Update on my root rotted Cym

[BGGraham1]

So, I've decided to name her Amy, for Amy Winehouse, because she's in rehab! LOL!!

Here are some pics of what I was dealing with:




the plant was all splayed out, so the new roots that are coming in would have been growing inwards...


So, with the advice of -K-, i made my first attempt at staking it in place...




I hope I did this right. It looks a lot better now, and the roots are definitely pointed in the right direction for growth. The longest is about 1 1/2 inches long, and there are a gang of little ones coming now. I sprayed it with the tiniest dose of Superthrive, and am only watering the top of the medium lightly every couple of days or so when it gets dry.

Any suggestions are welcomed, and if I did do this wrong, by all means, let me know so I don't kill Amy!

[Shannara]

I don't know much about Cyms, but it looks like your off to a good start. Good luck with rehabing Amy.

Shann~

[Onleme]

Looks good to me
Just set it in a warm partly shaded area and don't fuss over it too much from now on

[BGGraham1]

Thanks for the support, you guys. I forgot to mention one thing:
As I was cleaning it up and getting it ready for its placement, I noticed a couple of tiny little new growths coming off of the bulbs with the baby roots. When they get bigger, should I remove them so the rest of the plant can focus on the roots, or should I leave it alone?

[Dendian]

I say - just leave it alone. If there aren't enough roots to support new growth, then it will slow down or stop. If there is - then its fine. Either way - the plant will know what to do. Sometimes it takes new top growth to get new roots growing too.

[BGGraham1]

Thank you so much for the quick response! I'm looking forward to finding out if I can pull this off.

[Onleme]

Its fine
If you have new roots and shoots then the conditions it has are all good so just let it do its thing, just water when needed and fertilise it weekly/weakly, give it bright filtered light and it won't look back

[-k-]

Looking good I agree with the others in that now I would just leave it be and focus on providing the plant the best culture possible. This will continue to encourage new growth and roots for a strong recovery!

[BGGraham1]

Amy looks to be rehabbing okay. I watered her today and gave her a little fertilizer and Superthrive and checked to see what she's up to...

[NewGrower]

I have a side note questions... if a plant is having new growth (roots or leaves) does that mean its happy and on its way to recovery? Just curious because I had something very similiar happen to my Catt (almost all roots gone) but now there are about 5 baby root nubs coming out from it and I am hoping that means I am doing something right haha!

[BGGraham1]

Its been a while since I had anything to report on this one. I was just leaving it alone, as suggested, and trying not to think about it too much.

After some winds and some critters messing around with it, I was thrilled to see some serious growth.

I'd like to think this gives hope to those with a similar situation - no roots, seemingly hopeless. What do you think?

The whole plant - still staked


New roots!!




New growth

[RebelCowgirl]

That is sooo awesome Brigitte

[1joyceh]

Looks fantastic Brigitte!!
GREAT JOB... love the new little pbulb

[Medelia]

Congrats!! Keep up the good work!!!

[Fishmom]

Wow! Look at them roots!!! I think that's what success looks like.

[Cym Ladye]

Cymbidium roots want to be IN the mix, not ON the mix. You need to add more mix to your pot. Cym. pseudo bulbs do best when settled 1/3 of their length in the mix. This keeps the plant from moving around and allows for moisture around the base of the pseudo bulb to make the emerging roots/growths happy.

By all means, encourage the new growths. These will eventually send down roots into the mix and make your plant of the future. Do not let them dry out by "waving in the breeze" when forming. From your photos, your old rotted roots in the pot will probably never branch new ones, so you need to focus on the new roots and new growths from the most recent pseudo bulbs as shown in your photo.

A side question: Are you using lava rock in your mix? Many forms of lava rock attract salts from water and fertilizer and within a year become toxic to the Cym roots.
Cym Ladye

[BGGraham1]

Cym Ladye - thanks for your advice. Yes, the roots have been in the mix, but the wind and critters had knocked it over which exposed them. After I took the pics, I put everything back the way it should be.

And no, no lava rock. My Cym mix is fine fir bark, Perlite and charcoal with a handful of chopped sphag.

Its all good

[PaulB]

Looks like you've done everything right, Brigitte. Cymbidiums are tough, and as long as they aren't in mushy old medium, they'll thrive. It looks like the fir bark is fine Orchiata??. I'm thinking when the roots get longer and more dense, move up to a coarser grade in May or June. You're past the critical stage. Your pot doesn't have any air holes, and it looks like the only air is coming from the top down. Packing p-nuts work well about 1-1/2 to 2" on the bottom of the pot to help the "air" thing.

[plantloverlisa]

Woo Hoo Brigitte!

[BGGraham1]

Originally Posted by PaulB

Looks like you've done everything right, Brigitte. Cymbidiums are tough, and as long as they aren't in mushy old medium, they'll thrive. It looks like the fir bark is fine Orchiata??. I'm thinking when the roots get longer and more dense, move up to a coarser grade in May or June. You're past the critical stage. Your pot doesn't have any air holes, and it looks like the only air is coming from the top down. Packing p-nuts work well about 1-1/2 to 2" on the bottom of the pot to help the "air" thing.

Its not Orchiata, but I want to try that - heard good things. Its some fir bark I get from the hydroponics store nearby. I loosened it up with charcoal and perlite. George Hatfield uses a similar mix on all of his Cyms, and his greenhouses are ridiculous!! He showed me how to pack it in, too. The pot its in has some very large drain holes at the bottom, and although you can't see them, I drilled some additional holes all along the outside edges. (There is kind of a little ledge at the bottom of the pot.) I'll get some pics later.

[PaulB]

Originally Posted by BGGraham1

Its not Orchiata, but I want to try that - heard good things. Its some fir bark I get from the hydroponics store nearby. I loosened it up with charcoal and perlite. George Hatfield uses a similar mix on all of his Cyms, and his greenhouses are ridiculous!! He showed me how to pack it in, too. The pot its in has some very large drain holes at the bottom, and although you can't see them, I drilled some additional holes all along the outside edges. (There is kind of a little ledge at the bottom of the pot.) I'll get some pics later.

Yeah, I was going to suggest the drilling of holes on the outside, the holes on the very bottom get sealed up when sitting on a flat surface. Like I said, you're doing everything right!

[Dendian]

Yay Brigitte! I am glad to see it is recovering!

[RebelCowgirl]

It is soooo awesome that you orchid in on the mend but you might wanna change her name... wouldn't want to jenks her.

[BGGraham1]

Originally Posted by RebelCowgirl

It is soooo awesome that you orchid in on the mend but you might wanna change her name... wouldn't want to jenks her.

I thought about that when I revisited this thread. I had named it before Ms. Winehouse met her unfortunate end. Maybe, since orchids are supposed to be male anyway (which I found out after I started this thread), I should re-name it Charlie Sheen.

[Cym Ladye]

Brigette,

If you have George Hatfield of Hatfield Orchids as your culture mentor, you do not need us here on the OB! He is an awesome grower and you can tell him I told you so next time you visit his greenhouse.

As far as the sex of an orchid is concerned, with only a couple of obtuse exceptions, all orchid flowers are bisexual, as they can act as either a pod parent or a pollen parent.

CL

[plantloverlisa]

Oh Brigitte don't name it that, it may whip on you when you walk by it!

[BGGraham1]

Originally Posted by Cym Ladye

Brigette,

If you have George Hatfield of Hatfield Orchids as your culture mentor, you do not need us here on the OB! He is an awesome grower and you can tell him I told you so next time you visit his greenhouse.

As far as the sex of an orchid is concerned, with only a couple of obtuse exceptions, all orchid flowers are bisexual, as they can act as either a pod parent or a pollen parent.

CL

I totally WISH he was my mentor!! I've been out a couple of times since he's so close. I love to talk, he's really nice, and I find myself in there a lot longer than I intend to be. Besides, he focuses mainly on Cyms, and I only have 3 out of the 100 or so orchids that I have. I haven't really asked him about anything else.

Besides, its pretty overwhelming to be standing in that greenhouse, surrounded by thousands of gorgeous Cyms. Its very difficult to focus.