wrinkley bulbs

[SShide77]

Why do pseudobulbs wrinkle?

[psyc1210]

Lack of water

[SShide77]

is that the only reason? and is it normal? my zygopetalum has a few wrinkley bulbs. but i feel like ive been watering it a ton lately.

[psyc1210]

Have you been watering it too much and rotted the roots? thus the PS would not be getting enough water since the roots are rotted.

[Orchidementia]

I have a few varieties with psuedobulbs (miltonia, miltoniopsis, bollopetalum, etc). I've had most of the Onc. Alliance ones for well over a year. They all vary in how much 'wrinkling' they have on their pseudobulbs from none to a lot - and I'm not talking about thin, shriveled bulbs with no roots but big fat bulbs with active growth and lots of health roots. I'm sure one of the experts can tell you more, but my own Real Life Expert, the friend who got convinced me that if I could grow fuchsias I could grow an orchid, has seen mine and assured me that they all look a little different.

Mind, I'm ~not~ talking about obviously dessicated plants, but the variations I've noticed. PLEASE check with one of the board experts because - even though I'm pretty sure I'm right about healthy plants - I might not be!

[norris]

I've noticed that after a bulb produces a flower spike on my Onc. type plants, the bulbs tend to wrinkle more and more as the bulb ages. but I'm pretty sure the plants are healthy, because they continue to produce plump new growth and flowers

[SShide77]

My zygo. has two new flower spikes and is very healthy, no rotted roots. Guess I wont be too worried.

[kmarch]

Well....getting back to the original question, pseudobulbs are a bit like a storage facility for moisture and nutrients. When they are full, they're plump. If the plant has had to draw upon those reserves the bulbs first become wrinkled then more and more shriveled as the stores are depleted.

The plant has to turn to its reserves usually for one reason, that being that is is not able to take in what it needs form its environment. There are only 2 reasons why a plant might not be getting what it needs form its environment: 1) what is needs is not available - for example a dendrobium in the wild needs to draw on its reserves during the dry season or a plant in your collection needs to draw upon its reserves if its not being watered frequently enough, or 2) the mechanism by which it takes in moisture and nutrients is compromised - for example an orchid that has lost its roots to damage or rot is not able to take in water and nutrients even if they are present in the environment.

Some orchids have naturally wrinkly, pleated, or ribbed pseudobulbs so it is necessary to know the characteristics of the orchid being grown in order to correctly interpret the condition of the pseudobulbs.

Finally, old pseudobulbs will "deflate" and die off naturally once it is of no more use to the plant. This happened recently to the oldest back bulb on my only lycaste. It quickly turned brown and dried up/became hollow.