rootless plant from ebay needs your help

[Stelios]

Hi everybody,
my partner won an auction on ebay and recieved the plant his morning but just got home from work. It appears to be somekind of cymbidium but it is very thin and without any roots. Also it was very tired from shipment with yellow-black tips on its leaves. What i did was to cut the edges of the leaves and spray cinamon. I 've put it in fine bark as it was the only medium i had handy and inside a plastic bag. Was that the right thing to do?
Will it grow roots? I'm charging the cam so i could post a photo soon.

[patticake]

You still need a little air circulation in my opinion. Just don't seal the bag. keep it open to allow air in, but keep the humidity up. I'm only guessing as that's what I've done with some other types of chids. I only have 2 baby Cyms, so I'm sure no expert with Cyms!

[Stelios]

It;s my first time too. But i read on the forum about puting them in a bag to keep humidity high. It seemed very dehydrated.

[Stelios]

photos
do you think it got a chance?

[CulpableCaptive]

Originally Posted by patticake

You still need a little air circulation in my opinion. Just don't seal the bag. keep it open to allow air in, but keep the humidity up. I'm only guessing as that's what I've done with some other types of chids. I only have 2 baby Cyms, so I'm sure no expert with Cyms!

I would do the same thing - give it some air, maybe only fold the top of the bag over and open and re-fold every day for fresh air.

Also, keep the leaves from touching the plastic bag or they will rot. Otherwise, your mini-greenhouse sounds like it will do you well.

[kid a]

Awww poor thing i would ask for a refund if the description wasn't accurate or you feel that you should have received it in better health. Shipping damages do happen but that wouldn't account for it not having any roots at all. Awww! Good Luck with it Cyms are awesome.

[lmartiny]

I don't know much so follow other's instructions. But I hope he didn't pay very much. Does not seem like a deal to me. Pictures OUTSIDE the bag might be more helpful.

[solay]

I would not put it in plastic bag with high humidity. Cyms. in my opinion does not do well with high humidity and may cause rot. I would treat it like a backbulb and leave it out and just keep the bark moist. You should get new growth and roots in a few weeks if the bulb is not damaged. Don't keep the bulb and leaves wet, just the bark moist.
From the pic. I think it will grow for you. Although flowers will take you about 3-4 years. Good luck!

[Stelios]

ok i've taken it out of the bag took some photos and poted it in moist bark again without the bag... any insights?

[solay]

Humm...it's a pretty skinny bulb and isn't plump at all. I would leave it in the moist bark (not soggy, just moist) and wait. Hopefully it has enough nutrients left in that bulb to give you new roots and growths. There's still hope it will grow for you. Although I must warn you that sometimes they still can rot even with the best care.

[Stelios]

if this helps... it was shipped from spain 22 days ago by normal post in packaging preventing any light in, it was just wrapped in wet kitchen paper but it arrived earlier today (paper dried up). I think that it's a fighter if it survived in the dark and cold all this time. I hope it will wake up but everyfew minutes that i check it i almost lose heart and think that it is too sick to survive.

[solay]

I think it has a good chance. Give it some time and it might surprise you. Cyms. are very hardy orchids and can survive almost anything. Even freezing temps.

Don't take it out of the bark to check until you see a new growth. Then it will start forming roots from the new growth.

[Tarad]

I would send pics to the shipper and show them the shape it was in in case it does not make it. Tara

[brookn]

I agree with Solay, follow her advice she is a Cym. guru lol. You can treat it with peroxide in any spots that look like they are black or mushy. That should help.

[digitalgate]

it depend on the type of cymbidium you have. I have two species cymbidium which will die if left in the cold. Good news is that it is the only two type of cymbidium that cannot survive in cold temperature. Since there is so many type of cymbidium out there. Chances are you have a cold temperate cymbidium. However, it would be safer to check what is the name of the cymbidium and apply the correct cultural condition.
If you have not grown anything from bare root , it might shock you to see a bare root orchid. Rest assured lots of us have grown orchids from bare root. This is not the first time it happen.

[violetta]

Originally Posted by Stelios

if this helps... it was shipped from spain 22 days ago by normal post in packaging preventing any light in, it was just wrapped in wet kitchen paper but it arrived earlier today (paper dried up). I think that it's a fighter if it survived in the dark and cold all this time. I hope it will wake up but everyfew minutes that i check it i almost lose heart and think that it is too sick to survive.

I prefer to order my orchids from England, they usually arrive after 7-8 days. Also, it's better to buy potted plants, they have more chances of survival if their delivery is delayed.
Anyway, I wish you good luck with this one!

[Stelios]

well thank you all for the warm words... i am sure they worked just fine and helped the poor thing find the courage. Good vibes and the miracle pond water made it... i guess it is too soon to say it will survive but i have a good feeling.
It should be a record of some kind to have it shoot what appears to be a root in just a short time.

[CharliesAngel51]

Congrats!! Looks like a root to me.

[Stelios]

thank you charliesangel51, it looks so to me but it is very small, almost 1-1,5mm. I have to wait and see if it will manage to develop proper roots before the nutrients stored are over.

[PhalPal]

Looks like a nice, healthy root to me too!!! Cyms are very tough plants; don't lose heart.

[lmartiny]

Wow, that was quick. And encouraging.

[Stelios]

yes, i think it was too quick

I think i will send the pond water for analysis, maybe i have a goldmine and haven't realised it yet lol

[hulaorchid]

Wow a new root in a couple of days! It want's to LIVE!! lol Keep up the good work and don't bother it much. It need its rest! I think it's happy!

[Stelios]

well after spending 10 days inside a cold dark enverope having just a wet kitchen paper long gone dry, it should be quite a shock for it. As soon as i got it as a gift i started taking care and talking to it saying i will not let it without care. I believe it responded preety well to all the care. My partner says i have a gift with plants, he believed it could not survive and was very surprised seeing it shoot a root just in a couple of days.

I just think that it is a very strong plant and i am lucky to have it. I am curious to see the flower in 2-3 years from now

[hulaorchid]

That pond water is great stuff! Good luck! Do you have any idea what color it might be? It does look like a cym. to me also.

[Stelios]

i really have no idea of its color so i strongly believe that it will be red. I have a chirdhood friend that strongly believe all sort of crazy stuff and each one of them happens. So i am giving a try on this "Secret" way of thinking lol

it's red, it's red, it's red hahaha

[digitalgate]

3 days and the root comes out! Can you imagine in a month? Some of my dendrobium took 3 weeks to grow that.

[Stelios]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

3 days and the root comes out! Can you imagine in a month? Some of my dendrobium took 3 weeks to grow that.

I am sorry to hear that
Have you talked to them? Imagining every night going to bed that by morning they will have roots?
This friend of mine told me last year that if you think/visualize things you send out a message and it just happens to be answered (according to "The Secret"). I don't know if this is true or faulse but i am giving it a try anyway. I don't like wishing for selfish thing so i haven't tried with money, but with people, pets or plants in need... i am thinking as hard as i can that they are well and they get better very fast. Maybe it's just having a better mood that helps them, who knows.

[solay]

Congrats!!! Like I said, Cyms. are very hardy. I noticed the bark is very wet. Be careful of over watering cause the new shoots can easily rot when the roots are still developing. Just keep moist not wet. Other than that it's looking good.

[Stelios]

yes i took the photo just after watering it. I will try to resist misting it everyday.