I'm very glad your bulb was salvageable... personally, I would take it out of the paper bag to allow some decent air circulation. Just place it on a paper plate, and set it on a shelf somewhere to dry.

After it dries for a couple of days, pot it up... I would leave about 3/4 of the bulb, itself, above soil level.

My pot of choice is unglazed clay, and my medium of choice is a bonsai type of large particled, gritty, mostly inorganic medium comprised of pine bark fines, turface or granite chips and perlite. I like the fast draining capabilities and I like the control over water and feeding.

Very good save! It's always wise to open and check out bulbs as soon as they arrive. Don't wait until you're ready to plant them. I normally open the box, check the bulbs, peel back the dead layers, and sometimes I even dust them lightly with Captan... even if they don't need it. It's a good preventative against rot or fungal problems, and it never hurts.

If you are forced to remove any bulblets prior to potting, and they don't have their own roots, don't despair! It is possible to get them to root. Paint a bit of rooting hormone powder on the bottom of the bulblet and pot it up in its own tiny pot. Set it on a heat pad if possible, or anywhere that's warm and bright. Keep it moist, but not too wet... and be patient. It could surprise you and begin growing leaves, at the same time growing a root system. And, just to be safe, dust the bulblets with a little Captan, too.

I hope this Papilio will bloom for you, but in case it doesn't, give it good care and it may surprise you by blooming later in the year. Good luck with all your new bulbs!

Here is an update on Papillio.

I took another look at it after letting it dry for about a week. I noticed a dark spot between the mother and the bulblet. Since I suspect that major rot started between another bulblet and the mother, I wanted to find out what this was. I carefully looked between the two.

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I carefully detached the bulblet. It turned out that this was just a thin piece of skin which was easily removed. I don't know whether that would have been a problem.

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The other side showed more pink. It could have been just bruising. However, I thought it wise to remove the entire layer from top to bottom instead of leaving just the top with its red edges.

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I think there is hope for it. It is still green.

I put the baby in its own clay pot.

I put mother and attached bulb in a small pot containing a mixture of orchid soil and pumice. I tried to leave most of the bulb exposed.

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Although you cannot see it from the picture, there is a bit of space underneath the basal plate where the roots are exposed for about 1/4 inch right where the mother meets the bulblet. This was not intentional. It just happened.

My question is whether people think that I should leave things as they are, with the roots exposed or should I add a bit more soil?

Looking at your pictures, I would have seperated those last bulblets so that those cuts would have enough air circulation. give the mother bulb like a "clean start". This would also help the mother bulb recover faster. Bottom watering is a MUST for these situation.

The roots being exposed would not be a problem...for a while. Your Papilio can bloom like this. After that, the basal plate or sides of it will need some contact with moisture to encourage new root growth. No new roots will mean no nutrition uptake and bulb shrinkage/stress.

Maria is right... very good advice.

Since some grow their Papilios more as epiphytes, exposing the roots is not a problem. However, as Maria says, the basal plate will need contact with the medium and some moisture if new roots are to grow. Allow the bulb to heal and grow as it is... and then, add a bit more medium.

I would bottom water... at least until the bulb heals and shows signs of new growth and healthy looking layers drying out and shedding.

It might be prudent to remove those extra babies... just so Mom bulb isn't putting her energy into feeding them instead of healing. It's possible to get roots to grow on those tiny guys, but even if you have to sacrifice them, you'll be saving Mom bulb and forcing her to use energy to heal herself.

Good luck! I hope it works out for the best.

Maria and Jodi,

I think you are right. I will remove the extra babies. Then I can repot it so that just the basal plate is covered.

I suppose it might be prudent to wait a bit before I do this. I'm thinking of waiting a week or so.

When you bottom water, how do you know when the bulb has absorbed all that it wants? I do have a wick in the pot. The idea was to wick extra water out, but, obviously, it will wick water in.

I could be wrong, but I'd say that after a couple of hours all the moisture that can be absorbed by the medium has been absorbed, and so after a few hours, you can dump the saucers. I would not allow any water to sit in the saucers over night!

Also note... when bottom watering, the soil surface can look and feel dry, but down where the roots are, it can be plenty moist. So, be certain to check for needed moisture before watering! Use you finger or a bamboo skewer, but do check!

I let my treated sick bulbs air dry unpotted for at least 1 week.

Your finger is your best tool in knowing if they had enough water. The top soil does not need to be wet. Only the part of the potting soil where the roots are should be wet.

I agree... I've got a moisture meter, but I don't trust its accuracy. The bamboo skewer method works fairly well, but the best judge of all is your own sense of touch. I stick my finger down as far as it will go into the medium to test for moisture. If I'm at all unsure, I wait.

More plants and bulbs have been killed by improper watering practices than any other method or problem! It's imperative that a good gardener learn how to water properly.

My Mother used to water her houseplants once a week... whether they needed it or not! It's not surprising to learn that she killed almost every plant she ever had! Plants can only take up so much moisture, and for bulbs, avoiding excess moisture sitting in the soil is very important.

It is time for an update on Papillio.

Not only did it survive, it bloomed!

When I last posted, I had planned to remove the remaining bulblets. However, I got side-tracked and when I took another look, it was obvious that the mother was growing. The bulblets were green too. I decided to leave well enough alone.

By March 11, a little more than a month after potting, I decided to straighten it out a bit so that there would be less chance of it toppling over when it bloomed.

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When it did bloom, I needed to straighten it a bit more. I should have used a larger pot. The bulblets don't have much room. Oh well, too late now.

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Here are some close ups:
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I've added a little more soil on top so that the bottom edges of the bulblets are covered. I hope that will encourage the bulblets to develop their own roots. It would be nice to save them too.

Awesome news Java! I'm so thrilled to see the blooms and that mother and baby bulbs are doing well!

Those blooms are simply magical! Good growing!

-Frank

Awesome job, saving your bulb!!! It is amazing how with just a little knowledge, patience and caring, such beauty can be the result.

Oh, my! So very beautiful! Just look at that mint green painted with burgundy! That is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous Papilio Butterfly I've seen in bloom so far! I absolutely adore those flowers!

You did an excellent job of saving that bulb! You should be very proud! :-)

I'm so glad we could all help you with a bit of advice... and I'm so happy that the bulb not only survived, it felt as though it should repay you with those spectacular blooms! Wow! I'm really thrown by that color! It's... it's... spectacular!

Most awesome! Wonderful growing! And thank you for the update, and for sharing such fabulous photos!

Good save, java! Sounds like you got some good advice, too. I love the rescue bulb - or rescue anything - it makes success much sweeter. Congrats. Alana

Great job saving the papilio. Sure is pretty!

I agree that this has been a group save. I never would have known what to do without the suggestions from the group.

I hope that I will have more positive results to share from my other attempts to save bulbs. The jury is still out on those, except to say that they aren't dead yet. Where there's life ... and all that.

Absolutely! Bulbs are survivors, if nothing else! You'd be surprised how one little piece of a bulb with part of the basal plate still attached will struggle to grow!

I, too, hope that your other results are positive. I hope my own results on Emerald net some new bulblets. Time will tell. It's the first cuttage I've ever had to do, but I followed the instructions laid out by those who have gone before me, and they have met with success. I have every reason to believe that these pieces will survive.

Even without total success, it's a very good learning experience. It's also a good lesson in patience!