Gramm. scriptum "Leopard" damage

[CartilageHead]

Hi all,
I recently had a series of minor (major?) accidents involving my Grammatophylum scriptum "leopard", which I've had for a bit over a year. In that time, I've been lucky enough to get it to throw up two fresh flower spikes and four new pseudobulbs (one spike and two bulbs growing from each of the two youngest of five mature/senescent bulbs, basically your standard gram. growth pattern).

However in the last four months, I've lost three of those four new bulbs to accident damage-the first two were lost while moving house when the pot took a fall directly on top of them, snapping them both off at the base. The third was lost a few weeks ago in a similar manner. The pot it was in was knocked over, which appears to have bent/broken the plant somewhere between the base of the new bulb and the roots. Slowly the injury succumbed to rot and eventually I had to pull the dying/dead bulb off, which was fairly easy and soft at that point.

That left me with one young developing bulb (plus the original five, which aside from losing some leaves over the past year, remain plump and vigorous as ever)...at least until this morning, when I accidentally bumped into the pot while it was sitting in my (dry) bathroom sink waiting for an early morning watering. The pot tipped sideways onto the new growth, which now appears to be ever so slightly less firmly attached and rigid than before.

Now, I'll do my best to save this last bulb-no watering for the next week-to-two-weeks, etc...but my main question is this: assuming that this last bulb is also a goner like the other three, is there anything that I can do to get the plant to throw out new ones? Will it rebud now that it's missing the hormone signaling of the developing growth?

Is my grammatophylum done for at this point? Is it going to keep on senescing and eventually die of old age without the young bulbs? Will it survive to throw out fresh new growth in the summer? Will the older bulbs try to flower again, and should that be prevented/encouraged?

Any help would be encouraged. I really love this plant and I paid a pretty penny for it back when I purchased it. Aside from the physical injuries it's been treated very well and it's treated me well in turn. I'd hate to lose it and have to hunt down another specimen. I'll post pictures later in the day.

[dbarron]

I think you should reconsider your potting, because obviously it's too ready to topple over. Think either mounting, basket, or something heavier?
Either that or keep it safely behind glass where you can not accidentally knock it over. It seems you have it in for this plant

[estación seca]

Keep watering. The plant will eventually make more growths.

[CartilageHead]

Originally Posted by dbarron

I think you should reconsider your potting, because obviously it's too ready to topple over. Think either mounting, basket, or something heavier?
Either that or keep it safely behind glass where you can not accidentally knock it over. It seems you have it in for this plant

Yep, you got me there. It's positively bursting out of its 6" plant store pot right now. I've had a 10" pond basket ready to go for a few months now, but with the move and the season change (I'm in New England) I "never found the time".

Aside from the extra space the pond basket's wide square base should be much more stable and resist toppling over as much. Somewhere between April and June the plant just got way too top-heavy!

Originally Posted by estación seca

Keep wstering. The plant will eventually make more growths.

THIS is what I wanted to hear!

[estación seca]

Oh, and Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I suggest you use low, wide plastic pot without wall holes, and set it inside a heavier pot, taking care it doesn't stand in water. Pots with these dimensions are known as "azalea pots" and are available in various sizes.

High water use plants like this will suck dry almost any pot quickly during warm weather. Side holes provide more evaporation that really isn't needed. With side holes many roots will be lost at the next repotting.

[CartilageHead]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Keep watering. The plant will eventually make more growths.

Originally Posted by estación seca

Oh, and Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I suggest you use low, wide plastic pot without wall holes, and set it inside a heavier pot, taking care it doesn't stand in water. Pots with these dimensions are known as "azalea pots" and are available in various sizes.

High water use plants like this will suck dry almost any pot quickly during warm weather. Side holes provide more evaporation that really isn't needed. With side holes many roots will be lost at the next repotting.

Thanks for the advice. Then I'll save the pond basket for one of my biggest phals, or to repot a prebonsai, or maybe save it to use for its intended purpose come spring once my dad's pond thaws out.

I think I've got some appropriately-sized azalea-style plastic pots kicking around....