Cattleya with ... virus?

[Erin Raven Skye]

Thanks Gin, that's encouraging. I'm just not sure it'll ever be tempted to bloom now.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Erin Raven Skye

Thanks Gin, that's encouraging. I'm just not sure it'll ever be tempted to bloom now.

Erin, be assured that one day years from now you'll look back and say to yourself "why did I ever worry so much?" The damaged leaves will fall off one day because leaves on backbulbs fall off eventually even if not sunburned. Chances are the pseudobulbs (the stems below the leaves) are still OK and that's where the plant stores water and food - don't cut them off unless they turn brown. Next season (or perhaps later this year) you'll get a new growth and that one will not have marks. Just be patient.

[Erin Raven Skye]

I wasn't too concerned after reading what you said about the older leaves falling off, but some of the newer ones have just fallen off. I took some quick pictures, here's one of the psuedobulbs others are in my gallery. Is it a goner?

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Erin Raven Skye

I wasn't too concerned after reading what you said about the older leaves falling off, but some of the newer ones have just fallen off. I took some quick pictures, here's one of the psuedobulbs others are in my gallery. Is it a goner?

Not a goner yet. Yes if any of those nice plump pseudobulbs got fried too, then they will turn brown and eventually come off. I just took a couple photos of one of mine to show you how resiliant these things can be.

This is a backbulb section of C. intermedia. It is ugly looking and the pseudobulbs are supershrivelled from being in extreme light and lack of water. I cut the runner but left the thing potted up for approx 1 month (maybe 2.) I used the method written up in one of the earlier articles on the forum home page. It looks pretty much gone, even though the leaves are stil (pale) green.

What's not immediately obvious in the first photo is the new growth (complete with emerging root tips) that grew.

My point is, the show isn't over till it's over. In your other images in the gallery I see several positive things about this plant. There's still lots of green. Yes the leaves may drop (hopefull not all of them ) but not all the pseudobulbs are gonners (I think.) I may very well eat my words in the end, but still you have a live (but sick) plant. Don't shock it any more than you have, so keep up the regime it had gotten used to regarding water. And keep a close eye out for new growths and roots. I'm trying to be as positive as I can. Hope it all works out for you

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Erin Raven Skye

I wasn't too concerned after reading what you said about the older leaves falling off, but some of the newer ones have just fallen off. I took some quick pictures, here's one of the psuedobulbs others are in my gallery. Is it a goner?

Idea! Since the 2 pseudobulbs look brown, why not remove the brown papery stuff (layers) from the outside and see if the bulb is still green underneath.

[Erin Raven Skye]

Originally Posted by rsfrid

Idea! Since the 2 pseudobulbs look brown, why not remove the brown papery stuff (layers) from the outside and see if the bulb is still green underneath.

It's a very light green.