How to keep pseudobulbs plump

[plumania]

I am always amazed how people have orchids with shiny , plump pseudobulbs. I have Cattleyas and Encyclias in pots/baskets and couple of Dendrobiums . I mist whole plant with top of media 3-4 days a week and water them deeply at least once a week. May do an additional watering but the water just runs through the media.
I am afraid to water too much because these do not need too much watering. I spray mounted dendrobium daily and that one is fine. I am also starting with mounted ones but in order to keep pbulbs from shriveling,they need to be misted/watered more frequently which will be a problem during my 2 week long summer vacations.
I bought all these plants like this with wrinkled pseudobulbs but want to learn how to keep new growths plump without rotting the roots.
I would love to learn from all of you.
Thanks in advance.

[Silje]

I'm going to follow this thread with interest and hope you get some good advice here. I'm at a complete loss myself. I'm totally amazed of how great other people's plants look.

[tucker85]

Shriveled pseudobulbs are often the result of losing roots on older back bulbs due to root rot. On these plants often the newer pseudobulbs will have good roots and will be plump. Orchids in pots can lose roots when the media is too wet for too long for a few cycles. Orchids on mounts and in open baskets seldom have shriveled pseudobulbs if they've been cared for properly because the wet/dry cycle is a matter of hours and the roots seldom rot. The pseudobulbs on mounted orchids can have healthy roots that are many years old. Of course we grow in pots because it's convenient. They don't need to be watered as often and they're easier to display when they're in pots. To minimize the chances of old roots dying you can do some of the following.

Choose pots with lots of holes to allow good drainage and to get some air to the roots.

Use small pots with just enough room for a couple new growths.

Use a chunky orchid mix that maximizes the air flow to the roots.

Make sure the media dries completely between waterings.

Decrease watering significantly in the winter when the plants aren't growing much.

Some growers occasionally water with Physan 20 to control bacteria and fungus.

Remember that maintaining the proper environment in the root zone is the goal. Because these plants are epiphytes it's just as important to assure air to the roots as water. I know some people have accomplished this with S/H but it didn't work for me. Good luck.

[plumania]

My mix is fairly chunky and I am pretty sure I do not over water or water before drying out the mix. I agree that baskets provide better airflow. I think baskets also use less potting mix.

1.Would you advise transferring them all to baskets?
2.I bought couple of plants from a nursery recently and they have 2 inch pot sitting in 4 inch basket.
I wonder if I can do the same or just break my clay pots a bit to allow air to get to the mix and put the whole thing in basket ,so the root disturbance will be minimum.
3.Can I leave baskets out even in the rainy season since they do not retain water?
4.And finally, can someone show how the basket is prepared for Cattleyas and Encyclias? What I know is that I should line the basket with a mesh like material to prevent medium from falling out. Put the orchid in and fill rest of area with the mix.No moss or anything else. Right?



Editing to add- Just checked roots of some cattleyas- couple of plants had bad roots (Thanks Tucker for pointing this out)and one had mostly healthy ones. So I cleaned them up and repotted in the wooden baskets this time. Lined the baskets with big pieces of lava rock. Stuffed smaller pieces around the plants and added just a wee bit of regular chunky mix. Plants came out of pots easily . I even potted newly aquired Dendrobium aggregatum into small basket so I would not have issues later. I guess it is just too humid here and clay pots were holding too much moisture.
I am no longer expecting blooms on anything this winter. But I hope they grow and bloom next season.

On the positive side, I can hang these plants in brighter light now that they are in baskets.I liked look of baskets better than pots too.