Help, my Zygo is rotting

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I think they should be grown much drier than you have been growing them already. I mean completely dry them out for 2 weeks. Absolutely no water - period, for just 2 measly weeks.

During the winters, they grow significantly drier without much negative impact at all.

The Zygopetalinae I currently have do not have pseudobulbs, or have insignificantly tiny pseudobulbs hidden within the crown of the leaves, and they are completely fine being grown as dry as they are during the winter dry season. I often don't even bother watering them for 1 to 2 weeks at a time.

In the wild, it still rains during the winter, but much, much less.

You can afford to let the Zygo, (which has gigantic pseudobulbs compared to the insignificantly tiny to non-existent pseudobulbs on my Zygopetalinae), dry out completely between waterings during this time with no ill effects.

[Brenda Aarts]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Zygos are extremely resilient..

Not sure on this, I've killed 4 out of 4 and given up, so don't feel too badly Camille! Good luck with the rescue.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

They are resilient, not bulletproof.

You gotta catch the mistakes early enough and adjust them properly.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

This might be worth a try since so many people are having a difficult time with Zygopetalums.

I swear Zygos were never this difficult for me to grow. Whether they were grown indoors or outdoors.

1.) For all of you guys who are growing these in moss and bombing, try growing in bark instead.

2.) Give it a drier winter. Still give it water, but much less. Once a week or once every 2 weeks is good enough. It doesn't need any more water than this during the winter.

Those are the only things I can think of if the temperatures are in the intermediate range, the air circulation is moderate to good, and the humidity is moderate to high, and they're being grown in bright shade to moderate indirect bright light (as per Oncs).

Honestly, 50% humidity is pretty adequate. They'll bloom, grow and multiply just fine in that humidity.

[RosieC]

Those pictures look so like mine was Your description of healthy looking growths just pulling out from the center is the same as well.

Mine is actually loving S/H strangly. Of couse it had to grow all new roots for that but as it had none any way that was not such a problem.

I agree with the others about removing all the rotting growth and putting cinnamon on the roots.

Doing that on mine left it as a p-bulb with no roots, no growths, no sign of active eyes. Optimistically I stood it up in the top of a pot of bark and was amazed when just as I was about to throw it out months later I saw a new growth.

Philip advised me to put it in a smaller pot and that's when I decided (although it was not quite what he had advised) putting it in tiny tiny S/H pot. It's grown some lovely roots down into the lecca and while the growth is small it good going from something I thought was dead. Hoping for good new growth this year.

Anyway, if yours still has good roots I think it's likely to fare better than mine. Hope you manage to save it.

[RosieC]

Carl, I find what you say really interesting. Basically that these guys are sensetive to change and the rot can set in while it's stressed.

That makes sence to me, as mine is now doing well in a very wet enviroment of S/H. I had worried about it rotting when the damp lecca had sat slightly high on the new growth, but it didn't. I'm guessing that while my plant is still pretty small it's less stressed as it's been in the same place for perhaps a year now.

[camille1585]

Rosie, yours sounds like it was far worse off than mine, so maybe there is hope for my poor Zygo. Like I said, the root system is beyond excellent (I took a pic before repotting I'll post it when I get home to show you), so even if it were to lose the other new growth it would hopefully have the strength to start growing again from dormant eyes on the bulbs.

As soon a I leave work this afternoon I'm running to the drugstore for some hydrogen peroxide. But I didn't stay very sad about my Zygo for long, this morning while watering I noticed a beautiful 2cm spike on my Phal parishii, hiding under the leaves. I remounted it 3 weeks ago, and there was no sign of a spike then. First rebloom since buying it almost 2 years ago

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by camille1585

while watering I noticed a beautiful 2cm spike on my Phal parishii, hiding under the leaves. I remounted it 3 weeks ago, and there was no sign of a spike then. First rebloom since buying it almost 2 years ago

[Paul Mc]

Interesting. I have a Zygo (as of late last year) and I immediatley repotted it in bark (unsoaked). I keep it near the faucet in the kitchen so I can monitor it. As the bark was unsoaked, and I only water by pouring a little bit of water in at a time then I probably accidentally gave it the dry/watering spell it was looking for.

That is good information to know however that here in the near future I should start getting it more moist by a heavier watering.

As a side note, my new growth already has some accordian leaves on it, which of course has been telling me to increase the water supply now.

[nutgirl]

My attempt with Zygo 'mackayii' resulted in horrible black spots and rotted psuedobulbs and roots and most of the leaves fell off.

I have successfully regrown the roots using the water culture technique.
It responded immediately to the water. I suspended it in a jar so that just the bottom of the lowest 'bulb' touched the water.

There is a new growth and I'm now ready to repot.

I like Rosie's comment about the very small S/H pot. I think I'll try that.

Thank you, Philip, for your comments, too. It gave me a better view of the whole picture.

Hope yours survives, Camille.

Maureen