Question
Jim,

Sometime last year I wrote you about some orchids I'd obtained, and provided pictures; you said they were cymbidium orchids, and gave me great advice about keeping them alive.

Well, alas, the last green leafs just came off in my hand, and I was wondering if you could tell me what went wrong and what to do now.

I've had the plant since last May, around Mother's Day. It only provided one shoot of small leafs, and never flowered beyond what it already had on it when I got it. I put it in wood chips and a little soil in a pot designed for orchids (with the open slats on the side) and left it in a sunny, but not constantly sunny, place. I watered it once a week, sometimes with orchid fertilizer, sometimes not. Admittedly, I was not fanatic, but I thought I was careful. The problem was that the leafs would all eventually turn brown on the tip or the base and come off; none of them actually withered, just these two areas. I cut down and left the bulb alone, as you'd advised.

So now I've just got brown husky bulbs left. Is the plant a goner? Should I continue to water the dead bulby areas and hope it regenerates, and if so how long should I wait for that?

Thanks again for anything you can suggest. If you want another photo, I'm happy to send it.

Best,
Randee

Answer
Hi Randee,

From the description of what has happened, it sounds like some type of rot has set in.  There are many reasons for rot to happen and once it does, there is little you can do to stop it other than surgically removing all of it from the orchid - even a tiny trace can grow back and kill the plant.  

When repotting it, you mentioned using a little soil along with the wood chips.  Is that soil like dirt or was it more like potting soil?  Dirt is not a bad thing to use but potting soil can be a problem because it tends to stay wet for too long for cymbidium roots.  Why is that?  Cymbidium roots along with other orchids, need air around them in order to grow healthily.  Most potting soils hold quite a bit of water which limits the amount of air circulating through the pot.  Too much water for too long a time will kill the roots since they cannot breath, thus drowning the roots.  

Lots of words above but what I am trying to say is that without healthy roots there cannot be healthy growth above.  Unpot the cymbidium and take a look at the roots, I think you will find most or all are rotten - soft and mushy.  

But there is hope if the bulbs are still firm when you squeeze them.  If they are still firm, let me know and I can tell you what you can do to keep them alive.  If the bulbs are somewhat soft and squishy, they are a goner and you should throw them away.  

Jim Kawasaki