Brown pseudobulbs on Cyrtochilum meirax

[Octopus]

Hello everyone,
5 weeks ago I got this Cyrtochilum meirax for my birthday and since 3 weeks it gets brown pseudobulbs. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with it?

The first one looked very ‘dead’ so I removed it. I realised that it was a completely independent plant with roots that had obviously died.
Now the next pseudobulb has turned brown, I have carefully cut it off and disinfected it with cinnamon, but I am afraid that the ‘disease’ (?) will spread further.

Care: The plant is dipped once a week and sprayed twice a day. It is in a north-east facing window.

Does anyone know whether it is a disease / infection / ... and how I can save the plant? Unfortunately, it's my first ‘demanding’ orchid and I don't know if I'm making a mistake.

Best regards
Laura

[estación seca]

What are your growing conditions? Temperatures day/night, relative humidity, Does it get only natural light?

[Octopus]

Unfortunately, our flat only has around 40% humidity. I hoped to be able to compensate for this with regular spraying.
It's about 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. It only gets daylight, but it's quite a bright room.

[estación seca]

The spraying doesn't help with humidity, since it is dissipated within a few minutes. Did it arrive in a pot, or bare-root? The main part of the plant is above the medium in the current pot. The old roots don't look good, but the newer roots are good. Has it grown any new roots since you've had it?

[Octopus]

I'm not sure whether new roots have been added. But yes, many roots and bulbs still look very good. I'm also unsure if some roots are rotten because they got too much or too little water..

The plant arrived in the small pot, the substrate looked like this about 2 weeks ago. Do you think it makes sense to repot it and put it in a small terrarium or glass container to maintain the humidity?

[estación seca]

Before you repot - what did you do with the plant after it arrived? It looks like you repotted, with most of the good roots outside the medium. But I may be mistaken. If you repotted, did you remove any of the old medium?

[Octopus]

No, I didn't repot them. I only took it out for the photo because I asked the plant dealer for help 😊 Only a little of the medium fell out. As far as I remember, there were already so many roots hanging out of the pot when I got it.

[estación seca]

I don't think it's a humidity issue.

The medium looks like sphagnum moss. Perhaps it isn't. In any event, roots of epiphytic orchids must stay well aerated or they die. Orchids in sphagnum moss or relatively dense and fine media generally shouldn't be watered so the medium becomes and stays completely saturated. That obliterates the air spaces and may suffocate roots. An exception is plants growing rapidly during their growing season, plants that are taking up lots of water. During periods of less growth it is best to water briefly the top of the moss - only provide water for 1-2 seconds. The water will diffuse through the moss, leaving it moist but still with lots of air.

I suspect (but am not certain) the older roots have suffocated. The newer roots are still alive, but not in the medium. I generally don't advise people to remove all the old moss, but in this case I would suggest using a cake testing pin, chopstick or toothpick to gently tease out old medium. Don't cut off any roots. There may still be living roots in there, and you don't want to disturb them. Dead roots may fall off.

Then repot the plant to the medium of your choice, gently putting the new roots into the medium at the edge of the pot. A way to do this is to hold the plant in the empty pot. The roots will expand towards the walls of the pot. Then backfill.

Cyrtochilums aren't supposed to be any more difficult to grow than other members of the Onicidium tribe, if their temperature requirements can be met. This one tolerates more warmth than most, and should be fine in your temperatures.

I would water so the new medium doesn't stay completely wet for long, but never dries completely. When days lengthen it should start growing. It won't need fertilizer until it begins growing. You might find benefit in using Kelpak, a root stimulant. Others here from Europe can tell you where to find it.

[Octopus]

Thank you very much!

You are right, the roots which were in the medium don't look very healthy. I will go to a good garden centre and buy a more air-permeable substrate. Kelpak seems like a good idea to me.
Hope it recovers soon 😊