| Get a hot glue gun and make a few more holes in the bottom. The heat in the gun will sterilize any damage to roots. When a plastic pot drains slowly though, it is usually the mix that is a bit dense, but I would not worry about it, so long as you let the mix dry before watering again.
Sheathing on the outside of pseudobulbs always dies around the time the bulb matures. What happens to this sheathing after it dies is of no concern to you or the plant. It may go brown or it may go black. When it gets loose enough, you can remove it, but don't pick at it while it is stuck to the bulb, or you may break the skin of the bulb accidentally, opening up the plant for invasion of something nasty.
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Cynthia
Prescott Orchid Society |