Advise needed!! Black rot ??

[MLP]

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, I'm not sure what is going on - it started a month ago with a new Cattleya I received from a reputable grower, had it about a month and one of the p-bulbes was BLACK, mushy and fallen over - I assumed it was fungal rot ?? not sure why? if anything I would have said I underwated this one, anyway, cut off the bad, disinfected, repotted and moved on, since then a small noid Cattleya got it on one of her p-bulbs, and now my Psycopsis Mendenhall seems to be getting it! on the Psycopsis, should un-pot/cut off infected pbulb, or just cut away the bad part?? also, how is this spreading?? my plants don't share water, were not in the same location at the same time, I water in the morning and am very careful. I am attempting to attach pictures and hope I am putting my question in the right place?

[patticake]

I'm pretty new to this part, MLP- I'll be curious to hear what others say as well. Good luck!

[solay]

Boy that looks bad. I don't have experience with those types of orchids but I do sometimes get rot on my Cymbidium bulbs. The best thing is to remove all signs of rot ASAP and disinfect the plant and repot. I would cut the whole bulb to be safe. Usually the rot comes from below and the bulb is infected already.

That's my opinion but wait for more expert advice from the others.

[MLP]

thank you Patticake & Solay for your quick response!! I am afraid your gonna be correct in removing the whole p-bulb - this was a b-day gift and I was so excited to see it bloom!! and now I think I'm gonna kill it!

[hera]

Do you let the Psychopsis dry out between waterings. I let mine go till almost dry and I have a small fan blowing nearby. The last time I watered I let it sit in the bowl too long (I sometimes soak) and I was worried that it would cause rot, but I put the small fan blowing on the pot over night and it was fine. I would cut out the rot, treat with a fungal/ bacterial inhibiter and let it be on the dry side until the wounds heal. Fresh medium may help too. Good luck.

[MLP]

I let it get almost dry before I water - I had it outside on a covered porch, high humitity, good light and sheltered from rain - after the Catt got sick - I operated and moved it outside to a shady location then I brought the Psycopsis in and put on the same table the Catt had been on ?? the air-conditioner vent blows on them (my husband thinks this is what is causing the problem) but it generally dries things out faster ?? I only brought the Psycopsis in because the end of the spike turned dry and brown - at first I though a bug had feasted on it but now think it was just drying up/giving up ??

[patticake]

Yikes! A fan blowing on them is one thing, but maybe your husband is right. An AC blowing on them in the front is too cold, and blowing from the back is too hot. I think that this might really have something to do with the problem...

[MLP]

I just removed the last orchid from that location incase it's the air conditioner. thank you all for the fast response

[brookn]

I agree Patti, too cold + wet = bad things. If you put it where the warm air is blowing, I would say move it a few feet from it, too close and it will be too hot, and encourage more fungus. This looks like a bacterial problem to me, and I would suggest some peroxide, and a spray of Bayer 3 in 1. I used it for some partially rotten Onc. bulbs, and it dried it up quick-they didn't miss a beat and are growing like weeds now. I find peroxide works really well, just be sure you let it dry out well before exposing to any light.