Are DARK shoots a problem?

[WhiteRabbit]

Also - during winter, the air in your home may be extremely dry from the heater running a lot ...? Combined with fresh bark, which isn't retaining moisture as long as older media, might have been too dry. I use bamboo skewers in all my orchid pots to help determine when to water.

[elitebettas]

I felt compelled to reply.
Firstly, the eyes that you have taken a picture of may or may not be "viable". The covering of the eye is just that, a covering. An eye is like a cone or onion. If the outer part gets water on it, and heated by sunlight, it will dry/burn and turn black. DO NOT REMOVE THE EYE. if you GENTLY scrape it, say with a razor blade you may see green-meaning viable. I have accidentally bumped off eyes and even a little viable stump that's left will most times mature and start to grow. Make sure that when you water the rhizome is also dry, not just leaves-by nightfall.
Some cattleyas eyes will start to grow a very dark maroon. This happens from a variety of reasons. Could me a magnesium deficiency or simply the genetics or too much sun.

[Helen]

All of you have given me some great info and advice. Thanks! The info on the black areas was especially interesting.
I should mention this orchid is Eplc. Mae Bly (Lc. Ann Follis x Enc. Mariae)
This may also help with advice.
I have only been watering every 8 - 10 days. And yes, I do not usually soak my mix, so there is a good possibility it was too dry plus in east sunny window.

[catwalker808]

It looks like those new eyes are dead, especially if they have looked like that for several months and not budged during this warmer growing season. But those eyes are only a symptom. It looks like most of your roots are also dark brown or black & dead. The only live roots I can see are the 2 short (2") roots which have not penetrated the mix.

Dead roots cannot take up moisture & your 2 new roots are too small to sustain any attempted new shoots, especially since you are only watering every 8-10 days. The moisture, or lack thereof, in your pot is not meaningful if your plant itself is not getting any moisture. Think of the dead roots in the pot merely as pieces of string holding down your plant, because they are not providing any nutrients or moisture. Your medium may be moist, but your plant itself is only getting water every 8-10 days from your watering.

I suggest you yank out the plant & check if the roots are alive. Live healthy roots should be firm, flesh & white or very light colored, usually with a green growing tip. Dead roots will be papery, mushy or soggy & the covering will easily strip off, leaving only a tough brown core (like a very thick strand of hair. No green or white flesh).

If your roots are indeed dead, cut them off at the base of the pbulb. Use a clean razor blade or sharp knife. Then place the base of the plant into a well drained pot with enough media to hold a little moisture. With only a little media, water it frequently so that the roots will receive moisture but not become soggy, with only a little media to keep them moist. When your new roots elongate, new shoots should also emerge & you can think about repotting your revitilized orchid.

That's just my opinion.

[CTB]

How is this orchid doing? Thanks

[isurus79]

First time I've seen this post. I would follow Catwalker's advice. The first thing I thought was that the eyes and brown roots look sunburnt to me.

[Helen]

This orchid is still the same. I have this orchid in a clear pot and can see that all the roots in the medium are white and in good shape. It's all the eyes that are worrying me...as you say, they are black and there is no new growth from anywhere. I'm seeing that very slowly some of the newer shoots are getting black sections on them, yet the original shoots are still dark green and are in good shape, just no eyes anywhere! There is a chance that the plant got sunburned several months back as I moved it to a brighter window. My main question now is, should I cut off all of the growth that has any black on them? or is this plant slowly biting the dust? No eyes, no new growth!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Helen

[isurus79]

I would not worry too much about dead eyes. Most likely one of the eyes from the older bulbs will spring to life. You might want to put some live Spanish moss on top of the media to prevent any future burning of the roots and eyes. It would be a cheap and easy way to shade the delicate parts of the plant from the bright sun.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by Helen

This orchid is still the same. I have this orchid in a clear pot and can see that all the roots in the medium are white and in good shape. It's all the eyes that are worrying me...as you say, they are black and there is no new growth from anywhere. I'm seeing that very slowly some of the newer shoots are getting black sections on them, yet the original shoots are still dark green and are in good shape, just no eyes anywhere! There is a chance that the plant got sunburned several months back as I moved it to a brighter window. My main question now is, should I cut off all of the growth that has any black on them? or is this plant slowly biting the dust? No eyes, no new growth!
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Helen

Updated pictures of those new spots would be helpful.

[dounoharm]

have you treated for bacteria and fungus?....