Paph bellatulum crowns separating from the root systems

[Tom Reddick]

Good evening all,

I had a brand new issue crop up a few days ago that I have never seen before. No photos to share because I did not find rot discoloration or any other visible clues to suggest a problem.

In the mail I received a batch of Paph bellatulum seedlings. All NBS and looking pristine. As I was unpacking them, one of the crowns just rolled right off. It had completely separated from the root system, but there were no indications of rot whatsoever.

On careful inspection I noticed the leaves- while they still looked good- felt thin and a bit limp. So I would guess they stopped taking in water maybe a week or so before all this happened.

The rest of the seedlings unpacked without incident, but as I checked the leaves I noticed 3 other seedlings with leaves that looked good but felt limp and thin between my fingers. I gently jiggled the crowns and all 3 popped right off from the roots.

All the other seedlings are just fine. The only thing I noticed that maybe could explain the issue is that the seedlings had been long ago anchored in their pots with a bit of plastic coated wire that was wrapped around the base of the plants with the wire taped to the inside of the pot. This was all done below soil level, so I did not notice it until I unpotted the damaged plants to check the roots.

Maybe if the plants had been packed a few days before shipment, somehow the packing process moved the crowns enough to snap them off? I have never heard of such a thing, but since there was no sign of rot...

Grateful for any suggestions if any of you have seen this happen before. I am mainly concerned now about whether some kind of preventive treatment on the remaining seedlings would be advisable.

 

[Ray]

That’s certainly a new one to me!

It does sound like a mechanical stress issue - cracks that enlarged???

 

[big923cattleya]

New one for me as well. I can’t imagine why well grown seedlings need to be wired into a pot.
I can’t imagine why anybody would do that?!

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

When a paph has no roots or very little roots some people myself included take some telephone wire and make a circle on each end of that wire and then attach it to the plant to help anchor that plant so it will grow new roots. It just keeps everything steady when you are watering the plants. As far as the crown, I have no idea, unless these plants were very weak to start with. Sorry, that I can't be of more help.

 

[Tom Reddick]

Thanks everyone. At the end of the day it was a minor loss in the grand scheme of things and I will just chalk it up to mechanical damage while keeping an eye on the remaining seedlings. Given there was no evidence of rot at all, I cannot think of any other cause.

 

[annica.jarvela]

Hello Tom,

I don`t know the reason either why all the roots would snap off, but I have noticed with Brachypetalums, that while they have thick and long, strong roots, you have to always be very careful with them. Not with every plant, but some are that when you take them out of the pot or wash them and/or replant them some roots can very easily detach from the plant. The roots are very thinly attached at the base of the plant. Have any of you people noticed that before?

 

[Tom Reddick]

Hello Tom,

I don`t know the reason either why all the roots would snap off, but I have noticed with Brachypetalums, that while they have thick and long, strong roots, you have to always be very careful with them. Not with every plant, but some are that when you take them out of the pot or wash them and/or replant them some roots can very easily detach from the plant. The roots are very thinly attached at the base of the plant. Have any of you people noticed that before?

Good morning and thank you for this observation. It could very well explain what happened.

99% of my experience handling brachys has been deflasking seedlings and selling them off in the compot/small seedling stage- so I have little experience handling larger plants which will have weighty crowns. That said, I do distinctly remember that when deflasking Brachys I have always had to take great care because if handled roughly at that stage the crowns will snap off. I had not thought of it until you said something because I had attributed the problem to the fact right out of flask Brachys often have already developed fuzzy roots which are very clingy with each other. And so I thought it more from the standpoint of stubbornly interconnected roots than perhaps an issue of the relative durability of the connection between crowns and root systems.

 

[annica.jarvela]

Good morning Tom, you are very welcome. Here it's 17:10 (5 PM I think).

 

[Djthomp28]

This is an interesting thread. Thanks for sharing the issue. I will have to be more careful with my brachy flask and seedlings. eek!

I know you mentioned there was no signs of rot, but was there any browning or discoloration along the separation point?

 

[annica.jarvela]

It always breaks my heart, when or if a root breaks off from the plant. I replanted several Brachys last summer and with others it went well, but just when I tried carefully take out of the pot my QF Winona, don`t even know why, but when I lifted the pot away, I noticed that too of the finest and thickest roots (they were attached together/same growing tip) stood there alone! Eeek! It still had shorter and thinner roots, but it always hurts to see that happens. It flowered still well in late summer and early autumn, but it has not start to any new children. I`m worried, must hope that when we get closer to spring, that it will finally wake up. I don`t usually repot my plants every year, but now I wonder if I should try to change at least the pot this year. Don`t know what would be wise to do because it can stress them.
I have a Lc. Loog Tone, which doesn`t ever like to be replanted. It grows and flowers well, but every time I repot it, it makes a shorter bulb and leave, and won`t flower that year.