"Barrie Russell" wrote: >Dear Fellow Orchid Enthusiasts: > >Last Sunday I purchased for a pittance an Oncidium (don't know the variety) that is almost completely dehydrated. It's pseudobulbs are shrivelled almost flat, though they >and most of the leaves are still green. I'm hoping one of you experts (which I'm not) could give me some advice as to rehydrating it without inducing rot. I soaked for 15 >minutes or so upon getting it home, let it dry out and watered again Wednesday, but it seems as if the medium is taking longer than normal to dry, I suppose because the >roots are not taking up the moisture, and there has as yet been no "plumping-up" of the bulbs. > >If I can I'd love to keep it alive and flowering, so any expert advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Barrie: One strategy that has worked for me in the past for extremely dehydrated, rootless plants has been to: 1. Trim off all dead roots and unhealthy looking tissue and all dried bracts (they are just begging to become fungal cultures) 2. Take a large plastic bag (a dry cleaner's bag is good for this purpose), place some sphagnum moss that has been well soaked, then wrung out to near dryness, in the bottom of the bag. 3. Tie a string around a convenient part of the plant, close the bag tightly around the string - making a "greenhouse"/humid chamber around the plant. 4. Hang the whole business in a bright spot out of all direct sun. 5. Invoke your favorite deity, dance naked in the moonlight or whatever you do to propitiate whomever and... 6. Wait until you see green root tips sprouting from the rhizome - then pot up. This actually works..................................................sometimes. Good luck, Marquis Z. Hodes, MD, PhD _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
