Orchid 911--Rootless Zygopetalum!

[Reeses]

I have another post about this poor little guy in the Maxillaria Alliance forum, but I think I need a little more help.
Brief backstory: I got a little over-excited when I discovered semi-hydroponics earlier this year, and when my Zygo. Advance Australia arrived in the mail I just plonked it right in, thinking it would love it since it had been in pure sphag. I didn't check to see if it was actively growing roots. A few months pass, and I noticed it had stalled on its new growths. So I unpotted it and all the roots are grey and squishy! I cut them off, dosed it with K-L-N, put it in sphag with a bit of LECA to help air it out, and set it on my heating mat.

Within the last few days, it has lost several leaves, including the entire second-oldest growth. So I unpotted it today, still no new roots. It's currently soaking in a K-L-N solution and I'm soaking some fresh sphag. If anyone has any tips on what I can do to revive this poor little guy I would so appreciate it! I love this plant and I'm kicking myself for what I did to it. It was in great shape when I got it and it's deteriorated so fast. Please help me to save it!

[Reeses]

Better view of the lack of roots

[lotis146]

I hope someone with more experience chimes in.

Perhaps you should put it in a fine bark, perlite, sphag mix, water regularly (moist but not wet) provide moderate light and don't fertilize until it's got some new roots coming in.

Then leave it alone. It's hard not to fuss with it I know but I'm pretty sure it's best that once you get it potted don't mess with it aside from usual care.

Give it time, patience. Like I said before I have an Oncidium hybrid division whose two pbulbs are extremely thin, it's lost its leaves but it has an active however slow new growth. I wonder if the loss of leaves in both of our plants in due to the plant not being able to support them and trying to spend the energy elsewhere.

Have you looked into sphag & bag?

[Cym Ladye]

I agree with the advice of Lotis146 but would add one more step. If you haven't already, remove the one leaf from the oldest bulb. This will allow that bulb to devote what strength it has left to the newer bulb and "inspire" it to send out a new growth from which roots will come. If both bulbs loose their leaves, then just wait until you get a new growth. P A T I E N C E!

Zygos are almost as easy to grow as Cyms and I treat mine the same way. As long as you have a couple of hard green bulbs, you should be able to get a new growth. I doubt you will get new roots off the existing bulbs so it is important to initiate a new growth.

[Reeses]

Thank you guys! I have a small new growth--you can just see it on the left in the pictures. I was just really concerned when it started dropping leaves. I haven't been able to find a replacement for it online, so I really want to nurse it back to health.

I am so glad to hear that all hope is not lost! It's currently sitting in fresh sphag, with some LECA at the bottom of the pot since the pot was too big. Patience is going to be the hard part haha.
Thanks!

[Bud]

the old roots go dead on S/H method and the new roots come out really hardy and even go down to the water level ....you must spray the roots on early days of S/H because sometimes the surface clay pellets dry out sooner than the middle part.
since you have new root growth ....it means your plant is still alive.....continue the culture and GL!

[Reeses]

Thanks, Bud! I actually took it out of S/H for now and have it in pure sphag to try to get the roots going again. I might try it again at some other point. I'm experimenting with a phal and a paph in it right now. Maybe if they do well, I'll try it again! Right now I just want it to recover

[No-Pro-mwa]

I have a Wilsonara that looked just like this. It had no roots, I took string and wrapped spagh around it and did the bag thing for a while. Then I put spagh in the bottom of the pot to try and keep it more moist and set it right by my kitchen sink so that every morning I could spray it with water.

I wish I would have taken pictures of it before I started this but I really didn't think it was going to make it and I was ashamed of myself. Well it has made it and grew that new growth and is putting out new roots and another new growth. I believe I have saved it. Here is pictures of it now.

[Reeses]

Wow!! That looks great!! Very nice job! I love a success story Hopefully if I can dote on it a bit it might look like this!

P.S. Is that a fruit cup bowl? lol

[No-Pro-mwa]

Sure is. I got cut grapefruit at Sam's club and they are such nice little cups I kept them. They are pretty small so this is the only one I have been able to use yet. I heated a nail and burned the holes in it for air. It is working very well for this one. It is top heavy so I set it in a little clay pot so it is a bit steadier.

I know I love a good success story also. I do wish I would have gotten the before pic's but I really did think it was going to died. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for you because I know yours can come back.