Rotten cym ? how can it be ?

[Catcym]

It has been 3 months since I bought this cym from TJ's. The cym just finished bloom I left it outside. Today I saw a new growth and it looked very pot bound.
I unpot it and the medium was bark. The root ball was very dense and root color was light and healthy. I was curious how it smell. And it smell rotten.

It smell rotten !! How can it be ?

[solay]

Are you sure there are not rotten roots inside the dense ball? I only get that smell when there are mushy dead roots that's been sitting in water. Usually if I keep them inside a second pot that has no drainage hole and the water fills up and rots.

That is odd to get the smell if the plant is healthy. Could be that the bark is smelling from sitting in water and something else in the pot is rotting. Maybe dead organic matter like leaves.???

It's a mystery to me. Someone else will have a better answer for you soon. Sorry.

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by Catcym

It has been 3 months since I bought this cym from TJ's. The cym just finished bloom I left it outside. Today I saw a new growth and it looked very pot bound.
I unpot it and the medium was bark. The root ball was very dense and root color was light and healthy. I was curious how it smell. And it smell rotten.

It smell rotten !! How can it be ?

Is it actually coming from the roots themselves or is it stench transfer from the old medium?

[Catcym]

Hi Solay and Jenny,

Attached is a picture taken 3 months ago. The pot is always on a stand and doesn't sit in water. I think the rotten smell was transfered from old medium bark. I remembered I was complaining about excessive leaf die-back 3 months ago and now I realized it is symptoms of rotten bark.

[Ron]

Hi Catcym.
If it was root bound in the pot and is spring in your area. I would tease all the roots out of the old mix and repot it in fresh mix.
Sometimes the smell also comes because the mix goes sour! too over come this I always put a good half handfull of garden lime on top of a eight inch pot and water it in well.
Could be other problems but if roots are healthy, lime will sweeten the mix and hopefuly take away the smell
My Cymbidiums are all potted in comercial treated 10 mm (1/2 inch bark). Nothing else added.
Cheerio
Ron

[solay]

Once you change the bark all will be fine. Your Cym. looks great and very healthy too. That's the one with the scent right. It reminds me of my Nut Taida.