bulb coloration Pleione formosana

[Pieter]

Hi all

In a pot with Pleione formosana that I recieved last year there are some bulbs with very strange colors. I am not sure if this is a disease or what.

Does somebody recognize this?
Is this something that can be cured or am I better of just removing these from my collection to prevent it from spreading to others?

Greetings

Pieter

[Maren]

Hello Pieter,

I've never seen this sort of thing before, despite having about 5,000 pleiones in cultivation.

Does the bulb feel firm or are there soft areas where the discoloration appears?

If it were mine, I would get rid of it (and the compost and the pot). Pleione formosana are the cheapest pleiones you can buy. It's worth being a bit careful.

But maybe someone else knows of this and can advise you more precisely.

Good luck.

[Slug Killer]

Hi Pieter

Your mix looks soaking wet and that's probably what is causing these problems. Are you still watering them?

All my Pleione are now either out of the pots or in a compost which is nearly dry. I have seen this before on some P. forrestii that were under a leaking window and got wet for a few days when going in to dormancy.

Remove straight away and let them dry out on some paper. You will probably find the roots are completely rotted and they will lift out easily. If there are soft spots of flesh you can gauge or cut out and use sulphur on the infected areas. They will not look very pretty but still grow and produce new bulbs next year if they are not too badly rotted.

If you have any other Pleione in pots that look this wet, remove them and dry out before winter storing.

[Pieter]

Hello Maren

I have checked the structure of the bulb and everything is very hard and solid, no weak ore soft spots.
I have been thinking about removing these bulbs but sadly this is the best form of formosana I have. 

Hello Slugkiller

The situation visible on the photo is not realy correct. My plants heve been outdoors untill friday beceause we had some verry soft and dry weather the last week, temperatures up to 17°c. Tuersday night we had verry bad sooking wet weather, result: this verry wet look. The picture was taken on friday morning after I brought all my plants indoor. The rest of the time this pot has not been like this at all.
I have taken a picture of the bulb and its roots after I removed it from the pot, wich was not that easy. They look fairly OK, not the best developed roots but not rotten. 

Thanks for the reply Maren and Slugkiller. I might store this bulb separeted from the rest and see what it does for the next couple of weeks if it changes or so.

Greeetings

Pieter

[Luc Gilgemyn]

It will be most interesting to hear how they get along Pieter !

[Maren]

Hi Pieter,

if the bulb is solid, then I think you've done the right thing. If you like this pleione very much, it is worth keeping, but away from the others. When you dry it off for the winter, make sure you treat it with neem oil or other spraying oil, it keeps away the brevipalpus mite, which may strike if you jave a weakened bulb. Just to be on the safe side.

I treat all my pleione pseudobulbs with neem oil at the beginning of dormancy, and a little whiff of fungicide for Christmas. As I have quite a few of them, I run a dehumidifier in the store to lower the risk of fungal disease.

[Maggi Young]

and a little whiff of fungicide for Christmas.

 I had to laugh at that, Maren..... I prefer friuit cake myself......