new Epicyclia Serena O'Neill - pseudobulb rot? Snails? - Orchid Board

UpSideDownCake · #1 07-13-2021, 12:06 AM

Hello!

I am a new grower looking for any advice! I just received this Epicyclia Serena O'Neill on Thursday 7/8 and she was repotted by the nursery for an undisclosed reason. Well, they buried her too deep!

I only discovered this last night when she dropped a leaf.

See first three pictures before vs last three pictures after I removed the excess bark.

I found a tiny snail shell while removing the bark.. so I've learned I need to repot and spray the roots with hydrogen peroxide. (considering a mix from repotme).

One of the pseudobulbs has damage on it, caused by rot? or a snail? It also lost a leaf on that pseudobulb. Should I clean it with something? apply cinnamon?

She arrived with strange bumps on the new growth that have darkened over time. It hasnt spread so I haven't cut anything.

There was a new leaf trying to come out of the bark!

Thank you for reading!

Conditions:
Humidity: cycles between 45% - 60%,
temp: 73 - 77 degrees farenheit.
Light: sitting in a corner between a southern and eastern window, both partially shaded by trees. Metered at 700fc this morning.
Water: untested tap water filtered with a breta

p.s. what alliance would this orchid fall under?

estación seca · #2 07-13-2021, 11:37 AM

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Norman's? Orchids.com?

It doesn't look that bad. It's in the Cattleya alliance. Proctavola (old name Epicattleya) are sturdy plants.

I agree it was potted poorly. The rhizome should be at the top of the medium. Use a rhizome clip to hold the plant firmly in place.

In that large bark you could water every 2-3 days.

To control snails, prepare strong coffee and let it cool. Water thoroughly with plain water to soak the roots. Then water with coffee. Caffeine kills snails. Let it sit an hour, then water again with plain water to rinse out the coffee.

Leafmite · #3 07-13-2021, 05:49 PM

Don't use hydrogen peroxide, just use the coffee as ES suggested. That will kill the snails without harming the roots.

After stabilizing it, you could pick off some of the bark at the top until you get down to the bottom of the pseudobulb. I would not disturb the roots it until there is new growth.

katsucats · #4 07-13-2021, 06:48 PM

I can't tell from the pictures if the pseudobulb is reddish, in which it could just be lighting or temperature issues, or brown. If the bulb or stem is soft, floppy or wet compared to the other ones, I would cut it at the base with a clean razor. For example, if you gently squeeze the pseudobulb and it gives more at the area where it's brown compared to the green ones, then that's not a good sign in my opinion. If the firmness is typical, then just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't spread or get softer over time.

Keysguy · #5 07-14-2021, 08:23 PM

Let's get that Serena back on track so you can look forward to this.

UpSideDownCake · #6 07-15-2021, 12:12 AM

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the input very much

luckily the damaged psudobulb is very firm and the damaged spot looks dry. The psudobulb is mostly red/purple and only brown where the obvious damage is. I removed a little more bark so a few of the roots are exposed just on the top. I'll post a few more photos shortly.

Great to know about the watering frequency and the coffee! She is from Akatsuka orchids in Hawaii.

---------- Post added at 08:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Let's get that Serena back on track so you can look forward to this.

Wow your Serena O'Neill sure is happy! I saw your photo on another thread and couldn't find it again haha. Thanks for sharing! I'd love to know your growing conditions / medium / watering frequency

UpSideDownCake · #7 07-15-2021, 03:16 AM

Pictures! The spots on the younger leaves are getting darker, but have not spread. Also I'm going to do some research to try and identify where the rhizome is, I think I still haven't removed enough bark yet. (Also waiting for it to stabilize before I move much of the bark near the roots).