Ludisia discolor care help, please

[RosieC]

Yeah, I agree about the colour being a lot of the attraction in these.

Any ideas what else might mean hers is putting on so much growth while mine just sits there stagnant. Mine is in low light and similar temps to hers but just sits there.

[Steverino]

Assuming the potting mixture is the same or similar hers might have better roots but more likely it’s the increased light she’s giving it. But remember in the long run I don’t think the faster growth is a good trade off for the lack of beauty and richness of the leaf color. Look at them a couple months down the road if you had to choose which one you would rather have I think you would choose the smaller one.

Stagnate is a good adjective Rosie they do seem that way especially when they’re young. You have to be patient with the JO’s some varieties will drive you up the wall with their slow growth which is why there are few growers of JO’s except for the Ludisia which is the fastest grower of them all. While it will never be speedy gonzales it will get going faster than you think.

Be sure to fertilize at least every 10 days to 2 wks with 20-20-20 at half strength. Foliar feed as foliar absorption far exceeds root absorption but be sure to use distilled or RO water otherwise the leaves will get stained. Proper fertilizing will help accelerate the growth.

In addition mist with distilled water 2 or 3 times a day depending on the humidity. Also be sure to mist with a very fine mist you don’t want water standing on the leaves.

[RosieC]

Thanks, good advice there.

The potting mix is the same. I bought both of them from the same place at the same time.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I'm keeping mine too dry. I looked at hers again and it is looking wetter in the media than mine. I've been trying to let it dry between watering (I'm scared of getting root rot) and it can take almost a month to dry out. She is watering hers at least every two weeks regardless of whether it is dry or not.

Also your misting tip is a good one, it may be in too low humidity so I will try misting to see if that helps.

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[KHaze]

Hi Vicki! Like you I have mostly been asking questions since I joined the OB. My orchid knowledge is very small...but I have been growing other plants for years and I'm concerned with the size of the pot that you have your Ludisia in. It looks much to big for it.

If the pot is too big, the soil that has no roots in it will never dry out. You get all kinds of problems from that. I lost a few African violets that way when I first started growing them. They got root rot from always being in wet soil. I would definitely put your Ludisia in a smaller pot.

Good luck!

[Steverino]

Hi,
Ludisia discolor will do best with a well drained soil like the one you have although there are many other combinations of mixes that work equally well. I use sphagnum, coconut fiber, fir bark and a bit of charcoal.
When they’re small with little root structure they will grow on sphagnum moss alone.

They should be kept in low light and the soil should be kept moist but not soggy. The ideal temperature should be 75 to 80 degrees and humidity 75% to 80%. They will tolerate humidity as low as 60% but higher is better. They like to be misted with a very fine mist 2 or 3 times per day with distilled or RO water especially if the humidity is low. They absorb water through foliage much better than the roots.

Fertilizer with 20-20-20 by fine foliar misting at 1/2 strength once a week and fertilize roots at 1/4 strength once per month. They are an ideal terrarium or orchidarium plant. Hope this helps.

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[VickiC]

Hi Steverino,
Thank you.....you have given me a lot of good advice.
Vicki

Originally Posted by Steverino

Hi,
Ludisia discolor will do best with a well drained soil like the one you have although there are many other combinations of mixes that work equally well. I use sphagnum, coconut fiber, fir bark and a bit of charcoal.
When they’re small with little root structure they will grow on sphagnum moss alone.

They should be kept in low light and the soil should be kept moist but not soggy. The ideal temperature should be 75 to 80 degrees and humidity 75% to 80%. They will tolerate humidity as low as 60% but higher is better. They like to be misted with a very fine mist 2 or 3 times per day with distilled or RO water especially if the humidity is low. They absorb water through foliage much better than the roots.

Fertilizer with 20-20-20 by fine foliar misting at 1/2 strength once a week and fertilize roots at 1/4 strength once per month. They are an ideal terrarium or orchidarium plant. Hope this helps.

[syspila]

My Ludisia discolor is outside in shade all summer and is beautiful. Winter it is kept near a South facing window and it stays very gorgeous and velvety with red vein colors...a very beautiful plant that sends up its infloresences in late January and early February.

[LadySoren]

Hello, my husband just bought me one of these. All I had before were Phals (almost 1 year, so I'm still a beginner).
I accidentally lifted a portion of it out of the pot and I'm like "what is it??"
Does anyone has pics of the roots and such cuz, if you compare it to a phal, it is bald. Maybe the roots are really thin like "hair" vs "noodles" on phals? lol idk how else to explain.
I don't know anything about their anatomy. I am also new to any sort of bulbous and/or diving plants. Whole new world.

I have some "citrus/cactus" soil mix that is fast draining that I use for my succulents. I'm thinking that would not be proper for repotting this because it would keep it too dry? I also have bark/charcoal/perlite mix for my phals. Could I mix that with normal potting soil? I'm just not really sure. I'll probably keep in in it's current soil that it came in for a few months until I find out everything I can about it's anatomy and growth habits. I literally just got it today.

[brianwstephens]

I love the amazing foliage. The leaves alone make this plant worthwhile.

[Bud]

we have almost similar grow zone....your plant is potted like a bonsai. You have to treat it like an orchid they want to be pot bound. Here is my thread link, it might help you with the culture.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...d-bloom-2.html