No Pseudobulb on Oncidium-salvageable??

[bluebird]

Hello,
I am having some troubles with my Sweet Sugar, and would love some advice.

I purchased a lovely, flowering -smaller Sweet Sugar about a year and a half ago.
(I Also, purchased a Sherry Baby from the same seller-it is doing very well.)

Shortly after, my very naughty parrotlet picked up on all my Sugar baby fawning and jealously attacked it. The damage was pretty severe, also I believe my purchase came with a healthy start of root rot.
I was, and am new to growing oncidiums-I did not use any anti-fungal to the damage- so here we are now at the last of whats left of my baby.

After a year and half of struggling, the last pseudobulb has finally given up, shriveled and died.
However, the tough little survivor has held on. It now has two healthy "tiny" new growths with healthy roots from the last pseudobulb!

I have been going a lot of research on the subject but can't find anything for care of an oncidium without its pseudobulb.
I have cut off the old dried bulb they were attached to. Watching it very closely for moisture, doing a very diluted fertilizer spray every morning... I need to get to a store for some supplies-maybe rooting hormone. Should I do moss around them, is the pot too big now???
Any advice would be very appreciated .

[PaphMadMan]

I think you have a good chance of keeping the plant alive, but it will be several years before the plant is big enough to bloom. Essentially you are back to a seedling stage. You should be able to find instructions on care of seedlings just out of flask and adapt.

At minimum you need to determine if there are any healthy roots, remove any dead material, and get them repotted in fresh media, probably something with finer texture (sphagnum should be fine), and a smaller pot. Cinnamon can help prevent further rot. Rooting hormones shouldn't be necessary, they will grow the new roots they need without it.

[bluebird]

Thanks a bunch!- Sorry really new-Flask? Adapt??

[tucker85]

I agree with everything that paphmadman said. But! like he said it will take several years before it blooms. Unless it's one of your favorites I would consider tossing it an getting a healthy plant. Oncidiums are not terribly expensive. If it is a fovorite plant then by all means give it a shot and try to save it. Good luck.

[bluebird]

Thank you, yes I am hell bent on saving it- if it lives it will deff. be a favorite! Hey have either of you used fish emulsion as a fertilizer? I am looking for some better fertilizer then what I have and heard that orchids love this.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by bluebird

Thanks a bunch!- Sorry really new-Flask? Adapt??

Orchid seeds are grown in flasks of sterile nutrient agar until the seedlings are large enough to survive on their own. You should be able to find instructions for care of those new seedlings fresh out of flask and adapt them to your tiny plants.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by bluebird

Thank you, yes I am hell bent on saving it- if it lives it will deff. be a favorite! Hey have either of you used fish emulsion as a fertilizer? I am looking for some better fertilizer then what I have and heard that orchids love this.

Fish emulsion is a classic fertilizer that was used much more before good water soluble fertilizers with micronutrients became so readily available. It is a valid choice, but what are you using now that you don't think is good enough?

[Orchid126]

Fish emulsion, being an animal product, appears to be caustic to orchid roots. Liquid seaweed, on the other hand, being a vegetable product, appears to stimulate orchid roots. Seaweed can grow as much as a foot a day.

You might try liquid seaweed and Superthrive or Dyna-Grow KLN to encourage roots.

Do get another Sugar Baby to enjoy while your little plantlets struggle to grow.

[Junebug]

Fish emulsion, being an animal product, appears to be caustic to orchid roots.

I disagree with this statement. Fish emulsion is a great fertilizer for many plants, including orchids. I've used the stuff for years and it's great.

[PaphMadMan]

Yeah, fish emulsion is perfectly good fertilizer for almost any use, at an appropriate level of course. It certainly isn't caustic. In fact it is quite acidic as are many fertilizers, which is chemically the opposite of caustic. Being an animal product is irrelevant.