what is this and what do i do with it??????

[xxkarliexx]

so i dug this out of one of the "assumed dead" orchid pots in my boyfriend's mom's backyard, the green part is still very firm (they've been out there for a LONG time) the roots are kinda fallin apart obviously, but what does it look like and what should i do with them to keep them alive until they grow new roots?? i was thinking dendrobium maybe??

[Bud]

It is a Dendrobium phal type.
wash the roots very well and spray it with hydrogen peroxide or brown listerine to rule out fungi infestation
pot it in a coarse bark mix and put it in a bright shaded area outdoors
two weeks before frost get it indoors in a bright window preferrably southfacing
water it if the media is dry

[xxkarliexx]

all those roots are pretty mushy. they can still be potted though?

[Bud]

remove the mushy roots and retain only the green firm ones, then pot it.... if there are no healthy living roots then just put it in a windowsill bareroot until you grow new roots .... spray it in the morning to moisten it....

[james mickelso]

just an idea if you haven't already potted it. this has worked a few times for me. it helps with older mostly dead pbulbds. wrap the bottom part where there are supposed to be roots with spagnum moss. i water this by dipping it in my bucket of water. i keep it moist. these are a month apart.

[sunset360]

james - do you keep the bundle laying out in open air? or, do you baggie the bottom? great idea by the way...

[james mickelso]

This was a leafless three old pbulb back division that I cut off of a General Patton cattleya in the fall. I saw a very shrunken bud on one of the bulbs and so thought what the hay. I wrapped the group in spagnum moss and kept it wet by dipping the entire group and hang it on one of the shelves. One of the pbulbs rotted so I cut it off which left these two. In Feb this year out popped a bud. Then a month later a root came out. Now two long roots are out. Here is the first pic from feb or early march. The experiment was to see if just wrapping it in something that would keep the pbulb base wet would it stay humid enough to get the bud growing. It worked. And I've done it a few times. Some with rooting hormone and some without. I am interested in some of the gel type rooting paste. I have a couple other candidates. I just do this stuff for fun. It will be a couple years until any of these expeiments yield any flowers. I have the room here in the backyard to do this type experiments. I just like messing around to see what I can save. I also lose a few. Well, more than a few. But it's what I do. I encourage everyone to experiment a little to see what can be done.
PS- it's aug now and I thought I would post another pic of how this experiment is coming along.

[xxkarliexx]

awesome! thank you.
now if the bottom section of one of the canes is a little browner and slightly mushy but the top of it is green and firm, should i cut it off?

[Bud]

yup cut off the mushy parts...they will continue to invade the firm green ones....the firm green part will still live if you wash it well let it dry for a day then start the long wait for roots and leaf buds to show up

[violetta]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

just an idea if you haven't already potted it. this has worked a few times for me. it helps with older mostly dead pbulbds. wrap the bottom part where there are supposed to be roots with spagnum moss. i water this by dipping it in my bucket of water. i keep it moist. these are a month apart.

Thanks for the idea. I have a couple of den keikis with very small roots that can't survive on their own. Currently they are in water and new growth is starting to show, but still no roots. I'll try what you did before they rot.