Cattleya noid with possible virus?

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magnoliasplanties

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Location
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I’ve had this orchid for two years and it has never bloomed for me. I put it outside for one summer and it got a little sunburn, but this year while inside I noticed the edges and these weird marks on the the leaves? I’m hoping it’s not a virus but I’m not sure what it is. Any help would be appreciated
C1ACB46A-412F-4FD9-8D46-042239FABA82.jpegD4BC43E6-9502-4E77-BE1F-B3B77A4ACD9B.jpeg
 
I agree. The root system is not taking up enough moisture.
Bifoliate Cattleyas are very tricky to repot, timing is everything. Best time is when new roots are just emerging from the base of the newest bulb.
I repot mine every two years, three at most. New roots break very easily and they do not branch as a rule. Improper repotting timing can cause a plant to sulk and be unhappy for years!
# 1 reason a Cattleya does not flower, improper lighting.
 
Should I repot With some moss or smaller bark? It’s winter here in maryland so I feel like it may set the plant back more. Maybe i should soak the pot weekly?
 
No no no, repot when the new roots first appear.
In your images, new white roots are clearly visible so you could repot but seeing the length that they are, they are susceptible to breakage.
But if you are very confident that you can repot without breakage, then repot. But honestly if you bump them they bruise easily . The green tip breaks off very easily. So be extra careful.
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Even when my roots are this long they make me nervous.
 
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The roots that are visible and the new growth look good. The rest of the plant looks badly dehydrated which may indicate those roots maybe in poor shape. I would slip the plant out of the pot and look at those roots. If they are in poor shape I would pot the plant down. It is true that bifoliates are often fussy about when they like to be repotted however if the plant is in trouble sometimes intervention are a good idea. it’s all about the roots.
 
I never use moss for Cattleyas. To difficult to pot with for most orchids.
I use, what you see in my image, a mix of 50% seedling for bark, 20% medium bark, 10% charcoal, 10% perlite and 10% Hydroton as my number one mix. I modify that slightly by favoring smaller pieces for an Oncidium, bigger pieces for a standard Cattleya in an 8” pot.
 
Just took it out of the pot and even though I watered it yesturday the roots are dry! I was able to just lift it out of the pot. Now looking for a smaller size pot 7448978B-2932-430C-8FB3-8181E45639F3.jpegF81243EB-5711-4B4D-A904-8B8CCBFB4208.jpegF61468FC-449A-4C53-846B-F47A3F050FEF.jpeg
 
If it was my plant, I would divide it in half. I would knock off as much of the old media as I could without damaging roots.
The left piece in your image with the new roots would be in a 4” pot. The right piece with one larger lead and three smaller ones would go into another 4” pot.
I would water well and let them approach dryness. Depending upon conditions and light I would probably water once every 7-10 days.
The light should be reduced for a while, maybe 2-3 hours of good sunlight directly on the leaves. They could go outside for the summer but not into a sunny spot right away. Gradually give them a little more sun each week so that after two weeks or so they are getting about 4 hours worth. If light gets better and it warms up nicely, they might need water every 4-5 days depending upon light and temperature.
 

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