Peristeria elata repotting help needed

[ShadePlant]

Hello everyone. I have a sad Peristeria elata that could use some TLC. It has one bulb in the growing medium and several shriveled bulbs climbing out of the pot at different levels. I’m not sure if I can separate the bulbs with a sharp knife or what I should do to repot this poor thing. [ATTACH][ATTACH]



[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[isurus79]

Do not separate any of the bulbs. That thing is severely dehydrated and chopping it up is a sure death sentence. I'd pull it out of the pot and soak in water with kelp for a few hours. Then post more photos here for an update!

[Waterdog111]

That sounded like very good advice,from Steven. It is pretty good idea to use Rays products I have some from another sourse and I havent noticed anything good happeninng useing them.

[ShadePlant]

Thank you both. I did use Ray’s kelp to soak the plant for 4 hours. I’m afraid it didn’t look much better. Here are some updated photos. I can of course soak longer and welcome further instructions.

[isurus79]

Now to pot it up and give it warm, semi-bright conditions. Give it a sphagnum / large grade bark mix in as small a pot as the plant will fit..

[Waterdog111]

Does look to have a spark of life left in it,so that would be about the best advice for it. Im sure it will be slow going.

[Roberta]

Remember, orchids do things slooowwwly. A few hours or days are nothing... progress will take months or even a year or more so you'll need to be patient. Watch for the small signs of progress. You will learn a lot by observing.

[estación seca]

These should not dry out at all when making new growth. It was potted too high and the newest growth's roots dried out.

A potting mix suitable for Cymbidiums works well. The part that may survive is the small new growth with newer roots. Be sure those newer roots are completely cuvered with medium when you repot, even if that means burying most of the plant.

I would not use a relatively small pot. It is likely to be too shallow to completely cover those new roots. Even a small plant of this species will grow a surprisingly large root system if put into a larger pot than people might use for other orchids.

You can read more about Peristeria elata here. Search on the name.