Last leaf dying on Psychopsis mariposa... :S

[cbennett4041]

Bad news, orchid friends: the last leaf on one of my Psychopsis mariposas is about to fall off. It's turned brown and shriveled. The pseudobulb is still green though, which can't be said for all of them. How bad is it for an orchid like this to drop all of its leaves?

Some background: I bought this plant from a regular flower shop in Jefferson City about four months ago. It was in dirt, quite nearly; the bark was decayed badly. It was thoroughly wet as well. I repotted into a clay pot that was too large. It bloomed once despite the pot and poor root conditions. The flower stem and one of it's two leaves browned quickly thereafter and dropped, leaving me with the one leaf and two bare pseudobulbs, one of which also turned brown. The leaf it has was crinkly yet green a week ago. It has since started its descent toward browness. Sometime before the browning started on the last leave I repotted into a far better fitting, clear plastic pot with ventilation slots.

The good news? I have a new leaf developing. I've included some pictures so you can tell me if you think it will develop all the way or die before it gets a chance.

Do you think this little guy will make it? My other mariposa is an alba... its a nice plant, but I really prefer the giraffe color scheme of this one. I hope she'll be all right! :S

My strategy to save her: sits on top of a humidity tray in my bathroom in front of a shaded south window with paphs and phals. I also mist every morning, and spray neem oil once a week (I had cottony scale a few weeks ago; none on this plant, just a precaution).

What do you think?

[cbennett4041]

Let me try this attachment stuff again.

[Merlyn]

to the forum ! A sad way to start but we've all been there, done that, and probably will happen again but hopefully less and less frequently as our experience grows !!! I hate to break it to you but the best I can say is don't get your hopes up ! And don't feel too bad, I'm not a novice and I killed a gorgeous 2 spike $55 Psychopsis and am busy trying to do the same to a seedling I recently got brave and purchased ! They ARE VERY sensitive plants ! They HATE being repotted and water on new growths kills them ! That's why mine died. Good luck !

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

I have those growing wild( well....Kramerianum sp.) on my property. Get rid of the beer glass it's growing in. They do better mounted on a piece of cork bark or tree fern and they like a daily soaking. Drenched, not misted..They also need AIR so they dry relatively quickly. That's a major issue. I'll post some root pictures tomorrow. The roots tell the whole story.

[Daethen]

I have a few of these. You are getting a new growth, so that is a good thing. I personally don't have any trouble when repotting, but they are not sick when I do it. You have a long road ahead of you to more blooms, but it is possible. I would say it needs more water. If it has no roots, this may be a challenge. How did the roots look when you last repotted? Again, mine are healthy, but I keep a little bit of water in the saucer under the pot most of the time. They are in a finer bark mix than you have used. Keep us updated and in my opinion, give it a drink.

[cbennett4041]

The roots weren't the best, but there were several. The top layer of bark is a litte more coarse than the bark underneath. I had to sift through my stash to find smaller pieces.

So what is the proper watering schedule for these, then? I've heard they need to dry completely, and yet I've also heard don't let them dry all the way. And now misting is a bad idea? Don't let the new growth get wet AT ALL? :S

Mounting is not an option for me; I have no way to keep it in the right conditions.... unless there is something about that I don't know too.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

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[Daethen]

I have had no trouble letting new growths get wet. I have a small fan running 24/7. I do mist occasionally to help the humidity. I was having trouble getting a spike to flower and asked other forum members what to do. I was advised to try a bit more light (you may wish to skip this for now as it is stressed) and to give it more moisture. A month or two later it flowered and has been going ever since.

[pedidiva]

My psychopsis had a horrible time this summer. I have 1 bulb with 1 leaf & 2 new ones starting. The lef on the other bulb just died & the one died prior to that. Mine is potted in a bark/perlite mix. I water when the skewer feels dry.

As long as you have new growth that's encouraging. I don't know if you can repot in a smaller pot. When I bought my psy., the vendor instructed me, in a severe manner BTW, to not disturb the older (wrinkly, dead to my eye) bulbs.

My plan is to keep on keepin' on & see what comes.

[Junebug]

I have a Mendahall Hildos and a few years ago it was in worse shape than yours. The day I decided to toss it I noticed that some very small new growths had emerged. The old shriveled bulbs plumped back up when the new growths grew roots. I wish I could say the plant fully recovered but I'm still struggling with it. Sometimes it grows well and sometimes it doesn't. Moisture on new growths has been the main cause of set backs. I have another noid Psychopsis that's been growing well. I have it underpotted in a well draining mixture of mostly hydroton mixed with a little bark and tree fern fiber. Good luck with your baby.

[Merlyn]

The thought just occurred to me that to water a Psych and not get it on the new growths could be done the way explained by Chaz Smith, a grower/vendor who gave a talk on rupicoulous Laelias (that's his thing). The way he explained to water the Laelias was "from the bottom" because they have the same problem and I will attest to that ! I lost 2 rupicolous Laelias when I left them outside in a 6 day torrential rain this summer !!! Anyway, you dunk them in water like a doughnut in coffee !!! Would work for Psychs too !! 20/20 hindsight for me but maybe will help someone else !