Rootless walkeriana and nobilior divisions? - Orchid Board

Orchidreamer · #1 10-09-2011, 12:21 AM

A few weeks ago I bought a C. walkeriana backbulb division (2 bulbs) and a C. nobilior division with 3 bulbs and a new growth. Both are pretty much rootless (I've been hoping they actually had some roots). Well, the nobilior has a few short root stubs. The other one has basically all dead roots. How hard do you think it is to revive C. nobilior and walkeriana? Does revival take a lot more time and effort than other catts?

I've successfully revived rootless catts before, but they were hybrid clones, not species. I don't have a greenhouse, so I have to make do with a home environment. I have them potted in large pieces of bark and watered with KLN weekly...

james mickelso · #2 10-09-2011, 01:03 AM

Try putting the walkeriana in a plastic bag with some damp spagnum moss (see my post on the beginners forum) and put it in a sunny window. Sometimes I dust the root area with powdered sulfur. It takes about 4 weeks to throw out a new bud depending on the light levels and temperature. Try it.

isurus79 · #3 10-11-2011, 12:57 AM

Nobilior and walkeriana are some of the most drought resistant Catts you can get, which means bringing them back from a rootless situation is much easier than other Catts. I would actually plant them in a small pot with some spag on top and some larger grade fir bark on the bottom. The wet spag will allow for good moisture to revive the plants and as the roots get longer, they will find a more suitable environment in the bottom of the pot. Spag and bag for these guys might not be as good of an idea because these plants really do need good air movement to grow well. They grow in parts of the world that are very dry for a good portion of the year. As the plants get larger, you can pot them up into a larger sized pot with less spag.

isurus79 · #4 10-11-2011, 01:01 AM

P.S. You could also grow the walkeriana in s/h. They love it.

isurus79 · #5 11-13-2011, 11:28 PM

Any update on this one?

Andre · #6 11-19-2011, 03:32 AM

Revived both species easily. They can handle no roots for a while. I used thrive alive a vit b solution on them, and put them in a bright warm location with 50% humidity. They started new growth after a few weeks. The psuedobulbs shriveled a bit but no harm was done.

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