Final action plan for Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     After my Psychopsis Mariposa lost its new growth last week, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this sick orchid. I'm tired of fussing with an orchid that doesn't seem to be getting better, and yet not willing to toss away a plant which may yet live.

     I gave the orchid a long bath in systemic fungicide.  Then I repotted the orchid one more time, into a larger pot with 'oncidium/seedling' mix.  The new 3" pot is slotted so it should still dry out reasonably fast, but not so quickly as the previous 2.5" net pot.  I don't want to be watering this orchid daily.  Also, the larger pot size allowed me to bury the orchid more steadily in the media.

    I'll now just water this orchid as the pot dries out, and wait to see if it gets better or not.  I have no intention of fussing with it any further.

Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain' hanging on to life

A sick Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     I last wrote about my struggling little Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain' back in late September, when I first treated all my orchids with systemic fungicide.  In the 3+ months since, the orchid's recovery has been slow and questionable.  

     Nearly rootless, the orchid shows severe dehydration in its leaves.  It shed most of its old leaves, and now only has the two large ones left.  Of these, the smaller one is wrinkling, and may quite possibly be gone by the time I return from my holiday trip.  

     The suspicious black spotting on the leaves increased since September, but has mostly held steady over the last two months.  While I'd normally consider cutting the affected leaves off, I really don't want to do that when there are no other leaves left on the plant.  The orchid has received a few more fungicide treatments since September, so hopefully whatever was causing these spots will be held in check.  They don't seem to be growing anymore.

New growth on Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     The roots seem to have grown a little since September, but less than I could have hoped.  I did not wish to disturb the media to find out for certain.  The orchid is in loosely packed sphagnum moss in a net plastic pot, which lets it dry out every 2-3 days.

     The new growth has gotten larger since September, but only slightly.  Still, as long as it is growing, there is hope for this orchid's survival.

     

Signs of life on Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

A sad looking Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     My Psychp Mariposa arrived to me in a sad shape.  Its roots were mostly rotten, and the few that remained died soon after.  The orchid then lost its spike, and lost some leaves.  Now its leaves are wrinkled and leathery, its pseudobulbs are flattened, and its roots all gone.

Signs of new growth on Psychopsis Mariposa

     In an effort to revive the orchid, I've had it 'potted' in a 2 inch pot on a bed of sphagnum moss that I keep moist.  Today, after accidentally knocking the little orchid out of its pot, I noticed the first signs of life.  The little root nub (on left) stands out as a bright green spot against the dark background.  Meanwhile, less visible, is what looks like the start of a new growth (on right). 

     While survival is still less than certain (my den victoria reginae had also produced a futile new growth before finally giving up) I choose to be optimistic for my orchid's survival.