Pseudobulb Browning on P. elata

[abigaillevans]

Looks like I know what I'm doing over the weekend!!

Stefano: it's potted in a mix of soil, moss, pearlite, and bark. I e-mailed the man from whom I got the plant, and he said that the plants live at the bases of trees in the Panamanian forests: he called them "Semi-epiphytic." I think I'm going to switch it to a mostly-bark mix with a bit of chopped-up moss. In a clear plastic pot!

Thank you so much, you guys! This plant is my favorite one in my collection and I'd be heartbroken if I lost it.

[silken]

abigaillevans, when you remove the brown area, I would consider cutting even beyond the brown spot and taking some green tissue as well. Just to be sure that you get it all. I had this on a colmanara (oncidium type) where I removed the offending pseudobulb but it kept returning. I finally was in risk of losing the plant if I didn't do something further. I un-potted it and removed the next PB that was turning brown, but also a good chunk of the green rhizome and dusted all very well with sulfur powder and downsized the pot big time. It has since put out a ton of roots and a new growth and so far is looking like I am finished dealing with the rot problem. I really cut back on watering and monitored it in the 6 months it has been recovering.

[abigaillevans]

Silken: I'll be careful to remove all of the bruise, even if it means taking a good chunk out of it. Thank heavens it's happened on the largest pseudobulb! I've also checked all the other bulbs and the small bulbs that are starting to push out, and the rotted spot is only on this part of the plant. What a relief! I'm 99% sure that water was trapped where the bruise is: that part of the p.bulb pushes up against the side of the pot.

I'm going to pot the plant down into a 6" pot. This is the first time I've ever done surgery on an orchid -- I'm nervous!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I wanted to clarify something...

Yes, Peristeria elata is a semi-epiphytic plant. As are some of the Stanhopeinae subtribe - with the strangest growth habit going to those in the genus Coryanthes (they maintain the semi-epiphytic habit because ants make a nest within the tangle of roots using twigs and a bit of what looks like fine forest debris, but they display full epiphytic growth habits by often times growing high up in the trees; photos of them online of them growing in-situ are available). This is partially the reason why their seedlings resemble miniature vines before developing pseudobulbs as they mature.

However, in the case of Per. elata it may not be necessary to use potting soil in the mix. In the future, if you end up getting several divisions of this plant you could try out using a little bit of potting soil as part of the mix and see if that works for you too.

But I seriously doubt that the roots touching the potting soil in itself was your problem. I think it was the fact that it was getting watered regularly, and then it got rained on quite a bit, and it was potted in moss and potting soil, which in turn retained way too much moisture for the plant to handle, that caused the problem.

You gotta take into consideration that when they're growing semi-epiphytically in the wild, they're not in pots, so all that moisture that the soil, moss, rocks, and the bark of the tree retains, drains away from the plant and the water eventually evaporates fairly rapidly because there's no pot to hold it in.

If I'm not mistaken, Per. elata might also even have a dormancy period.

Not sure about this one yet...

[abigaillevans]

I don't know if P. elata has a dormancy period in the sense that dendrobiums do, but it does need a rather extreme winter rest. No water, no fertilizer, no nothing from mid- to late-November until about mid-March. You can give it the tiniest bit of water to keep the pseudobulbs from shriveling too much, but giving water to the plant during that time can cause rotting and will keep the plant from flowering.

As far as I know, it doesn't drop all of its leaves or anything, if that's what you mean by dormancy.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by abigaillevans

I don't know if P. elata has a dormancy period in the sense that dendrobiums do, but it does need a rather extreme winter rest. No water, no fertilizer, no nothing from mid- to late-November until about mid-March. You can give it the tiniest bit of water to keep the pseudobulbs from shriveling too much, but giving water to the plant during that time can cause rotting and will keep the plant from flowering.

As far as I know, it doesn't drop all of its leaves or anything, if that's what you mean by dormancy.

Yes, that's what I mean.

Certain Dendrobiums have a similar type of dormancy. Not all Dendrobiums go fully deciduous when they're dormant. Some Dens are semi-deciduous, but have a dormancy. Others are evergreen, but have a dormancy.

[abigaillevans]

Are there any orchids that require no type of winter rest at all? It seems like every one I come across does.

Just curious.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Sure there are.

Easy ones to grow that I know of right off the bat are Isochilus spp.

There are a few more.

Epidendrums don't really have one.

[abigaillevans]

OH MY GOSH.

Jeffrey (that's this particular orchid's name) is putting out not one but TWO flower spikes!

They're on the pseudobulb that's farthest from the afflicted one... I'm hoping and praying that they don't die when he's on the operating table this weekend!!
PLEASE, Orchid Gods!

[silken]

Congrats on the spikes! Make sure you have your potting media well soaked and ready and spend the least amount of time possible with it out of the pot. They are small enough that hopefully they will just carry on growing after it is re-potted. If you don't get rid of the rot and get it in good media, the plant could die before they bloom. So it is still the best thing to do I think. Remember to seal the cut tissue before re-potting and try not to get water on that area for a while. Good luck!