Need Help with Cyrtopodium punctatum

[marie458]

Back in July 2021, I got a 3-in Cyrtopodium punctatum from SVO. It had two back bulbs and a new growth. The new growth is now 9-10 inches tall (measured up to the top of the leaves). It seemed to be growing pretty well in a terrestrial mix of peat and sand -- getting lots of light, heat and humidity as well.

Recently, however, I noticed a small new growth popping up. I wasn't sure if this young orchid normally puts out new growths like that so I was concerned. The base of the bulb was discolored through the leaves which concerned me even more. Upon pulling back some leaves, I saw what appears to be rotting. That portion of the bulb is slightly mushy.

It also appears to me that this little new growth has sprouted from the rotting bulb, not one of the others. If that's the case, is there a way to stop (or at least slow down) the deterioration of the mother bulb? Has anyone else experienced this issue with punctatum?

Any and all wisdom on how to handle this situation will be greatly appreciated!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Cyrtopodium grow better with less water. You'd be surprised how little you can get away with watering them.

They're also seasonal growers. They tend to grow the most during mid-spring to summer. These orchids slow down their growing in fall and go dormant in winter.

I grow mine with large grade bark and nothing else.

That rot is not a problem. Grow your plant drier and it will recover. These guys are very resilient.

They can handle 55 F - 95 F.

Provide relative humidity of: 60% - 80%

Grow under bright indirect light.

Water when dry.

[DirtyCoconuts]

for this and other florida natives...i strive to remember that they have a better chance if i literally threw it randomly into my back yard than if i tried to make it grow any other way.

if i were you i would put that on the edge of the shade area of a big tree and not touch it again except occasionally to spray with kelpmax/plant juice monthly

[marie458]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Cyrtopodium grow better with less water. You'd be surprised how little you can get away with watering them.

They're also seasonal growers. They tend to grow the most during mid-spring to summer. These orchids slow down their growing in fall and go dormant in winter.

I grow mine with large grade bark and nothing else.

That rot is not a problem. Grow your plant drier and it will recover. These guys are very resilient.

They can handle 55 F - 95 F.

Provide relative humidity of: 60% - 80%

Grow under bright indirect light.

Water when dry.

Thank you so much for your response, Philip! I now clearly understand what I need to do to help my punctatum.

Given how this orchid grows in the wild here in Florida, I realize now that I was watering too much and not allowing good drainage or sufficient air circulation around the roots. I've already modified its growing medium and will begin to grow it much drier.

I'm so relieved, too, to know that I can prevent the rot from developing into a major issue. If you don't mind, I would like to keep you updated on our progress

---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

for this and other florida natives...i strive to remember that they have a better chance if i literally threw it randomly into my back yard than if i tried to make it grow any other way.

if i were you i would put that on the edge of the shade area of a big tree and not touch it again except occasionally to spray with kelpmax/plant juice monthly

Now that's a mindset I haven't considered before Have you actually done that with a crytopodium?

[DirtyCoconuts]

not a crytopodium but yes to several enc tampensis and they do quite well

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Cyrtopodium grow better with less water. You'd be surprised how little you can get away with watering them.

Errrr, that is not my experience at all. I dump water on mine every single day (as they often receive in nature during the rainy season) and they are gigantic. This is true for the roughly 10 species I've grown, including punctatum. They are VERY thirsty / hungry feeders when in active growth.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

They can handle 55 F - 95 F.

You can bump that high temp up by another 10 - 15 degrees.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Grow under bright indirect light.

Full sun is best for most species, with only a few growing better with some shade. In-situ photos show most species (including punctatum) growing vigorously in full sun. I grow mine in the scorching Texas sun with shade kicking in around 330pm or so.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Water when dry.

Mine are never totally dry during growing season.

---------- Post added at 11:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------

Originally Posted by marie458

Back in July 2021, I got a 3-in Cyrtopodium punctatum from SVO. It had two back bulbs and a new growth. The new growth is now 9-10 inches tall (measured up to the top of the leaves). It seemed to be growing pretty well in a terrestrial mix of peat and sand -- getting lots of light, heat and humidity as well.

Recently, however, I noticed a small new growth popping up. I wasn't sure if this young orchid normally puts out new growths like that so I was concerned. The base of the bulb was discolored through the leaves which concerned me even more. Upon pulling back some leaves, I saw what appears to be rotting. That portion of the bulb is slightly mushy.

It also appears to me that this little new growth has sprouted from the rotting bulb, not one of the others. If that's the case, is there a way to stop (or at least slow down) the deterioration of the mother bulb? Has anyone else experienced this issue with punctatum?

Any and all wisdom on how to handle this situation will be greatly appreciated!

How tall is the pot and what is it made of (i.e., clay, glazed clay, plastic)? What is your watering schedule like? Is it possible to gently wiggle this one out of the pot and see what is happening down below or have the roots cemented themselves to the pot?

[marie458]

Originally Posted by isurus79

How tall is the pot and what is it made of (i.e., clay, glazed clay, plastic)? What is your watering schedule like? Is it possible to gently wiggle this one out of the pot and see what is happening down below or have the roots cemented themselves to the pot?

Hey, Stephen The orchid is in an unglazed, 4in-tall clay pot. The roots haven't attached to the pot. So, I was able to wiggle it out for a look (see attached photos). This is my first go-round with Crytopodiums so I'm thinking the roots look alright?

Our highs have been between 88-95 degrees (feels-like temps around 100 on average) each day now for several weeks. So, I have been watering everyone (including this punctatum) every day in the evenings. I did move the plant into a bark mix but, with the temps so high, I didn't feel comfortable not watering it daily for now. Our humidity continues to be pretty high in the early morning hours, too.

As you can see, the suspect bulb has lost its leaves and continues to decline. The new growth is getting taller each day. Is the new growth using up that bulb's nutrients and that's why the bulb is declining further?

[estación seca]

I would not unpot an actively growing Cyrtopodium, nor any of their relatives in Catasetinae, for any reason. The newer roots are too easy to damage. I hope your plant doesn't mind too much.

I have a seedling punctatum. The first two years I kept it against the window in my humid sunroom. This year I put it outside on my patio where it got 3-4 hours of morning sun, and 3-4 hours of afternoon sun. I needed to move it inside when our temperatures reached the 115+ range F / 47C because some leaf edges on the new growth burned. Had the humidity not been under 10% I think it would have been fine. I keep it wet, in a soggy mix of bark, potting soil and pumice, with a water reservoir below in the pot. I keep it completely dry all winter.

It has made progressively larger growths each of the three summers I've had it, but my perception is it's grown slowly. I'm going to greatly increase my fertilization and see what happens. Also, our monsoon has arrived, so humidity will be in the teens to 45%. I'm moving it back outside, and will ease it into more sun.

Edit: I haven't seen this in Florida, but I did see many dormant, leafless Cyrtopodiums that might have been this, near Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahía, Brasíl. Pseudobulbs were a half to one meter tall. Dry leaf bases form formidable spines. It was winter and it had obviously not rained for a long time. Daytime temperatures were around 85-90 F / 30-34C, with cooler nights. Locals told me summer temperatures regularly exceeded 40C / 104 F, day and night, with high humidity and rain almost every day. Humidity in winter was very low and the sky cloudless. The plants grew among large rocks beside dry stream beds, fully exposed to sun. In summer their roots would have been partially to fully submerged most of the time. Grass would have partially shaded the pseudobulbs, but not the emergent leaves. Alongside grew a large, undescribed Encholirion bromeliad.

Florida plants occasionally experience temperatures down to freezing. I'm going to leave mine outside this winter in the sun, only bringing it in on nights when frost threatens.

Further edit: Mine came in a 2" pot from Hausermann. They've offered them 3 or 4 times in the last 7-10 years.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by marie458

Hey, Stephen The orchid is in an unglazed, 4in-tall clay pot. The roots haven't attached to the pot. So, I was able to wiggle it out for a look (see attached photos). This is my first go-round with Crytopodiums so I'm thinking the roots look alright?

Our highs have been between 88-95 degrees (feels-like temps around 100 on average) each day now for several weeks. So, I have been watering everyone (including this punctatum) every day in the evenings. I did move the plant into a bark mix but, with the temps so high, I didn't feel comfortable not watering it daily for now. Our humidity continues to be pretty high in the early morning hours, too.

As you can see, the suspect bulb has lost its leaves and continues to decline. The new growth is getting taller each day. Is the new growth using up that bulb's nutrients and that's why the bulb is declining further?

It does look like some type of rot. I think with your Florida humidity, keeping this one in a pot with bark is a good idea. This species grows epiphytically in Florida and terrestrially in other places, so it's pretty adaptable to different media types.

I'm on the fence about cutting off the rotten bulb, though I think that's the course of action I'd take to save the plant. Hopefully it puts out another new growth (or two) soon.

[marie458]

Thank you, Everyone, for your knowledgeable input. I truly appreciate the information, observations and various perspectives on best practices. I will update you all on my progress with this orchid.