Zygopetalum Bright Imagination - New Growth

[snowflake311]

Oh no what was it potted in? And any idea how long it was in that mix?

[My Green Pets]

Ahem. So here we are a year later. The plant has been through a lot. The growth that started this thread dried up. The plant was leafless and rootless. The plant was unpotted, divided, and four backbulbs were given the spag and bag treatment. They sprouted a new growth in early spring which matured over the summer. Then another growth emerged, which you will see below in the picture. It appears to be producing a spike



I just can't believe it. Finally!

[estación seca]

CambriaWhat - Orchid Intensivist

[My Green Pets]

I learned a new word!

"An intensivist is a physician (M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit (ICU)." Wikipedia

Sometimes you just lose a patient...it's their time and there's no stopping the inevitable. But if it can be helped, by golly, I'm gonna try to save it!

[silken]

That's a great recovery. I love these but have struggled with them. My new growths and old seem to die off prematurely. Is it now potted in moss?

[My Green Pets]

Top layer moss, middle layer medium grade bark, bottom layer large grade red lava rock in a clear plastic pot so I could monitor those roots. Did not want them rotting again.

[lotis146]

Well done! I've had good and bad luck with Zygos at this point, well at least since you last posted about yours. Could you remind me, did you know the condition of the roots prior to your unpotting and discovering no roots? I started experimenting with peat moss this summer. I think it's a good media but only mixed with more coarse materials, at least more than the bits I put in. What confuses me is that while I've lost - and am losing - leaves on my Zygos since coming inside three of them also grew spikes and are now in bud...well wait, only two of those are in peat moss. The third is a Bollopetalum still in the chunky coir/bark/perlite mix it came in. I got it in bloom, it grew three new growths but only one of them rebloomed, two spikes only two buds each...

Forgive my long-winded reply... and I have another question: how often do you water now in this more coarse mix? I was going to repot my peat moss plants cuz one in particular lost all its leaves then it started a new growth which wasted no time starting a spike, only one but five buds.

[My Green Pets]

Originally Posted by lotis146

did you know the condition of the roots prior to your unpotting and discovering no roots?

I did not. I was very surprised to see they had all rotten. I thought I had been doing everything right (or at least not terribly wrong!)

Originally Posted by lotis146

how often do you water now in this more coarse mix?

The top layer of sphagnum stays damp a few days to a week, depending on the temperature. That keeps the next two layers damp as well. Because the moss retains so much water for so long after a thorough soaking, I tend to just mist the surface of the moss to keep it damp, but not wet.

[ThePinkCucumber]

Well done! The zygo psycho in me is already looking forward to bloom pictures!

[My Green Pets]

Progress. Spike is swelling and starting to poke out