Salvageable?

[Moonshiner]

It is amazing to me how fast the casualties start rolling on when people find out you know anything about orchids.

Today I received an orchid from my wife's boss. She says it used to be beautiful about a year (or two) ago, although she can't remember what color the blooms were. It has 5 pseudobulbs. Two are brown and shriveled beyond recognition. The other three are badly shriveled and hard, and yet the largest has two nice green healthy leaves growing out of it. There is also the beginning of a new bulb growing from the base of the largest pseudobulb, about 1.5 inches long.

I unpacked it from it's medium and found nothing but ugly brown roots, 80% of which were obviously long departed. There are no sign of white or green anywhere.

And yet, if it has I chance I am willing to try. I would send a picture, but there is not much to photograph after I removed all of the worst of the roots.

Suggestions, anyone?

[solay]

What kind of orchid it it? It's worth a try to see if you can nurse it back. Good Luck.

[tansyflower]

If it's producing new healthy growth it's probably salvageable (one of my main indicators when scrounging through plants of any type)

Good luck and enjoy the challenge!

[Moonshiner]

Originally Posted by solay

What kind of orchid it it? It's worth a try to see if you can nurse it back. Good Luck.

Unfortunately I have no idea. You know as much as I know. For now it's sitting bare root in a plastic bag with a slightly dampened paper towel awaiting the next move.

Originally Posted by tansyflower

If it's producing new healthy growth it's probably salvageable (one of my main indicators when scrounging through plants of any type)

Good luck and enjoy the challenge!

That's pretty much my thinking here. Thanks for the nudge! Waiting to see how the blooms show themselves is half the fun. The other half is trying to revive the nearly dead. Hopefully worth the effort. Everyone has a little touch of Dr. Frankenstein in them, don't you think?

[kid a]

Good luck rescuing can be quite fulfilling

[lmartiny]

I'm not one of the experts by any means, but, here goes...... Cut off the dead shriveled bulbs and touch cuts with cinnimon, even if all dead, just for good measure. Soak base in worm tea or mild superthrive mix, or other root tone for a short time and repot into new mix. (soak your mix first in water so it is hydrated) secure it so it won't wobble around in the pot. Then move it to moderate light and move to your ICU unit and keep an eye on it. Try to ID the species so you can determine light, etc. Post a picture, someone will know. These are things I've learned here. But maybe wait to see what other more experienced ones have to say.

[jerrymeola]

It sounds like an under watered Cattleya. It is not uncommon to find almost no viable roots in a plant like this. As long as new roots begin to develop from the new pseudobulb the plant will survive.

Her lack of re-blooming was probably insufficient light.

If you want to remove any dried pseudobulbs leave 4 of the youngest (the end where the new growth is starting) and cut them off with the rhizome so that it re-pots better.

[fred]

Moonshiner
can you please post a photo for us to see
thanks

[Moonshiner]

Originally Posted by fred

Moonshiner
can you please post a photo for us to see
thanks

Well, all I have to work with is a cell camera, which takes fuzzy close-ups.

"Ready when you are, C.B."

Here's the whole thing:




The front with the bad bulbs:



What is trying to be the next bulb, along with yet another little one starting at the bottom and just above my thumb.



Beaten and tattered, ain't it? I found out a little more info as to it's lack of care. It was in a cool bathroom with a small west facing frosted window that was under an overhang, and watered rarely. Never fed.

Sheesh.

[FLBob]

it looks a little like it belongs in the oncidium alliance.
If it was mine I'd mix a weak fertilizer solution and soak the plant for 10-15 minutes, then remove the old dead roots, wrap the base in sphagnum moss wrap it to a piece of cork and set in a shady spot on my bench. keep the moss moist, and hope.

[Moonshiner]

There are no good roots. I just left some of the bigger brown ones because I felt like an executioner cutting them all off. The foliage and base of the new bulb looks like a fat piece of grass. The newest bit peeking it's head out looks surprisingly healthy, but perhaps a bit frightened to venture any further.

[kmarch]

Yes it is an Oncidium of some sort. There's a culture sheet for Oncidium care at AOS | Home There are lots of folks here who grow oncidiums really well so they'll be able to give you some practical advice.

[digitalgate]

That's an Oncidium family orchids. (include Brassia, Miltonia,...). Could be a very difficult orchid to start with. As they normally do not like over watering. But love sunlight. The old bulb will not regrow new roots, the new bulb will. So you can overwater this baby very easily. But the good news is the old bulb still have plenty of energy left. So I would imagine the new bulb coming will grow bigger than the present "new" bulb. There is nonthing you can do to hasten the process. So just pot this up and water whenever the media is dried up. Dont put this in full sun. It is very possible for u to loss this bulb as a new hand to this. Well, you gain experience. Just do it.

[Moonshiner]

Well, over watering has never been a problem with this guy. I will pot it up, with the new growth to the center, and let it dry out more than I would the phals. It will go into a nice bright spot in my office, but never in direct sunlight. It is a south facing window so it will also stay warm.

I have already cut a huge number of roots, albeit dead ones. They have been dusted with cinnamon. Would it be a detriment to leave the remaining roots to help anchor it in the pot, or should I indeed cut them all off, as Bob suggested?

Upon much closer inspection I now see 2 white roots coming from the bottom of the newest bulb that are dry but not withered.

Many thanks to everyone who has so far offered their advice. And keep it coming! I will take another pic after I digest all the info and give it a new home.

[digitalgate]

alway pot the cutting at the edge of the pot with the young shoot pointing into the center of the pot. Otherwise you risk re potting.

[Moonshiner]

Taking a bit of advice from everyone, here's what I'm doing today. First I'll soak the plant in a nice weak fertilizer solution. Then I plan to remove most of the remaining dead roots, leaving just a few to anchor the plant in the new medium.

According to the AOS culture sheet "Fine-grade potting media are usually used with fine-rooted plants and coarser mixes with large-rooted plants; the standard size is medium grade." I plan to go with fine to medium well draining and drying (coir?), since this plant has no viable roots below the plant at all.

I will then repot it into a clear plastic "orchid" pot with lateral and bottom slits for drainage and "the cutting at the edge of the pot with the young shoot pointing into the center of the pot" and give the medium a good soaking as well (5 minutes).

In a nice decorative white pot I have put a bunch of Styrofoam pieces to keep it off the bottom, and then will put the plant on top, place it near the warm, sunny, south facing window out of the direct light, and wait for the medium to dry out almost completely before watering again.

Then it's up to the patient.

Whaddaya think?

[hulaorchid]

May I add. Add some superthrive, It's good for root growth! Good Luck!

[Moonshiner]

Originally Posted by hulaorchid

May I add. Add some superthrive, It's good for root growth! Good Luck!

I will certainly do that as well. Will add it to the next watering.

[trinigirl]

Sounds like a very good plan.

The only suggestion I would add is to let the medium soak for longer than 5 minutes in order for the medium to get a good soak and will not dry out too quickly after repotting. I think maybe several hours will be better.

I think the plant will do well.

[Rachel the Truth]

Good luck!

Hopefully you can bring it back to its glory!

< cant wait to see!

[tansyflower]

Just a thought- does the "nice, decorative pot" have drainage holes??

[Moonshiner]

Originally Posted by tansyflower

Just a thought- does the "nice, decorative pot" have drainage holes??

No. It does have the styrofoam at the bottom to keep the plastic interior pot off of the base and elevated, and after watering I will drain that pot completely before putting it back inside. I am thinking about just putting the whole plant into another more permanent pot later, but I want to see how it does first.

A good or bad plan?

[patticake]

Pot in a pot is what I do a lot. It gives stability to the plant. It sounds good so far! I think you'll save it! It will become one of your favorites if you do! I have a few rescues that I just love! Good luck!

[Moonshiner]

Well, here it is, Oncidium Mysterioso. All tucked into the new pot and being watched over very carefully by Razor, the miniature iguana. Thanks for all the advice, my friends. I'll keep you all informed if anything happens!

[Rachel the Truth]

Originally Posted by Moonshiner

Well, here it is, Oncidium Mysterioso. All tucked into the new pot and being watched over very carefully by Razor, the miniature iguana. Thanks for all the advice, my friends. I'll keep you all informed if anything happens!

Love the name!

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by Moonshiner

Well, here it is, Oncidium Mysterioso. All tucked into the new pot and being watched over very carefully by Razor, the miniature iguana. Thanks for all the advice, my friends. I'll keep you all informed if anything happens!

I believe the potting mix is too fine for the plant. Can you get something bigger? Let the root reach for the media. Dont cover it.

[Moonshiner]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

I believe the potting mix is too fine for the plant. Can you get something bigger? Let the root reach for the media. Dont cover it.

The white dry root is actually above the surface. It is just obscured by a piece of bark. What would you, or anyone, suggest I use for media? This is a fine to medium mix provided by the local gardening center, supposedly ok for oncidium.

Supposedly.

[Moonshiner]

Eight long days have passed, and the results concerning Oncidium Mysterioso are not good. Receiving bright indirect light must have been too much for this guy that has been out of it for so long. Leaves are yellowing fast, and what was left of the bit of green on the next to last PB fell off completely.



The only bright spot I see is that the newest bit of green growth seems unaffected so far, actually increasing just a bit. No root growth of any kind has revealed itself.




I know...it's only been a week. I just didn't know if I should expect things to get much worse before (or if) they get better. And it does not usually sit on top of my stereo, trust me on that one!.

[Celcat]

Don't give up! Keep moisture up! Maybe keep it in a more shady spot...
I have quite few orchids of the oncidium family and quite few rescue too. You have to be patient, but she will come back. I dont think that you will get a spike from this new growth, but the goal is to make the plant bigger and than she will give another growth which will bloom

[digitalgate]

This is normal, (when you have low humidity). It will be weeks before the young ones will throw out roots. You can't rush this. Bright and indirect is still a must. By now the adult root would have rotted away. You are waiting for the young ones to grow new roots.

[Moonshiner]

Thanks for the positive input! I will keep misting it every day, watering it when it starts to dry out, and hoping for the best.