Sick cymbidium - Please help!! - Orchid Board

Ruth · #1 04-06-2008, 02:25 AM

Hi, Everyone,

I am new to this group and I know I will surely get help from a group of nice people. Let me thank you ahead of time.

Something is very wrong with my orchid. Please look at the attached pictures.

Anything I can do? Thank you again.

Ruth

stonedragonfarms · #2 04-06-2008, 10:54 AM

Ruth: aside from the end of your spike blasting, the flowers look as they should. This is how they look when they are just opening--I assume that you bought your Cymbid. in spike (the buds were swelled, but not yet open?) Depending on the night temps where you are growing, I would expect your buds to be fully open in 48-72 hrs (unless you are growing with nights below 48F, in which case it will take about 7-10 days) All is not lost, remember to give your plant water and keep it out of direct light.
Let us know if we can help further, Good Growing,
Adam

camille1585 · #3 04-06-2008, 12:25 PM

At first I thought they were blasting as well, but it seems like (when you look closely) the spike itself is rotting. I was under the impression that bud blast just made the buds fall off, not wilt the spike! So I think there is some issue with a disease going on here.

stonedragonfarms · #4 04-06-2008, 05:46 PM

Camille...it almost looks to me like the end of the spike has been bruised, I have had this happen in cymbids if you hit the end of the spike on something--the end buds will swell a bit, then the end of the spike will slowly turn brown from the tip to the point where it was hit. Any buds that occur in this area will begin to open, then shift to a yellow/brown color and turn mushy. I think that may be what is ahppening in Ruth's case. I'm not sure that there is any one "thing" that bud blast is, I have always thought of it as any negative stimuli that cause buds to senesce; i.e. cold damage, extremes of temp, mildew, etc.
Adam

Ruth · #5 04-07-2008, 04:58 AM

Thank Adam and Camille for your response.

I have had this Cymbid for almost 10 years. I repotted it 2-3 times and it is about time to repot them again after the flowering...

I feel very sorry to see some flower spikes are rotten, esp toward the end of some spikes that are so rotten that the flower buds eventually dropped. I am afriad it is some kind of disease that can pass to other orchids... or it is the result of insects attack and I need to take some actions....

I would love to get some advice on what to do. This orchid has been very faithful in blooming. I do not want to lose it....

Any thoughts?.... Thank you very much...

Ruth

stonedragonfarms · #6 04-07-2008, 09:57 AM

Ruth: can you post a pic of the entire plant for us?

Ruth · #7 04-08-2008, 02:50 AM

Here you go. Thank you Adam.

Ruth

orchids3 · #8 04-08-2008, 07:43 AM

It looks like heat Blast to me. I would keep the plant between 55 & 70 degrees F and keep plenty of air movement. If you can get that condition outside it would be best but it may not be possible where you live.Unfortunately many cymbidiums are prone to blast in hot conditions. The plant looks OK to me.