Roots grown through pseudobulb

[SillyCookies]

I recently received this Sherry Baby Sweet Fragrance from a nursery, and decided to repot it. When I got all the medium off, I noticed that some of the roots grew right through one of the pseudobulbs. It doesn't really look like it's rotting to me, but I'm still a beginner, so I'm open to the idea of being wrong

[Dollythehun]

Mine frequenty do that. That's an older pbulb probably being reabsorbed. It's the nature of the beast. But, remember these are very thirsty plants. Mine often stands in water.

[SillyCookies]

What do you mean with re-absorbing exactly? DO you know why the plant would do this? I thought that pseudobulbs remained as energy storage until they become very old and begin to die off. Is this behaviour unique to the Sherry Baby?

[Dollythehun]

My oncidium bulbs become shriveled eventually as they are (perhaps I used the wrong word) depleted. I have seen the same thing. That bulb doesn't look rotten to me and I wouldn't worry.

Perhaps an "expert" will be along with a more scientific answer.

By the way "normal is a setting on the dryer."

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SillyCookies

What do you mean with re-absorbing exactly? DO you know why the plant would do this? I thought that pseudobulbs remained as energy storage until they become very old and begin to die off. Is this behaviour unique to the Sherry Baby?

The pseudobulbs are a reserve of energy and water. If the plant isn't getting enough of either, it will just suck on those reserves (making them shrivel) This ability to "recycle" tissue is a factor in making orchids resilient in the face of less-than-ideal conditions and very efficient in using water and nutrients. (Life on the side of a tree is difficult, the necessities such as water from rain, and nutrients from detritus washing down, can be very intermittent) Even if the plant is well-watered, it may draw down those reserves to make new growth (which often happens with Oncidinae... the shriveling of old pseudobulbs and the emergence of new growth at the same time)

[Dollythehun]

Roberta, you just present yourself in such an expert way. LOL thanks for chiming in.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Roberta, you just present yourself in such an expert way. LOL thanks for chiming in.

Hardly! Certainly no expert, have just observed a lot of orchids doing their thing. Orchids are the best recyclers! Unless they are totally in the way or seriously bugging me, I am inclined to leave old spikes until they dry up - the plants recycle the tissue from those too.

[SillyCookies]

Thanks for the explanations! I understand that orchids recycle their own tissue, making the pseudobulbs plump up and shrivel according to the availability of water and nutrients, but I never saw or heard of a hole being blown right in the base of a pseudobulb, with roots growing through. The bulb itself doesn't even look all that shriveled, so do you think that this is still the same mechanism?

[Roberta]

The base of the pseudobulb that has the roots growing through it looks like it might have started to rot, then stopped... but made a "path" for the new roots. And could still be part of the "recycle" process... in nature "fertilizer" is what might leach out of rotting material, and there could have been some there. Roots will go where ever they find a clear path.