I'd leave it together... there's the possibility that the infection could spread which would suggest cutting, but on the other hand you'd then get really weak pieces.. that otherwise may be able to draw energy and moisture out of the bad areas to grow some roots. I'd lean toward the second scenario (also make it easier to stabilize) but it's a risk either way. Flip a coin?

Definitely get the KelpMax. That stuff is magic, and I don't even believe in magic. Not only is it good for reviving sick plants, but a once monthly application to all of your plants will make them more vigorous, robust, and with larger and healthier root systems. I don't normally endorse specific products on here, because I haven't seen any definite results from anything else I've used that I can attribute to that product. but the improvement in my plants once I started using KelpMax was dramatic and undeniable.

Thank you. I had intended to leave it alone, but when I got home last night and completed the twice-caily inspection, almost the entire cane was squishy.. so I cut it. Let it dry overnight and sprayed with physan 20. Not sure that's going to do anything, but at this point, even with the root growth, I suspect this plant is a goner. I'm going to hang in there long as I can, learning experience :)

I see a bit of new lead started. Were it mine, I'd leave it alone (not cut for now) and just keep doing what you're doing. The more you fiddle with it, the more it gets stressed, and you certainly don't want to jostle it around and get a root tip that's just started going scarred up. Your target now is to keep it warm, stable, and growing. Did you go ahead and put it on a seedling mat?

That's a pretty darned good save so far!

Update: all the canes except the short one dried up and yellow/browned. The shortest one remained green and plump, and through the humung-orchiata, I could see new roots developing.

Then saturday I noticed the last green one began to shrivel and yellow. Watering whenever orchiata dried out, every 2-3 days. When watering, I would pour a lot of water through only around the base (not the entire pot) with my fancy pants super precise coffee kettle, to soak the wood.

I just took it out to inspect (easy to do without damaging the roots) and something told me to soak it. So I did, and the smallest cane looks like it gained a little green back. You can see a lot of roots in the closeup, but, they don't appear to have grown much in the last month. They are a pale, light brown almost off white when dry.

Toss it or keep going? Roots still look healthy? I now have better, smaller bark mix, maybe transfer to it now, will be more appropriate I think.

The main thing is probably that the rhizome needs to have at least 1 or some regions where it can develop eyes for growing new shoots (new growths).

I don't know how it all works, or whether a rhizome (if given enough time) can actually generate 'eyes'.

But if there is any hope, then intensive care unit is probably needed ----- which is based on that sphag and bag technique. Or putting the orchid into a glass case with maybe some small fan for air-movement, with the plant not touching damp sphagnum moss. This is to keep the humidity up, and the some air-movement to maybe cut down on fungal/bacterial activity. And put in a medium light growing area, with some warmth.

You could just put it a plastic bag and see what, if anything, it will do. For sure, messing with it will not help it. There's not enough root to hold it stable in a potting mix. I'm with SP on spag and bag ... and go light on the spag. If it's going to root and grow it will, otherwise don't waste good bark on it at this stage.

Got it! Except, this'll be coir and reconnoitre. ;D

Minority vote here... were it mine I'd pitch it. It's gone downhill from where it was mid-February. Unless you just want to mess with it for some purpose.

Somethings we just have to learn for ourselves.

Besides, check out all the experience I've gotten thanks to everyone's help, so, next time, I'll not only be better prepared, but can even try to help others provided it doesn't turn into a stolen cookie situation :biggrin: