Saving this Oncidium intergeneric hybrid

[MiniMoth]

I've noticed this beauty 6-7 weeks ago at a hardware store. Label "Cambria" by Decorum.. can it be some Beallara?

It was the only one in this color. Amazing large flowers but the plant itself didn't look like it was worth the full price back in May. The middle bulb looked watery-brownish and I was worried the whole thing may rot.

Today I found her on the clearance rack and decided to try my luck.. for 1.50 eur

It hadn't seen water for at least 6 weeks. Oldest roots are all gone. It's now soaking bareroot in water and I wonder what to do next... not sure how to proceed from here.

- continue soaking on-off for a few days to try and rehydrate it? Pot it up in some bark/moss right away?

- should I remove the oldest bulb? It's half black and all roots on it are long dead. Does it still serve some purpose?

- what about the middle bulb? It's wrinkly and brownish..What are the risks in leaving/removing it?

- if the bulb is removed, do I have to treat the wound with something or just let it dry for a few hours?

Thank you










---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------

One more illustration - the main bulb looks healthy green. Very thin, dehydrated, wrinkly... but no color changes. Unlike the middle brownish one..

[Gil]

I feel the roots are looking ok and I would go with your idea of planting it in the moss and some bark or if you have it fine orchiata for now. I would keep it moist but not wet. As for the bulb, it may reinvigorate with the constant moisture or just brown out if it is at the end of it's life cycle. I would not cut it off right now, it may still be supplying nutrients to the plant. -just my thoughts.
Nice flower!

[MiniMoth]

It looks like my hybrid may be Vuylstekeara Melissa Brianne (based on image search..).. or something very close.

I kept all bulbs and potted it in a small pot, in layers of medium bark and moss. Soaking in a weak seaweed fertilizer solution this morning..

It was probably my mistake to remove all of those old tired roots. The velamen was thin and sliding off leaving just strings behind, but maybe some of those strings were still functioning? Too late now, but it would be good to know for the future..

[rbarata]

I would pot it in coarse bark (coarse considering the plant size) mixed with 20-30% sphagnum moss spreaded among the bark. Don't use a too large pot, just enough for the plant to grow one or two years, as usually.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't water it as you would do with an established plant. Spray the medium until the water starts coming out by the botom of the pot. When you notice the medium is dry at the top, spray it again.
This technique is working for me intemps around 20ºC and humidity around 30%.

[MiniMoth]

Thanks That's pretty much what I did - 8cm clear pot and coarse bark with some moss here and there.

Not sure about the spraying though. If you spray until the water is coming out of the bottom, how is that really different from dunking the whole thing in water?
(I sometimes spray my plants when the top moss gets crispy, but never enough to flood the media inside the pot which is still moist)

I did soak it phal-style this morning. Hoping that the seaweed fertilizer helps it kickstart root production.

(atm my room temperature is around 25-27 and humidity is around 40%)

[rbarata]

Not sure about the spraying though. If you spray until the water is coming out of the bottom, how is that really different from dunking the whole thing in water?

New roots must be treated gently. Spraying minimizes it.
By other hand, spraying makes water flow differently, with it being absorbed by the medium instead of being forced by its own weight and quantity.

[aliceinwl]

In terms of dead roots, I’ve acquired a number of intergenerics in bad shape. I’ve found those that I left the dead roots intact on (sheath & all), made a quicker recovery than those that I cut the dead roots off on. In all cases the roots were definitely dead, but I think they still convey some water to the plant via wicking. The ones that I removed the roots on still recovered, just more slowly.

[MiniMoth]

@rbarata - I see your point, however I don't believe these orchid roots are so fragile that they would mind the direction or the quantity of the water flooding them. I think what matters most is how much water stays in the media after draining and for how long. Maybe spraying just helps to introduce less water in the first place if slow drying is an issue..

@aliceinwl - thanks for confirming my fears. I actually have a few more myself, but it's the first which I decided to trim so heavily. The ones with "dead" roots had re-plumpled their pseudobulbs real fast.. Oh well...

Does it make sense spraying the leaves in hopes that it would absorb some water that way? It seems to be a common practice to do foliar feeding, but what about just "raining" on it with RO water? (also thinking about spraying it with seaweed extract while waiting for the media to dry)

[IngieBee]

Edit: I wrote this thinking you cut off all the roots, sorry! Some of it is still a good idea though

Good thing is that it's growing season, but mostly, she won't really use any water you give her until she has roots, and they are long enough/mature enough to absorb water. However, the moisture in the medium does help keep the humidity nice and high in the immediate vacinity, which helps encourage root growth as long as they have plenty of air so fungus and rot doesn't set in. Do tie her down to a stick to keep her from moving. Moving can cause new roots to break. Also, beware over-watering, she can't drink it and is likely to rot with soakings.

Be patient, give her a couple of months and try not to disturb her too much, and hopefully she will have enough energy to perk up

Good luck!

PS, she looks like a Beallara orchid?

Oh wait, you did save a few roots, right? Oh, she'll perk up soon, I'm sure! Let us know in a week or so, how she is doing

[MiniMoth]

Thanks, IngieBee! With my newbie "collection" exploding, the patience part gets a bit easier every day... I have nearly enough pots to distract me from checking every patient three times a day

She does have a few short roots left (and they felt firm), so I hope she can suck up some of that water and nutes.. I'll try to be extra careful with watering though.
I guess it will be obvious in a week or two if the pseudobulbs are plumping back up or not.

I'm just not sure if these things make new roots on old pseudobulbs, or do we have to wait for new growth to see any new roots at all?

My first guess was Beallara, but image search suggests Vuylstekeara Melissa Brianne. Some pictures are the exact match of the pattern. Like here Flickr