Rot, again!! Sharry Baby this time.

[Tindomul]

It seems my 'chids are under attack by rot, even in this dry winter.
This is the same pseudobulb that is in flower. The flowers are starting to dry out and dye as well

What do I do? I was planning to repot soon anyways, should I go ahead, or will this kill it? Should I cut this pbulb off or try to save it?
Thanks!

[Ross]

Yes, if that were mine (I have no idea what orchid this is) I would cut off the spike, cut off the pseudobulb with sterile Xacto blade, if I doubted the potting mix I would also unpot, clean roots and soak whole thing in some treating agent. There have been lots of discussions of-late on these so you can take your pick (sounds like Phytan 27 might be best bet but I have no experience). I recently treated a bulbo leaf that had similar symptoms except the rot was on the leaf - not the pseudobulb. I cut the leaf with blade I sprayed in Physan 20, sprayed the whole plant (actually drenched it) with same Physan 20 and so-far no signs of new or extended rot. And this plant is in the terrarium with spraying every 2 1/2 hours! I drench the sphagnum twice a week in Physan just to be sure.

[Tindomul]

Sorry, for some reason I thought you all were psychic. Its a Sharry Baby, the one I got in bloom. Anyhow, thanks for the advice. Would the pbulb survive if I cut out the affected areas only??? I'de to sacrifice the whole bulb, leaves and everthing!

[Ross]

By the way, in my opinion, rot just doesn't happen. Yes it can spread but it doesn't just crop up in the blue. There has to be a cultural reason for it. Since you hinted that your environment may be dry, I'd bet you are overwatering (at least in this case.) My setup is about 30% humidity in the window box - low, to be sure, but I quit misting and hold to twice-weekly waterings. Pseudobulbs are NOT all wrinkled, and spikes are developing as normal. I really think we sometimes baby these things to death. Just my thoughts. Good luck and let us know what the survival rate is (or was )

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[Ross]

Originally Posted by Tindomul1of9

Sorry, for some reason I thought you all were psychic. Its a Sharry Baby, the one I got in bloom. Anyhow, thanks for the advice. Would the pbulb survive if I cut out the affected areas only??? I'de to sacrifice the whole bulb, leaves and everthing!

Good luck! If it were mine (I just won't suggest what you should do) I would sacrifice both the flower spike and the pseudobulb. I just don't think rot is anything to fool with. Just my opinion.

[Tindomul]

My thoughts exactly. I didnt use to water this plants as much before I brought it to my home. So back to the old regimen. Mist when I remember, and water when dry. I can't believe I made that mistake!

[Ross]

I don't think all is lost! I presume the roots look OK? Yes you lost one bloom season, but so-what? We've all done that in the process of learning. If you changed something and it was disasterous - guess what? That didn't work!!!! Think about how you grow or grew orchids and stick with what works for you. We all throw out suggestions (sometimes too quickly) to "help" folks with their situations. I really wish there were some way to get everyone to sit back, take a breath, think about what they are doing and then (maybe) try a new aproach. I'm sure you will succeed Tindo. You've got lot's of really neat plants and have helped me with the Terrarium adventure (not done yet!) This little bump in the road will pass and, hopefully, you will learn from it. Enough!

[Tindomul]

Oh, don't get me wrong. This is a setback, though relatively minor. I just hate setbacks. Anyway, the roots all seem fine, and there are plenty more pbulbs. The flowers have been in bloom all month, I suppose thats enough time to enjoy that.
Thanks for the help!

[Ross]

Go for it! I think you're up for it Tindo!

[Barbara]

Hi Tindo, I agree with Ross totally, but I did have another thought. Did that pusedobulb get injured recently? Sometimes the disease needs an entry point. I have been noticing, this problem in our collection lately and I had written off to the damp and cool conditions of late. Another thought, what's the air movement like, got any fans?