Hope I will not need to attempt twin scale cuttage, of which I have no experience.

I would suggest that you scrape off the remaining red spots and let it dry throughly. I'm not so sure it's actually mold, my guess would be rot. I have never tried cinnamon, but that's because I always have captan on hand, which always works for me. Another thing, is this an older bulb or a new bulb? I'm wondering why, if it was dug up recently, why there are no roots and the basal plate looks a bit dark, but maybe it's just the camara shot. Is the basal plate hard and dry?

When replanting this bulb, where the wounded area is so close to the basal plate, I would just literally sit this bulb on top of the soil keeping the wound entirely out in the open so that it is constantly getting air circulation and keep it dry. Try the cinnamon again. No wet soil should touch this wound at all. When it heals, (and it should) then a few months from now you can put more soil on top if you wish.

What is the variety of this bulb, and has it ever bloomed for you?

Donna

Hi Donna

It's a seedling perhaps 2 years old of the species h. intiflorum. It has never bloomed yet.

It had roots which withered over the lst month when I took it out to cut off the rot, but has started sending out a few new roots.

Do you think I should cut off the part of the basal plate which is near the rot? If you look at the picture you can see a little red spackling on the B.P.

Perhaps I shall expirement and apply a skin fungicide such as ketacanazole 2% and see if that helps.

It shouldn't hurt to cut out a bit of the basal plate if you think it is suspicious but, only if it looks suspicious..I very frequently trim basal plates when they get overgrown and after drying and dusting with captan I have never had a problem. I know that's not quite the same as you'd be doing but if it is totally callused over and dry you should be fine.

I would probably stick with the cinnamon, maybe someone else could advise you as to the use of skin fungicide I wouldn't know about that.

I'm going to Google your flower right now as I'm not familiar with that one.. Donna

I have exactly the same problem with my H.psittacinum , while young they grow very well, but when they are 7-8 cm diameter they rot with exactly the same aspect than your bulb and many young bulbs developp at the base of the rooted bulb.
So I never get flowers.
I have no information on psittacinum cultivation and I don't know if I must keep it dry all winter . As young bulbs are still growing I continue giving it some water.

Update:

~ 2 months later I can say the twin scaling has been a success.
4 of the 7 pieces produced little new bulbs. I'm pretty satisfied considering that I did it all really quickly without sterilizing or anything else.

It seems that twin scaling can be done on species also. Although I also cut up a yungancensis at the same time and 4 pieces of that yielded nothing (so far at least). But I think that that is more due to the extent of the mold on that one.

Anyone have any experience if waiting for roots to repot is neccessary?

Elijah