Shrivelled psuedobulbs

[thepurpleorange]

Hi I'm a newbie and have a cattleya luddemaniana with very shrunken psuedobulbs. It's growing a new psuedobulb and roots very well, and in all other respects seem healthy.

I read somewhere that once they're shrunken then there's nothing you can do? is this correct? If not, how do I get them to plump back up?

Right now the temp is max 33C and min 28C, the catt is mounted and I water it once a day but I just started watering it twice a day hoping this helps the bulbs to plump!

any suggestions?
thanks!

[ryrycochinco]

It could be underwatering, but you say the plant seems healthy and your watering regulary so it probably dosen't mean anything its just how the plant looks. BTW how long has the plant been like this?

[thepurpleorange]

well I neglected the plant for some time after it was mounted. So it got watered whenever there was an occasional rain. That's when it probably dried out. I honestly cannot remember what it looked like before I mounted it. As of the past 2 months, I've been watering it every day, and as of the past week, I've taken to watering it twice per day.

[WhiteRabbit]

Older pbulbs will shrivel somewhat, but if they are severely shriveled, the plant wasn't getting enough water - either because it was underwatered, or from over-watering causing roots to rot - since yours is mounted, and was neglected, it's probably from underwatering. The shriveled pbulbs won't replump - or at most, only very little. The more severely shriveled they are, the less likely they will plump at all - but they did their job by keeping the plant alive during a period of insufficient water.

[dounoharm]

ditto rabbit....and watering everyday is a must for anything mounted and in bright light....

[thepurpleorange]

thank you! I think the problem was before I mounted it it was indeed in very rotted material, so that must of been it. Because I don't remember them every being nice and plump. There is a new psuedobulb growing and hope to keep that one in better condition!

[keithrs]

Will if the roots are new it takes alot for them to absorb water. You can try soaking the whole plant in a Luke warm water for 10-20 min. You may want to add a small amount for fertilizer to the mix. Bulbs will usually come back if you have good roots and water more then what the plant needs. A couple of soak should do the trick. Try and spread the soaks out over a week or two and make sure you let the root dry out! Might help to water at about 5 or 6 pm and mist in the morning.

[thepurpleorange]

thanks keith, yes most of the roots are new as when I mounted the plant, a lot of the roots had rotted due to rotted potted material.

I tried your soaking suggestion both yesterday and today as it is VERY hot here. I soaked the roots for about 10-15 mins each time.

I took pics to show everyone what the extent of the shrinkage. The pics show the pbulbs, the whole plant, and the roots. Maybe the pics will help... The leaves aren't in the best condition! I mounted this orchid about 6 months ago and the roots are doing much better.

[RosieC]

The roots are looking great, so I think the best thing is increasing the watering.

How were you watering before? It might be that it needs a soak on a regular basis. My mounts get a 10-15min soak 2 days out of 3 and a heavy spray with fertiliser solution on the third day (a heavy enough spray that it's running off all over). They then get a lighter spray in the late afternoon if it's a very hot day.

I think with healthy roots like you have, the answer is more water... though it's likely the existing p-bulbs will never plump up.

[tucker85]

Cattleyas are tough plants and they can survive in difficult environments. The plant does look dehydrated but the best gage for watering is the lead psuedobulb (newest psuedobulb). If those are plump the plant is probably getting enough water. I feel watering well once every morning is appropriate for mounted orchids. Also I fertilize weakly, weekly for mounted orchids. I also use a suppliment called Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed which does a great job stimulating root growth. Good luck.