Leaf Drop on my Masdevallia Kimballiana! Help!

[blossom85]

Hello and Thanks for Reading. I have a Masdevallia Kimballiana that stopped blooming about 3 months after I got it. Besides that, it was very healthy until now. It has begun dropping adult leaves. The leaves are not brown or mushy nor yellow. I water once every week with 3 parts water and 1 part 10-20-10 liquid formula. The temp in my house is 74 F during the day and 65 F at night. They just drop off from the base and don't grow back. Please help!

[Becca]

What is it potted in? Is the potting medium staying most or drying out before watering? How is the crown of the plant looking (the part between the leaves).

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

What is the potting media?

What sized pot is it in in comparison to the root mass?

Are there any living roots on it at all?

With that said, here's what does stand out from your post, as of right now...

Watering once a week is rather harsh for a plant that loves water. Depending on the media you've got it in, you might just have to increase that to once every 2 days or everyday!

The temperature is fine for now.

Once a leaf drops, it's gone. Usually no new shoots will develop from the same stem where the leaf fell off. If they were starting to, they eventually die.

New shoots will usually come from stems with intact leaves. And when they establish themselves and grow, they grow like weeds!

You gotta take care of the problem 1st before expecting anything else from the plant.

A photo of the plant will help with other possible issues that are not being described by you as well.

[blossom85]

Hey guys thanks so much for helping. The planting medium is part parelite and part peat moss. I never let it dry out completely. I just keep it moist but not soggy. There are no visible live roots but the plant is 3" by 6" and has about seven leaves right now. There are no brown spots at the crown. The leaves look healthy at the crown but just come out when I move the plant.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

That sounds like major root loss. With that kind of damage, it's not likely it will survive, unless there are a few roots left along with a sufficient amount of leaves to recover.

Do you have a photo, just to make sure?

[blossom85]

Here are the photos of the orchid in crisis

[tcrane]

How's the air movement around the plant? I was having major leaf loss issues with my masdies until I set up a fan and made sure there was a slight breeze across the plant. Did wonders. It sounds like your medium and humidity aren't the issue, I'd give it some air and see what happens.

-Tristan

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I think the pot's too big.

Bring it down to a 2" pot. 2" short or 2" tall will depend on what's left of the roots. If I had to guess, the 2" short is the proper size.

[Becca]

To bad there isn't a deffinate diagnosis. I have a masdie that is doing the same thing and the roots are great and the pot size isn't to big. It seems that cooler temps are what help, but my temps are usually intermediate, low to mid 70s during winter days.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Becca

To bad there isn't a deffinate diagnosis. I have a masdie that is doing the same thing and the roots are great and the pot size isn't to big. It seems that cooler temps are what help, but my temps are usually intermediate, low to mid 70s during winter days.

What kind is it?