HELP PLEASE! SEDIREA JAPONICA QUESTION

[Leisurely]

About a months ago I received a Sedirea japonica that was mounted with only a few strands of coconut fiber attached to the piece of wood on which it was growing. The leaf span is about 5" and the leaves seem somewhat dessicated with some browning at the tips on the older leaves. There are at least six newer roots with green root tips. The plant is also making a flower spike.

My first inclination was to un-mount it and plant it in a small clay pot with sphagnum but I ended up leaving it on the mount instead and wrapped it loosely in good quality sphagnum thinking that the plant would benefit from the extra moisture.

I am open for suggestions because I had one of these plants previously and it bloomed during the first spring that I had it and did not bloom again for the next two years. It looked very healthy with real thick leaves and a nice medium green color and lots of white roots. I believe I thought I could force it to bloom by mounting it. Mistake!! One healthy looking leaf at a time dropped until therel was nothing left but roots.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It behaves similarly to Phals. If you've only got roots on your older Sedirea japonica, it may still be alive and could still recover.

Was this the answer you were looking for?

Or was there more?

[Becca]

Well crap! The roots look like they are good from what I can see. What is your humidity like? What is your watering regimen, temps, and lighting for it? I have one that is mounted on a cork slab with moss around the roots. I occasionally swap the moss out when the old get's yucky. I haven't had any problems with growing conditions other then no roots and some dang pests (not sure what) got to the crown and damaged it and it has since produced a new growth that is still very young. Perhaps if you can answer some of the questions I asked at the beginning of this it might help us to help you!

[LinhT]

Jerry, I had bad reading scores on my ACT's years ago and I believe nothing has changed. I read this post 5 times but I'm still not sure which plant you're talking about. The plant in those photos...is that the plant you JUST got a month ago? Or the one you've had for a while??

Assuming this is the plant you just got recently...

How often have you been fertilizing it since you ADDED more moss onto the mount? Since moss retains fertilizer longer than other media (ie. bark), it may be that many of your roots inside the layers of moss are burned. Sedireas and Neos seem to be more sensitive to fertilizer. I have 5 Sedireas and this happened to my regular Nagoran. The leaves stay wrinkled once damage like this is done but with arrival of Spring (more light, warmer temps) it should start busting out with new roots and a new leaf. If you remove the old media and repot it in fresh moss in some kind of "airy" pot, I think it could be ok. I've had good luck keeping them in the moss mound in net pots or some kind of pot with side slits/ holes or porous clay pots. During the growing season, I only fertilize these plants once a month since I have them in moss mounds. I give them a winter rest along with the neos. During this time, I stop fertilizing when all active growth has halted. Hope this helps. The issue that some of these Japanese orchids are very sensitive to fertilizer and the browning of your leaf tips leads me to think it was a fertilizer burn situation.

[quiltergal]

I think it just got too dry pure and simple. I have mine potted in a plastic pot in CHC mix. The first pot it was in had lots more slits in the bottom and around the sides and it seemed to be perpetually dry. The plant didn't shrivel like yours but it didn't thrive either. I repotted last spring into a plastic pot that's a little less "airy". It still gets enough air but the pot doesn't dry out quite as quickly. I've had it for 3 years and it's about to bloom for the first time. I think they bloom when they're good and ready, and not one minute sooner!

Keep an eye on it and see if the new growth looks better. I'd think daily watering with the new sphag will keep it happier.

[vmax3000]

Hi Jerry,
I read through the posts and thought the experience shared was pretty good. My one question would be: how's your humidity? Along with being light feeders, they do like it on the humid side. I have S. japonica mounted (and the moss is getting icky, so after the blooms fade, I will replace with some fresh sphagnum ) and it's in the cooler end of my greenhouse with my pleuros. I have it higher up so it gets a little more light, but it's very close to the humidifier.
Good growing to you

[Gin]

Mine is mounted with very little Spag . I has been here about 3 years bloomed last year and is in bud now , it gets medium light I did have it with the Phals . and it did not bloom until it was moved to brighter light , I water it daily if the sun is out if not then about every other day it is in the greenhouse . It gets Msu Fert along with the rest of the bunch .. hope this helps a little .. Gin

[John D.]

Should they be mounted roots up like a Phal, or leaves up?

Thanks
John

[Becca]

I have mine mounted roots down, leaves up.

[vmax3000]

Mine is mounted leaves up, too.