Neo keiki leaf browning, roots are a little dry

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You can use tap water with Neofinetia.

[Jmoney]

neos can tolerate periods of dryness but most would not consider that optimal. they thrive in moss mounds since they like more moisture than the big vandas. they do not grow well in summer heat. my grow room got to the upper 80s in the summer and their growth definitely slowed down.

your plant does not look like it has much roots, so it would not surprise me that it would shed some leaves. keep up the humidity and airflow and it will grow new roots.

[alecStewart1]

Originally Posted by Jmoney

your plant does not look like it has much roots, so it would not surprise me that it would shed some leaves. keep up the humidity and airflow and it will grow new roots.

It looks like a pretty young plant to begin with, now that I think about it.

I'll keep up the day time humidity and I'll probably water it tonight as the moss this morning felt like it was finally starting to get to being dry. I'll keep using the diluted Kelpak solution these next few waterings to try to see if I can promote some more root growth.

[Roberta]

Also be patient... even with pampering, it will slow down in winter. So you need to give it the love to keep it going, but don't expect a lot of action until next spring.

[alecStewart1]

Alright, I'm starting to wonder if there's something else going on.

The little dude has lost 3 leaves from just brushing up against other plants when I took it out to water with the diluted kelpak solution. The plant has 3 leaves left. All 3 leaves that came off did so pretty cleanly, again, no mushy bits or anything.

The moss was dry but not crispy when I took the plant out to water it.

The keki lost it big leave from...well I don't even think I bumped/brushed/touched it or anything. But the axis that meets the tsuke was brown, but it's not mushy brown like rot.

Would pests be causing any of this?

I hope I can save this little guy!

[Jmoney]

If you just got it, and this is happening, then perhaps it got fried from shipping (or frozen). if you have had it a while, then I'm afraid it's probably some type of infection. unpot it, and keep it dry for a week, maybe treat with whatever you have, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. if it's any solace this does occur rarely, and may not be from anything you did (I lost a small but nice fuji fukurin out of nowhere last year, just up and rotted in the winter). also if it's any solace it's not hard to get another nishide.

I would also suggest getting a new neo to keep your spirits up.

[alecStewart1]

Originally Posted by Jmoney

If you just got it, and this is happening, then perhaps it got fried from shipping (or frozen). if you have had it a while, then I'm afraid it's probably some type of infection.

Damn. I've had it for not quite 2 months. I'll see how the other leaves are doing once I get back home tonight.

At best, I can spray it down with BioAdvanced 3-in-1 and maybe some Neem oil solution.

Would soaking the plant in a solution with the Quantum Total Plant Probiotics I got from Ray help here at all?

EDIT:

Only things I can think of that might've caused this is:

1. Underwatering
2. The grow cabinet is pretty packed

The first is obvious, since the start of the post that was the prevailing issue.

The second I'd wonder about, but then I would question why other plants are doing fine. I've even cleaned the glass, walls and shelves of the cabinet with 91% rubbing alcohol just to make sure everything is clean for the plants.

I've in fact gotten a few other Neos, one from Peter T. Lin that's a sumi variety and a couple others from other vendors. I'll watch them and make sure to spot stuff early, if there's anything of note. So far they're all normal, great even, but it's only been a couple of weeks. The Nishi is the only one in moss, the rest are in a bark mix that drys pretty quick to where I need to water almost every other day.

I made sure to look all of them over and keep them away from the other plants for a couple of days to make sure there were no pests or signs of viruses. The sumi plant makes you worry at first, until you realize it's just the normal sumi "inking."

[Jmoney]

we all have packed plants, not ideal, but if you have enough air movement then doubtful that's the issue. humid+stagnant = rot
dry + hot also leads to rot for me, especially with paphs/phrags.

neos like humidity. with airflow. if your moss took a week to dry out, then that's not great. within 3-4 days is better.

I have personally had this pop up a couple times, and I think the prospects of rescue are dim. just being honest.

[alecStewart1]

Originally Posted by Jmoney

if your moss took a week to dry out, then that's not great. within 3-4 days is better.

Yea I'm going to see what I can do about that. I think it'll just be a matter of putting the guy near a fan and taking it out of the cabinet at night. Or putting all of them over by the South/East facing window.

Originally Posted by Jmoney

I have personally had this pop up a couple times, and I think the prospects of rescue are dim. just being honest.

Well, I'll be dammed if I don't at least try. I'll

1. unpot the guy
2. dust the guy with some of the sulfur fungicide I have
3. let that sit for 5 minutes
4. dunk it in a solution with the Quantum Total
5. let it dry out
6. leave it unpotted
7. repeat the process the next day
8. keep a solution of the Quantum Total ready to water other plants with as a precaution

[estación seca]

What were the temperatures in there? I think in most homes Neos would do better on a windowsill than in a terrarium.