Recovering Zygopetalum

[shakkai]

A little while ago, I picked up a Zygo at a local garden centre. I bought it on sale because it had so many new growths showing - 6 already half way matured.

However, when I got it home, I found on repotting it that the roots to the old pseudobulbs were completely rotted. The new growths were (and still are) forming new roots like mad.

However, I am starting to think that this plant has had an overdose of nitrogen or something, as even though the new growths aren't mature yet, the buds for more new shoots are beginning to grow as well. The old pseudobulbs are completely wrinkled - they don't have any live roots to take up moisture, and they seem unable/unwilling to put down any new roots. All root growth is on the maturing pseudobulbs.

I have completely replaced the medium that they were growing in and divided the plant as some of the oldest pseudobulbs were beginning to rot, so I cut them out.

Is there anything else that I could do? Any recommendations?

PS. Though I say I think it might be too much nitrogen given to the plant at some point, it doesn't have any signs of over-fertilization (black leaf tips, etc.) - just hyperactive new grow.

[Ray]

Zygos tend to bloom with new growths, so I would take that as a sign of normalcy. Keep the plant really humid and reasonably shady, and it will put down new roots.

A word about potting them up: keep the rhizome at, not under the surface of the medium, or they can easily rot.

[shakkai]

Hi Ray! Thanks very much! This is my only Zygo, so I guess I just wasn't used to seeing new growths start before the previous ones had matured. One of the maturing growths has two new growth buds swelling and starting to elongate. All of the new growths have roots growing, so I wasn't too worried about those - I just wasn't sure about the old mature pseudobulbs... they didn't look like they wanted to put down new roots.

I've seen the rot!! (The reason I ended up with a split plant was because the pseudobulbs in the middle of the plant had rotted, as well as the roots!) I appreciate the confirmation, though, as this is what my intuition was telling me.

I like seeing the roots - all of my plastic pots are clear and as small as they can be so that I can easily see what's going on. If anything, I probably sit them higher than they need to be - but I want to SEE the roots. I figure in nature, they don't have their roots covered by anything, so as long as they can get enough moisture, I'd rather have the sitting on top of things rather than buried down underneath.