchids, preventing overnight dampness that can lead to diseases like black rot.

Note: The article on orchid care teaches an even more efficient method to determine when to water your orchid.

5 – Fertilizing

Fertilizing provides essential nutrients for your orchid’s development. Water-soluble orchid fertilizers are the most practical option. Their labels show the NPK ratio, which represents the three primary nutrients all plants require:

• N -> Nitrogen
• P -> Phosphorus
• K -> Potassium.

For example, an NPK 10-30-20 fertilizer contains more phosphorus and less nitrogen.

Here are some fertilizer tips for this orchid:

1. The best fertilizers for Cattleyas are NPK types, with NPK 30-10-10 and NPK 20-20-20 being highly recommended.
2. Dilute the fertilizer to 1/4 of the label strength and apply it weekly during active growth.
3. Apply fertilizer to the roots or substrate, avoiding contact with leaves and flowers.
4. The best time to fertilize is early in the morning when the sun is mild to prevent burning your plant.

To learn more, read the article on fertilizers for orchids.

6 – Pests and diseases

All orchids require specific care to prevent pests and diseases.

Common diseases affecting Cattleyas include:

1. Bacterial soft rot
2. Black rot
3. Sclerotium wilt (Sclerotium rolfsii)

Common pests for Cattleyas include:

1. Scale insects
2. Mealybugs
3. Thrips
4. Orchid plant bugs (Tenthecoris)
5. Aphids
6. Slugs and snails.

To prevent these issues, follow these techniques:

• Maintain the ideal humidity for your orchid
• Keep the area clean
• Clean your substrate before potting your orchid
• Ensure it’s at least 40 cm (16 inches) away from other plants.
• Sterilize your scissors before using them on your orchid

7 – How to plant Cattleya orchids

Cattleyas can be planted in the following places:

• Pots
• Wooden orchid baskets
• Mounted in various locations (pieces of wood, trees, walls, etc.)

Additionally, they can be planted both indoors and outdoors, as they will adapt to both environments.

Below are some mistakes to avoid when planting your orchid:

1. If you choose to plant it on a tree or in a pot in a location exposed to strong midday sun, it will likely burn and die.
2. If you choose to plant it in a very shady place where there is hardly any light, it will likely become weak, stop blooming, and die.

The tip is to choose a location that provides the ideal conditions for its health.

8 – How to repot Cattleya orchids

To repot your Cattleya, you should first check if it fits into any of these 4 conditions.

1. The substrate is old: this happens approximately every 2 or 3 years.
2. Plant is too big for the current pot: your orchid no longer has room to grow.
3. You want to change the pot: perhaps the pot is broken, or you bought another one that you found better.
4. You want to create a new plant: in this case, make sure the plant has at least 6 pseudobulbs, so each division keeps at least 3.

If the answer is positive for any of these reasons, it’s time to repot your orchid.

The best time to repot is during the growth period, when new shoots begin to appear.

Never repot shortly before or during flowering, as this will stress your plant and could kill it.

To repot it in a pot, follow the steps below:

1. Remove it from the pot very carefully.
2. Clean its roots.
3. Add a drainage layer to the bottom of the new pot (gravel or styrofoam pieces).
4. Add the chosen substrate to almost halfway up the pot (pine bark, sphagnum moss, etc.).
5. Place the oldest pseudobulb against the edge of the pot, with the new growth facing the center.
6. Add the rest of the substrate covering the orchid’s roots.
7. Add a stake (optional).

After this, make sure the chosen location for your orchid is ideal for its cultivation. Bright but protected from strong midday sun, clean, with good humidity, ventilation, and temperature.

9 – Leaf signals

One of the things I like the most about orchids is that they give us signs of what they need.

And one of the most famous signs they give us is with their leaves, indicating whether they need to increase or decrease their exposure to the sun.

• Leaf with a darker green than normal: they need more light.
• Leaf more yellowish than normal: they need less light.

To identify this, you need to know what the normal color of your orchid’s leaves is so that you don’t get confused. Healthy Cattleya leaves are usually medium green.

Now, if you want to learn more about these tips that orchids give us, check out the article spots on orchid leaves.

Main species

With more than 100 species and several hybrids, the main Cattleya species are:

• Guarianthe aurantiaca (formerly Cattleya aurantiaca)
• Cattleya quadricolor (Cattleya chocoensis)
• Cattleya elongata
• Cattleya intermedia
• Cattleya labiata
• Cattleya walkeriana

Some of these species stand out among Brazilian orchids for their popularity, and others are famous worldwide.

We’ll talk more about these species below.

Guarianthe aurantiaca (formerly Cattleya aurantiaca)

Guarianthe aurantiaca, still sold as Cattleya aurantiaca, is a small Cattleya relative from Mexico and Central America.

It was part of the Cattleya genus until 2003, when DNA studies moved it to the genus Guarianthe. It is still grown just like a Cattleya.

Its pseudobulbs are cylindrical and topped with two leaves.

It reaches an average height of 45 to 61 cm (18 to 24 inches).

Its flower has a width of 2.5 cm (1 inch).

Its flowers form at the top of a stalk, and some of these flowers may not fully open.

They typically have warmer colors like red or orange but can range to yellow and, more rarely, white.

Fun fact: aurantiaca is highly sought after by orchid enthusiasts, especially for its orange flowers.

Cattleya quadricolor (Cattleya chocoensis)

Cattleya quadricolor, still widely known as Cattleya chocoensis, is a medium-sized Cattleya from Colombia. Chocoensis is now considered a synonym of this species.

It features 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 inches) tall pseudobulbs with dark green leaves. Its blooms, around 10 to 13 cm (4 to 5 inches) in size, emit a pleasant fragrance and usually appear in winter (October to March in the Northern Hemisphere).

Cattleya quadricolor produces about 2 to 4 flowers on a stem. Its bell-shaped flowers usually don’t fully open.

Regarding its color, the flowers are usually white to pale pink, with a colorful lip.

Cattleya elongata

Cattleya elongata is considered a large orchid.

It has narrow pseudobulbs that grow up to 60 cm (23.6 inches) tall.

They have 2 or 3 leaves that range from 20 to 60 cm (7.9 to 23.6 inches) in length each.

Its flower size is about 8 cm (3.1 inches) on average, and it has 2 to 10 flowers per spike.

Its flowers are fragrant, coming in various colors.

Cattleya intermedia

The Cattleya intermedia received this name because its features were considered intermediate between other Cattleyas described at the time.

It is native to southeastern and southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, where it grows mainly in coastal forests.

Its pseudobulbs are cylindrical, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 cm (0.2 to 0.8 inch) in thickness (do not confuse with height).

Cattleya labiata

The Cattleya labiata has club-shaped pseudobulbs with grooves where water runs off, and a single leaf.

They typically reach 25 cm (10 inches) in height.

They have an average of 2 to 5 flowers, each measuring 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 inches), and exhibit a wide variety of colors in their flowers.

Cattleya walkeriana

The Cattleya walkeriana is a Brazilian orchid discovered in 1839 by George Gardner, who named it after his field assistant, Edward Walker.

It is found mainly in Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, and São Paulo.

It has club-shaped or fusiform pseudobulbs, with a height ranging from 3 to 12 cm (1.2 to 4.7 inches).

Its flowers can come in various colors, and its wide range of colors has earned it some nicknames.

For example, Cattleya walkeriana with white flowers is called alba.

Fun facts about Cattleya orchids

Below are some of the main fun facts about Cattleya orchids:

1. Cattleya is one of the orchid genera with the most hybrids.
2. They inhabit various locations, from sea level to about 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in altitude.
3. They are divided into two groups, the bifoliates and the unifoliates.

History and origin

Cattleya labiata was found in 1817 by the naturalist William Swainson in Pernambuco, Brazil.

He sent plants to the Glasgow Botanic Garden, which passed some of them to William Cattley, an English merchant and horticulturist.

In November 1818, Cattley’s plant bloomed, and the botanist John Lindley named the new genus Cattleya in honor of William Cattley.

A popular story says the plants arrived by accident, as packing material, but historians consider this a myth.

Read also:

• Cattleya Bicolor – How to Care for Them (Step by Step)
• Cattleya Purpurata (Laelia Purpurata): How to Care
• Cattleya Schilleriana – Photos, Characteristics and Care
• Cattleya Nobilior – Characteristics, Curiosities and Care

Unifoliate and bifoliate Cattleyas

As mentioned earlier, Cattleyas can be divided into 2 groups, unifoliates and bifoliates.

The necessary care to cultivate them is the same in both groups.

There are only a few differences between the two, basically:

1. Unifoliate Cattleya: one leaf per pseudobulb, club-shaped pseudobulbs, and large flowers (12 to 18 cm, or 5 to 7 inches), usually few per stem.
2. Bifoliate Cattleya: two or more leaves per pseudobulb, often taller, cane-like pseudobulbs, and smaller flowers, but more of them per stem.

Cattleya flowers

Cattleya flowers are some of the most beautiful among orchid species.

They can come in various colors such as:

• Orange
• Yellow
• Red
• Pink
• White (alba)
• Other colors

Cattleya orchids usually bloom only once a year, and their flowers last an average of 10 to 30 days.

But if well cared for and fertilized correctly, they can have a second flowering in some orchid species.

They have flowers that can vary in size (as mentioned above), but most of them have a very large size.

See below for some tips to improve the flowering of this orchid.

1. How to protect the orchid from diseases after flowering: after flowering, there will be a small stem with a dry sheath around it. To remove it, use sterilized scissors and cut the stem. After doing this, dust the cut with ground cinnamon to help it dry. To learn more, read the article on whether to cut the orchid flower spike.
2. How to prevent bud drop: during your orchid’s flowering or in the nearest periods, avoid moving it as much as possible, as this can make it drop its buds.

NOTE: remember to sterilize your scissors again whenever you cut another orchid to avoid spreading diseases.

Photos

Below I have separated some photos of Cattleyas so you can see the beauty of these orchids. For more images, see our pictures of flowering orchids.

Conclusion

Cattleya orchids are amazing due to their great variety and beauty.

And their cultivation is not very complicated, especially if you follow the tips you learned in this article.

I hope you found this comprehensive guide on caring for Cattleyas helpful.

Sources: American Orchid Society and Plants of the World Online (Kew).

Feel free to share your own experiences with Cattleya orchids in the comments below — I’d love to hear your stories!