OK--wrinkled Slc & Catt pseudobulbs

[Carl]

Hey Folks!
I am still struggling with my new Slc Jewel Box Scheherezade. The pseudobulbs are kind of shriveled--not really bad, but not as plump as I have seen other Catts or their relations. The potting medium (bark chunks) is airy and I let it dry out between watering. It is in a 3 inch pot and I soak the pot when I water so that is retains as much moisture as possible. I wait a week between watering and the pot is really light before I water again. It currently has two spikes with 7 flowers from the grower. Am I watering it too little? What is going on? Please help!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If you've had this plant for a long time already, and the pseudobulbs that are shriveling are the older ones. Then they're shriveling of old age.

But if all of the pseudobulbs are getting wrinkley and the roots of the plant are destroyed, then I think you know what the problem is.

If the roots are intact and all the pseudobulbs are getting wrinkley, then you're not watering enough.

BTW Cattleyas, Slc, Blc, and Lc's all bloom from the youngest mature growths.

[Carl]

The roots are white and fantastic! Is there a way to retain more water without compromising the root system?

Thanks!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If the new pseudobulbs are getting wrinkley, try watering twice a week and see how that works.

Unless...you would like to risk using something like an Aussie Gold or Dynarok type of growing medium. Be forewarned, it is not an easy medium to use. I would only pick out large chunks of the diatomite and use that as the medium if you're going the Aussie Gold route. I've never used Dynarok, but if it's just diatomite and nothing else, then use Dynarok instead. Diatomite retains a lot of water. But I wouldn't water my orchids everyday, like the people at Aussie Gold say that you can. Remember Ivan the founder of Aussie Gold developed his medium for his growing environment (he lives in an area where it gets too hot for any kind of water retention to occur and where any kind of wood medium would rot out - and he states this in his "commercials" many times over). This same principle goes for Dynarok.

Again...if you're using diatomite as a medium, don't over do it with the watering.

An example of mine I can give you is a half shriveled colony of Dendrobium kingianum grown in Aussie Gold can quickly recover within 3 days! So be careful, especially with the roots on your Slc.