Sorry guys, but I'm gonna start poking at that annoying bubble.
In a greenhouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I was given some horribly sad, complex Cattleya type hybrids. They were covered with a layer of soft scale over every surface of their leaves and pseudobulbs, they had NO live roots, the pseudobulbs were soft and extremely dessicated. When I first had a look at them, I thought to myself that there wasn't much chance to rescue them. But, since they were, "good as dead" I decided to try to revive them.
First I removed most of the dead roots, rhizome, and pseudobulbs; then, using a pressurized stream of purified water I blasted every trace of the scale from the plants; then I placed them into trays of water (previously prepared - see description below), until just the leaves and top 1" of pseudobulb were protruding; I checked them several times per week to observe their progress.
Epiphytic and terrestrial water rehabilitation tray:
- white polyethylene undrained tray 4"W x 4"H x 36"L
- 1/2" layer of shredded redwood bark (Sequoia species)
- 3" of low mineral water, D.I. or R.O.
- generous amounts of live, growing Sphagnum moss to float on the surface