Help!

[mattryan]

I am hoping someone could answer my question. I have an onc. wildcat which I grew since last summer over the winter I got 2 spikes from the newest pbulb it grew. Since the weather turned nice I put it and several others outside, well here's where the problem is. It was/is growing a new pbulb, but it looks as if water has gone down inside and it looks as if it's rotting. Will it grow another pbulb and should I remove this 1. Here's some pics. I removed some of the outside leaves and they were very wet! Please advise on what I should do if anything, thanks!

p.s also what is the best way to grow a new pbulb on a rootless onc. I've had a rescue for ages and nothing is happening ,but the pbulbs are dying off.

Cheryl

[Shiffdaddy]

Sorry to hear that , ive had this happen a number of times and i guess the overhead water gets trapped in the new growth and slowly rots it away. My rookie advise would be if the bottom area of the new growth near the media is mushy or rotten i would take a sterile razor and cut it off as near to the old pbulb as possible and get as much mush as possible out of there so it wont spread.

Now if the pbulb is still solid and a nice green color i'd probably just remove the leaves that come off easily and wait a few days and see what happens. If it spreads cut that growth off and sprinkle with cinnoman. If not then it should continue to grow fine.

Good luck and i hope that it pulls through!

Ben

[Silje]

I'm not the right one to give advice on wildcats, I've killed so many of them already. Still end up buying them though, cause I really love them.

Eh...I would cut that one away. That bulb looks pretty bad. Or, hang on a second...on the last picture it still looks green on the inner leaves. Maybe it would work to just peel of the outer leaves completely, or at least as far down as you can.

My experience is that when orchid leaves and bulbs get that...transparent yellowish-brownish color it is beyond rescue. Not the plant, just the one bulb or leaf. But I would remove to make sure it doesn't spread to the rest.

[Shiffdaddy]

Originally Posted by Silje

My experience is that when orchid leaves and bulbs get that...transparent yellowish-brownish color it is beyond rescue. Not the plant, just the one bulb or leaf. But I would remove to make sure it doesn't spread to the rest.

I agree. Probably about 85% of the times ive seen my growths like that they end up dying, but i have had them pull through and make a new healthy looking growth. Might be smart to cut it off and not risk spreading to the other bulbs though. Idk. Maybe some others will input.

Ben

[Paul Mc]

I'd remove the affected area and then dry the area off, finishing with a Dan of cinnamon powder to help prevent opportunistic diseases. What are the roots like? Are they healthy or dying back? What about the medium, is it allowed to dry out just a bit or is it staying moist?

[mattryan]

Thanks for the replies. At first I thought it was sun burn....another mistake they got tooo much am sun too soon , but it has gotten worse and so I pulled some of the outter leaves off and sprayed diluted listerine on it. If it gets worse I will totally remove it. Will it grow another pbulb from the other side of last summers growth? It only seems to grow 1 pbulb/yr. I just don't want to lose the whole plant it is 1 of my favourites. At least my onc. twinkle is growing 7 new spikes will post a pic when I get some flowers.

Cheryl

[mattryan]

Paul the pbulb was growing nicely lots of new roots from it I think some water got trapped inside. The medium I let dry, unfortunately we had real bad storms here and I think some water got in there and here I am. Will post an update. Thanks everyone!

Cheryl

[Paul Mc]

Best of luck! Just a side note, when I've seen this happen to some of my orchids, there was also root loss.

[WhiteRabbit]

It happens unfortunately. The plant will push out some new growth somewhere eventually if it has the resources to do so.

As to your rootless rescue - might not be possible to save. Keep it warm and humid. If the pbulbs are dying tho, it may be a lost cause.

[lepetitmartien]

It looks like soft rot a lot. If it's watery and smelly, you "win".

It's bacterial, so remove the infected parts with sterile instruments, apply a bactericide (physan, copper* made mixtures…) and treat all nearby plants too. Treat the zone you grow on with bleach (10%).

* should not be applied to dendrobiums, or any orchid blooming.

The infection spreads with water and high temperatures, keep the zone drier if possible.