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EEOS Original Articles |
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The many articles in our Orchid Culture section can solve most of your culture issues. Check them out before submitting a question. |
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AOS Culture Sheets |
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The AOS Culture Sheets are very thorough guides for growing orchids successfully. Read the one pertaining to your kind of orchid before asking a culture question. |
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Ask Your Own Question |
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If the articles and culture sheets in our Orchid Culture section did not solve your problem, feel free to submit your own orchid culture question. |
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(Posted on October 3, 2003) |
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Question |
| I have a Psychopsis "Mendenhall" which bloomed successfully for 6-8 months. Finally, the last flower fell, the spike dried up, and the pseudobulb next to the spike shriveled up. The other psuedobulbs are fine, I have new growth that continues to grow and strengthen. The leaves are strong and erect. I spray with Orthene every 6 weeks, Physan 20 every 10 days during this wet season, and fertilize with Peters 20-20-20 weakly, weekly while there is evidence of growth. The plant gets direct eastern light from sunrise to about 10:30, shade during mid-day, and western light from 4 to sundown. Is it normal for the pseudobulb to dry up after the spike dried up? Is there something that I should change in the culture to initiate a new flower spike? |
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Aly - Coral Gables, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| Aly, it sounds as if you have a healthy plant. I believe the pseudobulb that bloomed is finished and you should see new blooms in one or more of the new bulbs. Be sure to visit our Orchid Culture section for more information. Thanks for the question and for visiting the EEOS web site. |
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Bob Stipe |
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(Posted on September 29, 2003) |
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Question |
| I have tried checking out different books from the library and searching the Internet, but nothing seems to explain what is happening to a Zygopetalum - B.G. White x James Strauss with about nine different bulbs that was given to me as a gift. One of the bulbs finished blooming in March 2001 when I became the owner. I didn't know enough about orchids at that time to cut the leaves from the bulb after it bloomed. In the summer of 2002 a second set of healthy green leaves sprouted off to the side. Strangely, these leaves appeared to be growing from the same bulb that bloomed in March. Late last year the second set of leaves turned so I cut them along with the original set. Low and behold another set of healthy green leaves are growing right next to where the second set once stood. I'm not quite sure what all this means, but I'm also really worried about two different bulbs. They have turned brown-yellow in color and appear to be rotting. I'm guessing the two rotted bulbs means I need to re-pot this orchid... is that something I should do with a set of healthy green leaves sprouting off to the side. If you have the time and don't mind sharing your thoughts I would greatly appreciate your help. Many thanks in advance. |
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Barb |
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Answer |
| We don't grow too many Zygopetalums down here (its too warm), but I think you shouldn't cut off the leaves after the plant blooms, unless they turn yellow and die. I would repot on a regular basis and remove dead bulbs and roots every year or two. You can cut the bloom spikes off after they bloom. Try to keep the orchid a little dryer and give good ventelation to try and curtail the rots. |
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David Schaffter |
| Two weeks ago I returned from Oahu with 11 orchids that I purchased from various orchid houses. Four of them are Bulbyphillums. Out of the four one isn't doing well, or at least it appears that way to me. Most of these bulb plants were directly cut from the parent plant at the breeders facility and I took them back bareroot, packaged neatly in a box with the clearance from the Plant Quarantine dept of Hawaii. I'm having a problem with the Bulb. vaginatum. The seller advised me that I should soak the stem on which the four bulbs are attached then try to wrap it around a tree bark and to hold it in place either with a U pin (Similar to a staple but designed for plants), or with a fish line w/o cutting into the roots. I following his instructions, and mounted the plant on some tree bark from an elm. The bubls do not appear to be doing well, they are shriveled and turning black. I spray the roots daily, I keep it on the Western side of the house w. no direct sun on it, and it looks like I'm doing something wrong. I need assistance, if you would be so kind, I would hate to lose this lovely plant! |
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Mariana - Brooklyn, NY - USA |
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Answer |
| Bulbophyllums in general require high light [30% shade] and lots of water. If they are mounted on a slab, they need lots of sphagnum underneath to hold water. A treefurn plaque would be better than a cork plaque. I usually tie them into plastic baskets with a thick cushion of sphagnum underneath. They should be watered at least once a day, ie the medium should never be allowed to dry out completely. |
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Dr. Bert Pressman |
| Can I "take a cutting" from a Renanthera Akahito Emperor to obtain another plant? If so, exactly what should I do and when would be the best time? |
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Maria Wood - Homestead, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| The best time to take a cutting is in the late spring when the plant starts growing. Make sure you have 3 or more roots on the cutting. Although this will not guarantee survival, it will offer a better chance. |
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David Schaffter |
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Answer |
| Renantheras are monopodial orchids, which means they grow out of one stem. One of the ways they can be divided is by cutting off keikis, the other is by making a top cutting (dividing the stem in two). In any case, the rule of thumb is 3 roots per division. Use a pair of sharp garden shears (previously sterilized with alcohol or bleach) and make the cuts. What you can also do is make a paste by mixing some Dithane with a little bit of water and spread it on the cuts to further protect the plants against fungus. Dithane can purchased from OFE International . To separate keikis, cut near the mother plant, taking care not to damage it. When you're making a top cutting, consider two things: the top part needs at least 3 roots and the bottom part needs to have some leaves so it can put out more keikis later. One tip I got from the book An Introduction to Orchids (The South Florida Orchid Society) is to leave basal keikis on the plant until they flower. They say that keikis that are removed too early take a long time to flower. I haven't actually had personal experience with this, but it makes sense. |
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Fred Armando |
| I bought a small Broughtonia sanguinea last summer. I put it in a wooden basket with aliflor-osmunda mix and I hung it under a big black olive tree. It has given lots of roots but only one pseudobulb. I just read that Broughtonias grow on cacti in Jamaica. Do I have to keep it in full sun? Does it need a resting period (dry and no fertilizer) during the winter? Any good tips for growing Broughtonias? Thanks. |
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Tony Castineiras - Miami, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| Tony - While I was in Jamaica, I saw a huge sanguinea wrapped completely around a palm tree in full bloom. It was also hanging over the salt water! This plant received just about full sun, a constant breeze, and a steady, high humidity. I think your Bro. needs more sun, as black olive trees are quite shady. Remember, the more sun, the more air movement & water are needed. Sometimes if you see a big, beautiful orchid in the wild, or even someone's back yard, try to recreate those growing conditions for your plant. |
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David Schaffter |
| I just purchased a piece of an Epi. stamfordianum. It looks rather beaten up: dried pseudobulbs; no roots. Where should I go from here? Put into an empty pot until roots appear? Pot it into what? (Sphagnum, or aliflor or. . .)? Thanks. |
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Pat - Miami, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| I also received an Epi. stamfordianum that was not in the best of shape and it came to life & became established and is now doing quite well. I put it in a 6" wood basket with aliflor & tree fern mix. I secured the plant to make sure it didn't move or shift while becoming established. This was done in the early spring. It was watered sparingly (twice a week) just to keep it from drying out. You might place yours in an empty clay pot & keep an eye on it for new roots before you go to the trouble of potting a questionable survivor. |
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David Schaffter |
| I have a Psychopsis krameriana , it has like a dry stem where there once was a spike. I understand if the spike is broken off at anytime it will not bloom again for awhile. Could you please tell me how long will it take for another spike to grow? |
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Nancy - Homestead, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| Psychopsis will bloom several times successively on the same spike, occasionally for as long as two years. If the spike is truly shriveled, it will obviously not bloom again. The thing I would worry about is that whatever made the plant unhappy enough for the spike to shrink, might make the plant unhappy enough to die completely. If the base plant does survive, it might take about another year to send up another spike and bloom. |
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Dr. Bert Pressman |
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