Help on S/H sphag and bag

[ehuber]

Hi all!

I have just put my first two plants in S/H: Zygopetalum "blue blazes" and Mclellanara Pagan Lovesong Chocolate Thunder. As both were a little worse for the wear I soaked them for several hours with water and the root hormone, then planted them in the S/H material, and bagged them and sealed them up to try to stimulate root growth. This was about 3-4 weeks ago. I have taken them out once or twice to rewater when it looked like the humidity was dying, and once to air out the Zygo when I saw some mold growth. So far, there is no sign of new roots or anything. Some of the leaves on the Mclellanara are going yellow, and the pseudobulb on the Zygo is a little withered. Am I doing something wrong? Fidgeting with them too much? I am still a beginner at this, and working on my "orchid zen patience" skills.

In general, how long should I leave them in the bag, and is it normal for them to be cranky before they put down new roots?

Thanks for any advice you can give me!
Emily

[ehuber]

PS: here are pictures of the pseudobulbs and the roots once I took the plant out of the prime-agra:

[Oscarman]

Sadly S/H is not the cure-all. It has been my experience that plants not doing too well in other media do not do well when switched to S/H.

My suggestion would be to remove the plant from S/H, place it loosely in some lightly moistened NZ sphagnum moss and enclose in a plastic bag placed in low to moderate light. I always poke a few holes in the bag o have some air exchange and reduce the mold issue.

Spray with water or K-L-N rooting solution to prevent drying and wait for new growth. Once you have new growth and root growth then move it to S/H culture if you wish.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Ray]

I agree with Dave that semi-hydroponics is not a "magic bullet" to cure all ills. The fact that you are starting with sad plants is definitely not in your favor, but I don't believe removing it from your current culture attempt is appropriate.

Looking at the photos, it appears there are no good roots at all. Personally, I would remove all of the dead ones, stake the plant so it will be stable, and stick with the S/H-n-bag treatment. Seal the bag, and keep it shady and quite warm, as that's what promotes physiological activity.

[ehuber]

Thanks Dave and Ray, for this advice. What I decided to do was take the Mclellanara out of the S/H and sphag it, and leave the Zygo in the S/H. The Mc is on sphagnum in a cleaned out grape bag with holes for ventilation (I cut all the roots off) and sitting below the window right next to the heating vent. The zygo is still hanging out in the S/H above a humidity tray.

What I figure is that, if they both croak, then at least I've learned something, right? So right now I am trying to pick a good HEALTHY growing orchid to put in the S/H. I've got a couple of Miltassias that are happy and healthy, and some Oncidiums. But I'll let you know what happens with my sickly plants.

Thanks again! Happy new year!