Lava rock should work, but water very little until you see new root growth.

I lost nearly a whole specimen plant of C. Portia to bad potting. It was a huge specimen plant that I cut up and now, like you, my other divisions are doing better than the main plant. Though it really doesn't matter, the "mother plant" means nothing since the other division are "mother" plants as well. Original divisions. But like the case with me, I wasn't around to take care of the main plant and the roots rotted. I was living way in Chicago and couldn't keep tabs on C. Portia and my dad over watered the plant and it nearly died of rot. I would take the plant out of the pot, cut off the dead roots and repot keeping the plant on the dry side, only misting it. I know some people with rootless catts loosely pot the plant in a clay pot and hunks of charcoal and the plant puts out new roots. Then they fill the plant in with fresh media when the roots look like they are taking off. Sometimes i just leave the plant bareroot on my bench and leave it alone. Then it sprouts roots and I repot it. Sometimes neglect helps. Though today, I found a totally dry and neglected plant that had died way in a corner of my greenhouse. It WAS a valuable plant. Not anymore. Oh well.

Good advice from richard and Toyo.

You might not get new roots on it until a new growth starts, as roots on catts mostly start out of new growths. (A few times, I got roots other places)

What I would add is just a couple of things:

1. When you divided the plant, most or all of the active growing points went with newer divisions. The old part of the plant probably has reserve growing points, but they will take longer to get going.

Look the plant over for any growing points on the old pbs (tiny triangles near the bottom of the pb). There are usually reserve growing points on old pbs.

Paint the growing points with a gel rooting hormone, like Clonex. That should activate them to start growing sooner than they would on their own. Clonex always worked for me to start reserve growing points going in my catt days. Speeds the process up a great deal.

Alternatively, you could paint the growing points with Keiki Pro, as Ray Ratliff has suggested in other threads. I haven't tried it, but he says it works even with sunken desiccated growing points.

2. If pbs are desiccating, I would give it a soak, pbs, leaves and all in some fertilizer water for an hour or so. The plant can still benefit from the soak, just as a lettuce might crisp up when soaked.

Thereafter, when you check the plant, you can mist the backs of the leaves with fertilizer water when you think of it. I always found a small perking up of the leaves with this treatment.

3. Don't cut off any desiccated leaves. On catts, the leaves often re-hydrate once the plant gets some roots.

PS I use just a thin layer of sphag over the lava rock and *under* the rhyzomes for catt pieces, which are kept bare. Splash water on when the sphag is crispy. Keeps the humidity up around the growing eyes.

Good luck.

Thanks all of you for your recommendations and suggestions.
I have taken the plant out and I think it is a goner. BUT, I am not a professional so I am going to give it the benefit of doubt.

I have removed all dead roots (all the roots were dead) and put cinnamon on the cuts. How do I apply the rooting hormone if it is doused with cinnamon. I need to know.

I soaked it a while and then put the cinnamon on. I can wash some off and redo. just going to let it sit there for a few days.

Letting it sit for a few days is a good idea. I hope it perked up a little with the soak.

Where to put the root hormone:

Put it on the *growing points*. I use a gel, and it sticks to the plant very nicely. You can put it on any time-- now, a week from now, a month from now. Whenever.

The growing points are little triangles at the bottom-front of the pb, usually right near where it bends. The new pbs grow from this point.

In your case, with backbulbs, the growing points may have already been used to produce the pbs you cut off when dividing.

BUT... There are reserve growing points that the plant can use if needed. As I recall, these were often a little higher up on the pb, still near the bottom, tho. Or you might find one to the side.

Pick it up to the distance where your eyes focus best. I wear 500X bifocals, so at reading distance I can see detail pretty well. If you need to, use a magnifying glass. Just look over ever inch of those old bulbs til you see one of those little triangles. You'll recognize it when you see it.

To get used to what it should look like, you might want to look over one of the newer divisions, where the growing points are probably more visible. That will give you a better idea what to look for.

If you absolutely can't find any growing points, just spread the gel hormone around all over the bottom-front area of each of the pbs.

Good luck. It's a real thrill to revive a desiccated plant and see it start to thrive.

Instead of cinnamon, you can spray the cut end wit a solution of Physan or Consan. It is a disinfectant that kills most pathogens on contact. When I divide my catts, I look to see if there any black pseudo bulbs. If so, I cut the out all blacken bulbs and rhizome until I see green. Then again, spray with Physan the roots and cut end. Usually a red hot flamed pruner will just seal the cut end anyway. I used to apply black pruning paint on the cut end. I've gotten lazy. But the heated shear cauterizes the cut. Each time I make a cut, I reheat my pruner even when I'm working on the same plant. This is true if you just cut out a diseased portion of the plant or roots. Flame the shear again. Use a portable propane torch. Get it red hot. Kills all pathogens including virus. I wouldn't dip my tools in Physan or Clorox because it oxidizes the metal. Ruins the tool. You can apply the hormone gell to or spray Keiki grow solution on the lead and dormant eyes. Stuff works. At least Keiki Grow. I've applied the solution directly to my catt's dormant eyes and they've popped. Plus new roots. If there is a systemic disease, you may need to spray the plant with a systemic fungicide (like those used for roses: Subdue, Zyban etc, depends on the disease). Again, if you have a greehouse or shadehouse, just leave the plant on a bench and mist it every so often. It will soon start to out out a new growth and roots. I always put my backbulbs under my main greenhouse bench and leave them alone. Soon they sprout roots and new growth and I pot them up. With Keiki Grow, I've even put a drop of the stuff directly from the bottle on dormant eyes. Stuff is expensive but works. At least for me. You can dilute it with water (a few drops per ounce) and spray the lead and even the leaves. I do this AFTER I water the plants and let them dry out. I don't want to dilute the Keiki Grow stuff too much.

A systemic fungicide/insecticide needs roots to transport the product throughout the plant. If there are no roots, it will only be a contact product.

After sterilizing your tools whether by torch or a soak in disinfectant of your choice, wipe them with a fine grade oil to keep them sharp longer.

Brooke