Cattleya Green Emerald almost dead

[SADE2020]

Dear Friends

At the end of last year a friend asked me to help him repot a Cattleya that he had ordered from the worse vendor in Europe. I did what I could and potted with bark and carbon as Pic 1, but the plant was in very bad condition, despite that it produced 2 roots and I thought that it was recovering properly and I handed it back to him. Yesterday he brings it to me againg, this times like "here this is for you I don't want this craxxx thing and unpoted (pic 2 &3) .. The two roots didn't continue to developed as you can see, they just stop, must roots are really damage and I understand that for that reason the plant leaves are super deshidratated... The Cattleyas are not my strong point, so I am not sure what to do with it.

My weather condition at this moment is warm with lot of air circulation, I am watering the rest of Cats every 2 days since they dry fast. (I actually took lights measures of the 3 different covered section we have.

Could you advise me please.

Repot in Nov.20


Now




Light measurement around 1pm (sunny time of the day)

This is natural light and I have Phals an other small, young plantes.


This is natural light and I have Cattleyas placed here.

[estación seca]

First, it can recover, with proper care.

It appears to be a bifoliate Cattleya species or hybrid. The leaves and pseudobulbs are very wrinkled, indicating it hasn't received the proper amount of water for a long time.

They tend to make roots only for a short period of time. Your task is to keep it alive until it makes more roots.

That kind of large bark mixture works fine if the gardener waters enough. This plant didn't get enough water. Bifoliate Cattleyas like a very large amount of water in the growing season. If it was kept where the humidity was low that made things more difficult.

The new growing roots might have died from low humidity, not enough watering or a combination of both.

What are the day/night temperatures and the relative humidity in your growing area? Is it bare-root now, or did you repot it?

[SouthPark]

This orchid certainly looks like it has more than a good chance of getting back on the road again ----- as can be seen from the green root.

Some nice growing temperature, and good humidity, and gentle air-flow, and taking careful measures to avoid drowning any roots that are still alive ----- will see a nice recovery.

[Roberta]

The large medium is great for drainage... but I wonder if those new developing roots got damaged if the plant became loose in the medium. It is really important that the plant be very firmly held in place, because any wobble can damage new developing root tips. Those old bad roots can help to anchor the plant in place, so don't be tempted to cut them.

To keep the plant from dehydrating more while it is waiting to grow a new group of roots, perhaps place a plastic bag over the plant and pot (maybe remove it once a day to let the air refresh). Sort of a mini-greenhouse, holding humidity.

[SouthPark]

From the original pics, it can be seen that some of the roots have roots branching out from the main roots. So ----- as long as a root stays alive, it could possibly send out branches. And new roots can grow from the rhizome etc. The main thing is to keep the orchid nicely hydrated ----- its bulbs and leaves, and to keep existing roots alive. And this orchid will definitely make it.

This pic here - pic link - that I posted recently can be seen to have branches from the main root. And the roots grew down into the sand (soil) through the drainage grates heheh.

[Leafmite]

This reminds me of all but one of my early Cattleyas...except for the black markings and a live root (those early orchids came from a florist who potted them in potting soil and left them in a very cold greenhouse during the winter). After removing all the brown, dried parts, they did manage to recover.

My technique....
I would fill the pot with lava rock to just below where you want the orchid to sit and then wire the orchid firmly in place so that it doesn't move and that it is just barely over the lava rock with the new root not touching (Bifoliate Cattleya--must be extra gentle with roots). Place this somewhere it can remain for the next few months. Water the root and the rock well twice a day for humidity. Don't move the orchid around...the less disturbance, the better. When you get new root growth that begins to go down into the rock, you can gently add whatever medium you prefer on top of the rock (again, don't move the orchid.) and begin to fertilize (weakly, weekly). If all goes well, in a few months, the orchid should be established and you can remove the wire and it will be fine to move the orchid.

Usually, when they are completely rootless and not bifoliates, you can just wire them directly on top of the medium but bifoliates do have a reputation.... I like Lava rock because you can water it like crazy and it doesn't rot which is great for keeping the root area humid.

[Shadeflower]

had to edit my answer, didn't realize this was the green emerald hybrid which does look absolutely terrible.
I would have not accepted that plant and would have complained straight away.
The problem I see is that it is so dehydrated it might have lost all it's eyes. If it has no more eyes then it can't produce new growths. If it still has a functional place to grow then it might make it but it would take years.

edit: ok I haven't had my coffee today, didn't see that the last pictures were taken 8 months after the first picture...

So on the first picture I can see a live eye. 8 months later all I see is brown so it actually went down hill in these 8 months and did worse than at the shop.

[Leafmite]

Coffee does make a difference.

---------- Post added at 03:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

To be honest, I would probably pitch the orchid. I don't really like those black markings. Then again, I don't like spots on Oncidium leaves so....

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by estación seca

First, it can recover, with proper care.

It appears to be a bifoliate Cattleya species or hybrid. The leaves and pseudobulbs are very wrinkled, indicating it hasn't received the proper amount of water for a long time.

They tend to make roots only for a short period of time. Your task is to keep it alive until it makes more roots.

That kind of large bark mixture works fine if the gardener waters enough. This plant didn't get enough water. Bifoliate Cattleyas like a very large amount of water in the growing season. If it was kept where the humidity was low that made things more difficult.

The new growing roots might have died from low humidity, not enough watering or a combination of both.

What are the day/night temperatures and the relative humidity in your growing area? Is it bare-root now, or did you repot it?

Hi Estación, ha sido un verdadero desastre ... no watering for days even week. But after repot has been well taking care but not sign of greener anything; neither leaves or roots.

I'll try to water it everyday and keep nit humid.

Thanks so much!

SD

[Shadeflower]

If it helps Sade,
this is one of my recoveries and I honestly thought I had killed it, who knows maybe I still have, it lost the last 2 canes, the last one just turned completely black but it's hanging in there producing a new growth again so there is hope, even if there is no green left at all sometimes.