Sharry baby needs your help - Orchid Board

Phyrex · #1 06-24-2009, 01:50 PM

I am a little worried about my Sharry Baby. I've posted pictures before and everyone said that the yellow is okay and that it would need more moisture since the leaves were so pleated. I've given it more water and food but the younger pbulbs just sit there and haven't moved for the last couple of months. I'm about to pull it out of the pot to check the roots but I wanted to check with you first to make sure that pulling it out is the best option. If I wanted to repot it should I just put it back in S/H or move it to some other medium? I'm assuming the roots are nicely adjusted to S/H by now so moving it to a different medium would only hurt.

Zoi2 · #2 06-24-2009, 02:59 PM

Did you have nice new root growth before you put the plant in s/h? Anytime you change media from a bark type to a water type, you will have root loss due to the aclimation process. During this process it is "iffy" that your plant will get the required amount of moisture (water) it needs if there are no new roots growing. Pulling the plant out of the s/h to check the roots is a good idea and will not stress the plant too bad.
Joann

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 06-24-2009, 03:00 PM

I think that the pot looks pretty big for this plant.

I also think your instinct is correct on this one. Pull the plant out and check the roots.

But do keep in mind if you didn't know already, pleated leaves will stay pleated for the rest of their lives. Your only hope of having the plant look "perfect" is in the new shoots.

The yellowing could also be overexposure to light, but I'm not sure.

If water and light is not the issue, nutrition might be it.

BTW it's common for the new shoots to just sit there and do nothing for a bit. Plants grow in spurts too.

Jorch · #4 06-24-2009, 04:25 PM

I'm not sure if you have rotated the plant or not, but to me, the yellowing seem to occur on the side facing the window, so it might just be over exposure to light.

Doc G · #5 06-28-2009, 01:48 AM

You didn't say what kind of light it was getting. I've actually found that a little more light has ended pleating in my plants. Also, in one of the pictures, it looks as if part of the plant is too deep in the leca which could cause a rot problem.

Ray · #6 06-28-2009, 07:51 AM

I have found that more often than not, leaf pleating is due to a lack of humidity, not insufficient water.

Judging by that, the overall color, and the leaf-tip burn, I would speculate that the plant simply isn't being grown with the correct overall culture - warm, bright (not direct sun), with a fair amount of food and plenty of water.

The yellow color could be an indication of a chemistry issue - pH, fertilizer concentration and/or frequency, not flushing the reservoir properly when watering/feeding, doing so too infrequently, etc.

As to the pot size - I put a 2.5" Sharry Baby into a 12" pot once as an experiment. Plant grew like wild fire. I didn't bloom until it had filled the pot, but when it did...WOW! At least a dozen huge spikes.