Is my Black Pearl Catasetum OK ? HELP!

[bunnylotus]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and am so excited to be joining and learning more about orchids!

My boyfriend bought me a black pearl catasetum orchid last Christmas and it was doing beautifully all year until this summer it got mites. The mites pretty much destroyed the leaves and it never bloomed/grew a spike :-(.

Luckily, with intense orchid mom care I was able to vanquish the mites infestation and I thought I had saved the plant even though I never got those beautiful flowers.

The orchid lost its leaves back in August. Since then nothing has happened...I've attached some pictures of how it looks now. I know that they have dormancy periods and you should not water and simply wait for the new nub to grow at the base of the pseudobulb...but it has been a while.

The bulbs look shriveled too...minus the most recent mature one from this past summer.

Is my orchid OK??? It's in very minimal bark medium, since I threw out everything it was in after the mites. I sprayed some water on it recently to see if any of the current roots changed color or were "alive" ... some of them seemed to change...but most not so much...not sure if some of them are dead and need to be clipped or what.

Long story short - I need help! I was SO thrilled when I got this orchid as it has been a long time goal to have one. My BF and I would also be devastated if it died.

Thank you for your help and comments - super appreciate the feedback!!!!

Love, orchids, and pugs -

Carolyn

[Roberta]

The stress of unpotting it during the summer (totally the wrong time for a repot, in spite of the mites) may have set it back. This time of year lack of leaves is normal - you pushed it into dormancy early, but now it should be dormant and it is. (Shriveling of old pseudobulbs is normal) You can pot it up into fresh small bark so that when growth starts it's ready to go, but no water. In the spring new growth will start. Still no water... when new roots and new growth are about 3-4 inches(2.5 - 5 cm) you can start watering gradually, increasing as the new growth develops. It should be kept indoors - they don't like to get cold even when dormant, minimum temperature about 55-60 deg F (12-15 deg C) But this time of year, you need to basically ignore it. It's not dead, just hibernating for the winter.

Here is a link to Catasetinae culture from Sunset Valley Orchids that is an excellent basic guide. Sunset Valley Orchids - Catasetinae Culture

[bunnylotus]

Hi Roberta!

Thanks for your message ... glad to hear the orchid is just doing it's dormancy and isn't dead. That said, you're saying even with the mites I should have just kept it in the potting media? The potting was just littered with mites...it was so bad...I couldn't get rid of them for so long and I was afraid the orchid was going to die :-(. I normally wouldn't have repotted, but I just didn't think I could leave it being destroyed by those ****.

I'm aware of their cycle and the watering habits as I had a successful year last year with watering and growth up until again, the mites. That really through me off.

I guess I will just wait and see what happens as it goes through dormancy.

[Roberta]

Mites are almost microscopic... how could you see them in the media? Actually, for an infestation of either 8 legged (mites) or 6 legged (insects) critters a good soaking in soapy water should have knocked them down in the media pretty well - to be repeated every 5 days or so for 2 or 3 weeks. (Immerse the pot) And spray leaves (underside especially) thoroughly because that's their hiding place of choice. Bayer's Advanced 3-in-1 contains a miticide as well as the insecticide imidacloprid ... and you might want to have a dedicated miticide handy to be deployed at first sign of spider mites. (Bifenthrin under various product names is one, there are other choices as well). Catasetinae ARE quite vulnerable to spider mites. Dry air and poor air circulation make it worse. So pounce on any infestation that you get.

[bunnylotus]

Thanks Roberta. Let me just say this:

There were mites, and you could see them all over the plant, the pot, the roots, the pseudobulbs, and the medium. It was a terrible infestation and I took all measures to stop it. Soapy water mixture included. Didn't work. Period.

Luckily, this isn't my first orchid rodeo, just my first Catasetum. Thanks for confirming that my orchid is still alive that's all I care about knowing.

[isurus79]

Yep, definitely still alive. I'd say Roberta's advice is sound.