Rotting cymbidium bulb, any hope?

[gmjackson1998]

Hello!

I 'rescued' this cymbidium yesterday from a garden centre. It has obviously been unhappy in its potting medium for a long time and once I began to check the root system, I found only one questionably viable root on the bulb.
I have since separated the bulbs and potted the 'healthy' one.
The sick one may be a lost cause but I'd like the give it a chance, it's currently in water culture after I sprayed the base with HP.
Does anyone have any tips? Is water culture okay?
I have no previous experience with boat orchids, any advice would be much appreciated!!

Thank you, Gabriella.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Separating Cymbidium pseudobulbs is not a good idea. The plant is more likely to survive the more mass it has. And it's better to divide when the plant is just making new growth, not when heading into winter.

A plant with 3 pseudobulbs will almost always grow on. There is still a chance at least one of the separated pieces will grow.

Same with roots. It can be very difficult to tell older living roots from dead ones. I would recommend not cutting off roots and not meticulously removing old medium. Just shake the root mass to remove only what falls off.

I haven't tried water culture with them. I suggest potting the bulbs into pots with an inch of space all the way around. The pot in the photos looks right. Use a mix that is very light and airy. People use combinations of any of bark, potting soil, large perlite or pumice, and LECA. Use whatever is available locally. Don't let them dry out, but don't keep them constantly wet. It may take many months for growth to show.

[gmjackson1998]

Thank you for the response, seems like I might have worsened it's chances of survival then - hopefully it'll pull through !