Cymbidium bulb rot and yellowing leaves in Semi-Hydro.

[james mickelso]

For my money it is rot caused by being too wet. It rots the oldest bulb then keeps on killing until the whole thing dries out. The leaves turn yellow and the bulb rots from the inside bottom out. Cut off the oldest bulb, checking the rizome and keep cutting until there is no visible rot inside the rizome. Dust with cinnamon and repot in a loose coarse media. Cyms do not like wet conditions. I've had lots of this happen to my cyms when I first started growing them. Yes many can grow in dirt but not wet dirt. Pythium and phythora are the culprits. Laso the roots become hollow and dead but unless you squeeze them you don't know it.

[Cym Ladye]

James,

Your statements for the most part are true but this is not the problem here. The rot started in the new growths, not the old bulbs, so if you really mean to cut off the old bulbs first, you are not solving this problem as they are perfectly good, just shriveled. There also was no smell to the bulbs.

Just a hint for the future: when you remove leaves from a bulb to convert it to a "feeder" bulb, also remove the roots. I do not think it advisable at this stage for empiref to disturb the plant again, but when he next repots it, removing the dead roots should be on the schedule.

Cym Ladye