A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Pregnant Orchid?

Pseudobulb literally means "False bulb". When you look at an orchid plant, you will see something that looks a little like a bulb at the bottom of the leaves. (Some types of orchids have that "bulb" between the leaves, & others have it so far down from the leaves, that it might actually be under the Orchid Mix.)

To make it clear for you, I took one of my orchids out of the pot & took a picture of it, & labeled the parts. (I wouldn't do that for just ANYBODY, you know! The thing is, I've taken a liking to you, & since you've taken such an interest in these plants, I'll go the extra yard to make sure you understand.)

Now, back to why you shouldn't keep an Orchid "stem" in water...

The pseudobulb of an orchid has a lot in common with a cactus; it (and its leaves) hold most of the water and nutrients that it needs. If you were to squish it, water would come out of it, just as it would from a squished cactus, & if you were to cut one open, it would look very similar to what the inside of a cactus looks like. (Please just take my word on that, & DON'T squish it or cut into it!)

OK, have we established here that pseudobulbs (and cactus) store moisture? ...Yup, they do! Now, keeping that in mind, you need to go one step further in believing me when I say that as long as your "rootless" orchid plant isn't located in a really dry or hot area, it actually will survive for quite a long time (in a cool, dry place), & still have enough water inside it to start new roots when it's potted... and, it could even put up a stem after a while!