help with battered new delivery

[neophyte]

Oh my. This is completely my fault. The Ecuagenera order arrived two weeks ago, but I didn't know... the order was somehow placed on a very old email address that I no longer have access to, so I've been communicating with Ecuagenera through a newer email address. Of course, the delivery confirmation was sent to the old email address, and I never thought about it because I assumed they would be delivered in late February.... until today, when I asked again about the delivery, and Karla replied (very confusedly) that they had already been delivered to the doorstep. Turns out the long rectangular package that was placed at the side of the house (which I assumed was some sort of hardware equipment my parents had ordered) were the orchids. Sigh.

Well, they are still alive and green, miraculously; kudos to Ecuagenera for their excellent packaging.

#1: Koellensteinia graminea
#2: Sobralia cocrea
#3: Phrag. schlimii

I'm kind of worried that they're going to get a lot worse before they start getting better. Suggestions?

(tips on growing any of them in general – not just for rehab – would be appreciated as well).

[Keysguy]

Soak them in water for several hours (maybe at least 6) before you pot them.

[neophyte]

Thanks! I think the Sobralia will be picky about water quality; is the schlimii more sensitive as well?

[Keysguy]

yes but at this point just get water to them ASAP.
Here is a picture Jay Phafl of IOSPE sent me this year while he was marooned in Colombia because of COVID.

And now you know what schlimii likes!

[estación seca]

Phrags are surprisingly forgiving as long as they don't stay dry too long. I dip all bare root arrivals in a pure water solution of KelpMax, beneficial bacteria, a pinch of sugar and a tiny bit of fertilizer. In your case if you don't have supplements just use pure water with a pinch of granulated sugar. I grow 2 hybrids in semihydroponics. Both came bare root from Ecuagenera.

Sobralias are hard to transplant. Under good conditions they lose a lot of leaves. Use fine bark or s Cymbidium type mixture.

[neophyte]

Thanks! I'm a bit nervous about trying s/h, since I've never attempted it before. The phrag does have several new shoots though, so I guess this would be the optimal time to transplant...?

Also, would it be alright to grow the Sobralia in pure sphagnum?

[estación seca]

With proper temperatures phrags grow all year. If it's making new growth, now would be a good time to move it to S/H. Water it frequently at first. Every day would be fine. In a week or so as it settles in you could extend the interval.

For the Sobralia, pure sphagnum would probably be fine, but don't get it soaking wet. I haven't used it.

[neophyte]

I wonder why the Sobralia didn't drop any leaves while it stayed outside for 2 weeks. Maybe those conditions were conducive towards retaining leaves...? They weren't very good conditions.

[Roberta]

Pretty amazing that the plants look as good as they do... Here are some notes that I received with a shipment from China... they will apply to your plants that have been in "transit" for a long time... with good humidity you may not need the anti-transpirant, but the note about adding some sugar to the soaking water should help. (Cloud Cover does not seem to be available, I got some Wilt Stop because it was packaged in the smallest quantity... one doesn't need much)

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Recommended procedure for caring for bare root orchids after unpacking.

1. Make up a solution of sugar water, room temperature. This is 1 to 2 tsp of table sugar per gallon of water.
2. Remove the packing from your orchid, and place the roots (not stem or leaves) into the sugar water solution. If you have more than one plant, prepare a different solution for each plant and soak them in separate containers.
3. Let the plants soak for 1 to 3 hrs in the sugar water solution.
4. Remove the plant from the solution and wash the roots off with more water (without sugar). Gently pat dry with a paper towel.
5. Turn the plant upside down (so the roots are at the top).
6. Using a small brush (e.g. paint brush from your watercolor set), gently paint a thin layer of Cloud Cover on the top and bottom of the leaves of the plant. Keep the plant upside down the entire time so that the Cloud Cover does NOT get on the roots (VERY IMPORTANT). If you have a lot of plants or it’s a very big plant, you can also spray the cloud cover on the leaves (top and bottom). Be careful, don’t get any on the roots.
7. Let the cloud cover dry completely (about a half hr, depending on the room temperature)
8. Turn your plant upright and plant in your favorite potting media or mounting. If mounting, you may want to place some Spanish moss (the bromeliad) around the roots to improve the humidity


There are a number of products with the same feature, e.g. Wilt Stop, Wilt Proof, TransFilm…they all reduce moisture loss through the leaves by transpiration. You don’t want it on the roots because it will inhibit water absorption. Carefully read the label on the product you buy to determine if it needs to be diluted before using. You can find most of these on Amazon, as well as from other horticultural supply companies

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[neophyte]

Thanks! I did steps 1-4 yesterday (including the rinsing bit). Unfortunately, I don't have any of the transpiration-reducing products – I'll have to order one of those. Maybe for now I'll move the plants out of the orchid room, which is quite warm, and place them somewhere else in the house where there might be less evaporation.

Although the orchid room probably does have a lot more humidity....