Hi Chinh,

I cringe when I think that someone actually sent you that bulb, let alone for a replacement!
It looks really bad, hopefully not too far gone to do something with but I have serious doubts. First thing I would do is to cut off 3/4 of the basal plate which appears to be grossly overgrown and then you will be able to determine if the rot has progressed through the entire bulb which I'd bet it has. You could try chipping, but I think you would have to have a healthy bulb or at least a good amount of healthy tissue to start with.

I won't ask who the seller is but could you tell us the name of this poor unfortunate bulb? Hopefully it's one you can buy elsewhere.

When you notify the seller that once again you have received a rotten bulb and send pictures, going through EBay sends the correspondence to them also. This I feel keeps the seller a little more honest (hopefully in this case) and you should probably at this time request a refund.

Please let us know how you make out and what lurks in the center of this poor bulb.

Best of luck,

Donnaâºâº

Unbelievable!! I hope you complained to both eBay and the seller.
Your best bet may be to cut out the half that is rotten. Dust the cut surface with Captan powder or liberally with cinnamon. Let the bulb dry for a day and replant it with just the basal plate in the soil. If that fails, then you could start the cuttage experiment, and you'll wait 2-3 years for blooms.

It's just not to right that someone would ship something like that!!

I know others will add to this discussion to share what has worked for them.
When I helped a friend transplant neatly 70 bulbs from a single pot, I accidentally sliced nearly half off 3 bulbs. We treated them with cinnamon and they are thriving. They were healthy to begin with and that could make a difference.

Good luck!
K

Donna and Kristi, thank you for your replies! This poor guy is supposed to be Black Pearl. When I received it, it looked fine, minus a soft spot. That soft spot unfortunately revealed such bad rot. I had a Rozetta in bad shape too but he is doing better now with some tlc...I will dig further to rid the rot today and try cinnamon on him. Wish me luck! If the rot is past the center, is it a lost cause? :( chinh