Has my Den had too much Nitrogen?

[lais817]

Title says it all, has it had too much Nitrogen or not enough light, or a mix of the two? Also, the terminal leaf always seems to fall "upside-down" and is unable to support itself, not sure if this is related to the above question or not.

[johnblagg]

does she ever bloom for you?

and what has happened to the leaves to damage them a bug or just die back on the edges?

[lais817]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

does she ever bloom for you?

and what has happened to the leaves to damage them a bug or just die back on the edges?

No, hasn't bloomed since I got her, and just a hungry grasshopper who met an unfortunate end with the leaves

[johnblagg]

ahh ok I hate that they can really do some damage.

I would not say it was to much nitrogen myself but I am not a expert come to the chat room some nite after about 7 pm and there will be lots of people who know more to advise you.

I get a few that twist at times but not often and I just use any fertilize I happen to have on hand but never urea based fert.I thought you plant looked good in general.mine never get full sun but they do get very bright light and they bloom every year.

do you know what kind it is? knowing what the tag says is going to help a lot to give you better culture for it.

[lais817]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

ahh ok I hate that they can really do some damage.

I would not say it was to much nitrogen myself but I am not a expert come to the chat room some nite after about 7 pm and there will be lots of people who know more to advise you.

I get a few that twist at times but not often and I just use any fertilize I happen to have on hand but never urea based fert.I thought you plant looked good in general.mine never get full sun but they do get very bright light and they bloom every year.

do you know what kind it is? knowing what the tag says is going to help a lot to give you better culture for it.

It's a phal type Den, called "Banyad", looks pretty much like this


Other than the rangy leaves and the lack of flowers, this bugger has really taken off. Our monsoon season is about to start so it's gotten really hot and humid (37 degrees C or so most days, 90% or higher). The newest lead was up in about a 3 weeks from the moment it appeared to fully grown, and the roots have just exploded. Gets full sun for a few hours in the afternoon and around 40-50% shade for the rest of the day.

No urea based fertilisers, just the good stuff, but I'm just not sure if I'm giving it too much of a good thing. All of the Dens which work buys in (I work at a hardware/garden store, big out door nursery) from our local orchid grower all have much shorter canes and smaller, thicker more oval shaped leaves, which are also a bit darker too I might add.

[lais817]

Any idea on what causes the "twist"? I could ask the rep for the orchid place (owner operator) from work I guess, but I always feel like a fool

[johnblagg]

No I really do not have a clue on what is causing the twist but It does not appear to be hurting the plant to me.As for the darker grren at work that is influenced by how much sun they get more sun for orchids usually means lighter green to yellowish leaves and is good for some types like Catts in fact necessary for some to bloom so I would not be concerned about that as long as they are not sunburnt.

And never feel foolish for asking ..the only foolish question is the one you did not ask that ended up killing your plant.We all have new things to learn all the time when growing orchids or anything else.

[johnblagg]

Oh By the way post this in the den part of the forums and you will be more likely to get a better answer

[lais817]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

No I really do not have a clue on what is causing the twist but It does not appear to be hurting the plant to me.As for the darker grren at work that is influenced by how much sun they get more sun for orchids usually means lighter green to yellowish leaves and is good for some types like Catts in fact necessary for some to bloom so I would not be concerned about that as long as they are not sunburnt.

And never feel foolish for asking ..the only foolish question is the one you did not ask that ended up killing your plant.We all have new things to learn all the time when growing orchids or anything else.

Thanks John, I knew that the colour of the leaves was an indication of light levels, which is part of the reason I can't work out why it hasn't given me a flower yet. And I know with the questions, it's just that everytime I see this poor woman I ask her 300 different ones lol. I'll try in the Den forums too, good idea.

In case anybody is interested, this is one of our local growers Jenny's Orchid Garden | orchids from around the world

[quiltergal]

I don't think it's too much N. Phal type Dens are typically pretty heavy feeders most of the time so I don't think that's your issue. When was the last time you checked the roots? How often do you water? When it's blazing hot outside these could probably be watered daily. The floppy leaf might be an indicator of not enough water.