Help!!! Pseudobulbs shrivelling

[thezeeester]

Thanks again I love all the info. I took a pic of the roots I just watered again this morning lol.

[rbarata]

Ok, when you have the photo, please post it.
In the meanwhile, stop watering so much. Once a week is enough.

[thezeeester]

Hi Rbarata just changed the pic above to the root pic please advise. Thanks a mill

[rbarata]

They look a litle bit too brown, in my oppinion.
When you repoted, did you removed those soft roots you've mentioned before?

[bil]

Those are old roots, after flowering is over and done with that's when I expect to see new root growth.

[rbarata]

What I would do is:

- IMPORTANT: Reduce watering to once per week (no soaking).

- Keep an eye on the leaves (wrinkled or curled leaves are symptoms of lack of water).

- Look for new roots (should be more or less white with green tips). New roots is a good sign, obviousy.

- Look for a reduction of the pseudobulbs wrinkles it's a good sign too.

- And last but not least, see if nothing like this appears.

In the meanwhile, wait for others to give their oppinion. Most of them know much more than I do.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! We're glad you joined us.

There's only one photo there, of roots. The roots don't look all dead to me. If they're not mushy there are likely some left alive. I would not take it out of the pot now.

Is this a plant in the Oncidium alliance? Most of these plants develop wrinkles in the older pseudobulbs with time, but the newest ones should be smooth. If they aren't, the plant didn't get enough water. This can be caused by not watering enough, or by not having enough roots to supply the water.

Most orchids are semi-succulents. They don't want their roots staying soggy wet. They grow in trees, where they get rain or dew, then their roots dry out. They might stay a little moist but they don't stay soaked for very long.

Almost no orchids sold at supermarkets, or to people who aren't orchid specialists, need watering every day. Most of us water many of our plants once every 7-14 days when it's in the 70s F / low 20s C.

The natural cycle of most orchids with pseudobulbs is to flower from the most recent vegetative growth. The flowers then die. Some time after this, the plant makes one or more new vegetative growths. Roots usually develop along with the new growth. The plant flowers from the new growth just before or just as it matures. The cycle starts over again. Most orchids with pseudobulbs don't flower from older growths.

Many hybrid orchids make new growths and roots right after flowering, but most species and many other hybrids only grow once a year. These plants also tend only to make new roots once per year.

Roots rarely grow unless there is a new vegetative growth forming. If a plant loses its roots after flowering, it will not normally make more roots until it is ready to produce another vegetative growth. But, this isn't a problem for most orchids, if they are kept in a very humid area, to mimimize water loss from the leaves. A lot of orchids can survive for months without roots, until it is time to grow again. The Catasetum group loses all its leaves, and almost all its roots, every winter. They regrow them each spring.

So, don't worry about root growth right now. Your task is to give your plant good conditions until it begins growing a new vegetative growth, at which time it will also grow new roots. I am sure you will be able to do this without much trouble. There are lots of very expert growers here from NYC who started out as beginners.

Because I think your plant likely has some good roots, I would water it just when all the medium in the pot is dry. Others have suggested you read about using skewers for this purpose, and I agree. In your apartment this is likely to be once every 7-14 days.

Give it a brightly lit spot, but not with a lot of sun shining onto the leaves. I don't think there is much risk of that in the winter in NYC.

Keep the humidity up. 50% should be OK.

I don't fertilize orchids with pseudobulbs unless there is new growth forming, which is rare in the winter. So don't worry about that yet. You can read about it later.

NYC water is excellent for orchids, with low dissolved solids and minerals. In most of the country people are better using collected rain or reverse osmosis water, but you can use tap water without worries.

In the meantime, browse this forum and learn what the different types of orchids look like. If yours doesn't have a name attached, you will never know the exact cultivar, but you will be able to determine which group it belongs to. You may find something similar to yours on the Orchid Board. Once you know the group it belongs to, you can find more detailed care here.

[thezeeester]

Yes did you see the roots.

---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------

Thank you soooo much for such an informative reply. I sincerely appreciate it and thank you most kindly. I am new to Orchids and I really want to succeed lol. I was just worried that the Pseudobulbs are shrivelling so much. I attached a new pic with the 2 that are at their worst. Thank you thank you thank you

---------- Post added at 05:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------

I removed as much as I thought would keep it alive I left some because I was worried I'd kill it

[estación seca]

Now that I see your plants, they both look fine. Water the way people have suggested. When they start growing again, start fertilizing.