Peristeria elata

[allars]

My Peristeria elata is doing something which I think is unexpected and i need some expert advice. The plant had 2 bulbs when I received it. One old and inactive, the other with nice large leaves. It did great over the summer as fall came on, the large leaves started to die off and were gone in matter of a couple weeks. Reading I thought it might be OK and new growth would appear at pot level next to old bulbs. Well winter went on and behold new plants formed ON TOP of the old bulbs. They are doing great, but I have never seen this in any photos and am not sure if I should plant with old bulbs buried or let it grow as is. I live in SW Florida and all orchids are outside on lanai. I have attached 2 photos and welcome any and all advice. Thank You

[estación seca]

Yes, they do this, though growth from the base is more common. I wonder whether your medium has suffocated the main plant's roots. This plant expects to be dry all winter and is naturally deciduous. Did you water all winter? When was it last repotted? Is it potted in bark?

The brown pseudobulb is dead. I would use a garden shears to cut off just the top with the new growth attached. Repot into a 3" / 8cm pot or larger. These are large plants that need large pots.

I would unpot now to examine the roots. If they are light brown and fine, repot the plant slightly deeper. Use the same medium if it's less than 2 years old and still looks good. If the medium is breaking down, use fresh medium.

If the roots are black and rotten, or fall off, run water over them so anything loose comes off. Repot in fresh medium.

In either case, repot deeper, so the new roots are just touching the medium.

[allars]

Thanks, I did let it dry out during winter and in fact we had a cold winter for Florida. However, after reading your advice, I am going to follow your suggestions and unpot and repot. Thank You, I appreciate it

[isurus79]

I find growths on top usually indicate a stressed plant. I'm also curious about what the roots look like.