Leaf tips on Encyclia turning brown. What does this signify?

[Claire25]

It sounds like your decision to move it into a bigger pot and to use clay pots for your 'chids is right on, considering your conditions. I bet you'll have success with these plants...I was thinking it would be every bit of four years before I saw blooms on this one, but as stefpix describes, this is totally dependant on the conditions you provide. Not to scare you, but I do have an Encyclia in bloom this summer for the first time that I got as a seedling about six years ago (I think)...but it took so long because it was pretty thoroughly neglected for a period of time. It could bloom as soon as three years if it makes a lot of progress under ideal conditions. I'm not very familiar with dickinsoniana, this being my first time as well with the plant, but if it behaves like other Encyclias I know it should be very sturdy.

Claire

PS I totally agree with you regarding the use of clay pots. I also find that using them takes some of the guesswork out of watering, and they definitely help the roots to "breathe." In fact, I have a Cattleya walkeriana that was sulking in glazed, nonporous ceramic that totally perked up once I moved it into unglazed clay...

[stefpix]

If you want something blooming size you could buy a larger one maybe from Oakhill (they mostly sell young plants / seedlings but they are way larger than what that vendor on ebay selld). I just got a nice plump Encyclia tampensis at Wellspringgardens (was not listed on ebay but they wrote me they had it for direct sale) and I was happy, even if I wonder if 3 PBs are enough for blooming. They sell mostly tropical plants not orchids, and I bought a couple of Musa (bananas) that came in a 2 / 3 inch pot and in just 5 months got 20" tall and is in a 10" pot or so. Both vendors have convenient shipping rates (with Oakhill it is better to order 4/ 5 items at least). Or you can find blooming sizes Encyclias sometimes at Lowes sold by Better-Gro.

[cythaenopsis]

Hey Claire, thanks for the encouragement. Inspired by your recommendation, I'm going to start giving my dickinsoniana a few hours of direct sun a few times per week. If she shows some positive response from that, I'll step it up to more like daily exposure for a few hours. That's one of the very few great things about being out of work--one can move plants around as the daylight shifts during the day.

Judging by the rate of growth I've seen so far, I'm also thinking stepfix is right--3 years at best before seeing flowers. Unless... well, been having an idea of creating a mini greenhouse contraption, with temperature sensitive fan and automatic moisture control. Maybe that might shorten the time by a year.

Stepfix, that's great to hear your donation to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden has been thriving. I've not been over there in a while--I should make a point to visit soon. If possible I'd like to buy a more mature but young plant in the local area, instead of shipping it. There is a Lowes not too far from where I live, but their selection is a bit lacking. Mostly phals, as is typical for these stores. However, they did have one interesting species a little different from phalaenopsis, without a name tag of course (couldn't even find a price tag). I'll have to do a little digging around for local plant shops. Once I've rearranged my living space for more optimal conditions and quantity, of course.