cym "bulb" looks like its shriveling
 

every leaf and the new growth look nice and light green, but the "bulbs" look like theyre shriveling... is this normal, or is it a call to me to water it more?
thanks.

Chis,

Can you post a photo? Bulbs can shrink from too much water or too little water but it is all dependent on the condition of the roots. Gently lift the plant out of the pot and check the roots. If they are anything but firm with nice white/pale green growing tips, the plant is in trouble from any number of adverse culture conditions, including broken down old mix.

CL

the mix that its in isnt very old, about 3-4 months. the roots are all white but have that "hollow" feeling to them. where there is a skin type layer over a skinny little vine in the middle.
this isnt good is it? im so upset. the leaves are all about 2-3 feet long, this would be devastating of this guy dies.

yeah - good roots should be firm - but if you have new growth hopefully you will be getting new roots. What type of media is it in? How large is the pot? How often are you watering? Pix are definitely helpful

i know pics would help, but im a really scattered person and left my huge camera bag with my dslr and all my lenses at my parents house in n.c.

its in a mixed media, bark and mulch type deal.
water it about twice a week
the pot is pretty big and its not an orchid pot.

should i trim off the dead roots and pray?

If you will send me a private message with an email address, I will send you a complete Cymbidium repotting procedure which I have used (with updates) for many years in the workshops I hold for our club members. It was recently published in the CSA Journal.

CL

here are the bulbs
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...6-cym-bulb.jpg
they used to be a lot fatter...

Hi Chris, welcome to the board! I love your pics, your orchids look very happy with all that light! As for your cym. the new growth to the left on this photo looks promising. I think some here would say your plant might do better in a slightly smaller pot, because with a pot this large, it's hard to tell if and how quickly the media in the middle is drying out. But wait to hear what they say. I just wanted to say I love your growing space... your fellas look mighty happy.

those don't look too horrible - since it sounds like most of the roots have died - the plant is using the stored water and nutrients from the pbulbs, causing them to shrivel - (older pbulbs will shrivel a bit even with lots of good roots) - the new growth should start roots, and with proper care all should be good :) The older shriveled pbulbs probably won't plump up again, so don't worry if they don't - but as the new growth develops, it's pbulb should hopefully be nice and plump :)

awesome! that makes so much logical sense. i dont know why i didnt put 2 and 2 together. thanks a bunch ladies, much appreciated.