mtssa help, please

[VickiC]

Hi,
I have an orchid labeled "mtssa Shelby" (well, it looks like the word "shelby")....that I noticed day before yesterday had something wrong going on. I looked closer and found powdery white dust, so from what I have gathered, it is powdery mildew (??) There is also a yellow leaf. I had ordered some things from FirstRays and one item was Physan 20. I rec'd my order today, so I had planned to treat it with the Psysan 20. ?? Should I drench the roots/and the whole plant with it? Next question: Are the black roots dead? Also, should I leave the "inner root threads" of the mushy ones I removed? I attached 2 pictures, so if you don't mind taking a look at them and then let me know what to do, I would appreciate it.
Thanks in advance,
Vicki

[Dorothy]

Mtssa = Miltassia = Miltonia X Brassia

Perhaps you mean Shelob ?
Mtssa. Shelob = Mtssa Olmec x Brs. Edvah Loo
Hawaii Blooms - Miltassia Shelob

There are a number of cultivars for this hybrid -
Mtssa. Shelob 'Tolkien' - Mtssa. Shelob 'Tolkien', (Mtssa. Olmec x Brassia Edvah Loo), Orchids, orchid, orchids, Orchid Growers
Mtssa. Shelob 'Everglades' AM/AOS - Mtssa. Shelob 'Everglades' AMAOS
Miltassia Shelob 'Red Spider' - Vivi's Orchid Corner - Miltassias - Miltassia Shelob 'Red Spider' - July 2005
Mtssa. Shelob 'Webmaster' HCC/AOS - Mtssa. Shelob 'Webmaster' HCC/AOS photo - Cindie Molnar photos at pbase.com
Mtssa Shelob 'Woodlands Star' HCC/AOS - Page Title

[Dorothy]

For those who aren't aware -
Shelob is the giant spider in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings second volume - The Two Towers
Shelob - http://intertwingled.net/images/lotr/Shelob.jpg

To learn more - read here - Shelob - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[masda]

Black roots are dead roots and should be removed along with the inner threads, remove the dead sheaths off the stems then dip it in to Psysan diluted a little with water and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. The best thing to to do next is to wrap the plant in damp spaghnum moss and repot. keep the moss damp not wet, check for new root growth in a couple of weeks, when the plant has a good bunch of new roots, repot into whatever potting mix you use next spring or leave it in the moss.(Don't over water)

[Gin]

What I do is take the root between my thumb and index finger and apply slight pressure if not good they will feel soft and squishy , some people leave the core thread on to help anchor the plant . I would treat the whole plant .Looking at the picture the roots don't look very good but it is hard to tell for sure ... Hope this helps . Gin

[D&S Mabel]

I feel your pain... your roots look like some of mine when the plant has gotten too much water. I grow mine outside and the combination of spaghnum moss in the mix and almost daily rain seems to be the root my problems.

I get better results with my Miltassia (not sure of the plural) and onc.s when grown in straight orchid mix with no moss and the plant has the chance to dry out between the rains.

[Ross]

Think those that responded all touched on this. The roots you show look pretty sad. I'm not saying dead, but the coffin is near I would try to dry this puppy out by leaving it out of the pot, but in a large baggy with a wet sponge off to one side (for humidity.) I would use some Cinnamon liberally over the whole root structure and base of plant to dry it out and disinfect it. Once new roots emerge (as we hope they will ) then consider going back to a drier mix like a coarse bark mix with chunky charcoal. It's usually called "medium" mix.

[VickiC]

Yes, I see now that the word is Shelob, Dorothy. Thanks for clearing it up for me and for all the info, too.
Vicki

Originally Posted by Dorothy

Mtssa = Miltassia = Miltonia X Brassia

Perhaps you mean Shelob ?
Mtssa. Shelob = Mtssa Olmec x Brs. Edvah Loo
Hawaii Blooms - Miltassia Shelob

There are a number of cultivars for this hybrid -
Mtssa. Shelob 'Tolkien' - Mtssa. Shelob 'Tolkien', (Mtssa. Olmec x Brassia Edvah Loo), Orchids, orchid, orchids, Orchid Growers
Mtssa. Shelob 'Everglades' AM/AOS - Mtssa. Shelob 'Everglades' AMAOS
Miltassia Shelob 'Red Spider' - Vivi's Orchid Corner - Miltassias - Miltassia Shelob 'Red Spider' - July 2005
Mtssa. Shelob 'Webmaster' HCC/AOS - Mtssa. Shelob 'Webmaster' HCC/AOS photo - Cindie Molnar photos at pbase.com
Mtssa Shelob 'Woodlands Star' HCC/AOS - Page Title

[VickiC]

I started working on it shortly after I read Masda's post. After I trimmed everything, I let the plant sit and dry for about 45 mins., because it was really wet. After that, I soaked all of the plant for about 10 mins in the Physan 20 that I rec'd today from First Rays. I then wrapped it in sphag and repotted it. It's now sitting in sick bay with my other patients (yes, I have other sick chids, too, unfortunately)

I have no idea what happened to it, unless it wasn't getting enough light to balance out the amount of water I have been giving it. I thought it was doing fine...no new growth...but looked pretty healthy...at least on the outside it did. Seems like all of a sudden the plant started looking "not so good" then, as I said, day before yesterday I found white powder on it. From there, everything's gone downhill.

If new roots do start (and I don't feel good about this happening...but of course I hope I'm wrong), then I most likely will move it into some BetterGro orchid mix that I have. Wish us luck.
Thanks again,
Vicki

Originally Posted by Ross

Think those that responded all touched on this. The roots you show look pretty sad. I'm not saying dead, but the coffin is near I would try to dry this puppy out by leaving it out of the pot, but in a large baggy with a wet sponge off to one side (for humidity.) I would use some Cinnamon liberally over the whole root structure and base of plant to dry it out and disinfect it. Once new roots emerge (as we hope they will ) then consider going back to a drier mix like a coarse bark mix with chunky charcoal. It's usually called "medium" mix.

[VickiC]

Thank you. As I was saying to Ross, I'm guessing that not enough light to balance out the water I've been giving it is most likely the cause of the problem, so I'm sure you are right.....basically too much water.
Vicki

Originally Posted by D&S Mabel

I feel your pain... your roots look like some of mine when the plant has gotten too much water. I grow mine outside and the combination of spaghnum moss in the mix and almost daily rain seems to be the root my problems.

I get better results with my Miltassia (not sure of the plural) and onc.s when grown in straight orchid mix with no moss and the plant has the chance to dry out between the rains.