Brassia Rex sakata? Help!

[mommatonk]

I was given a beautiful Brassia Rex Sakata. It was in bloom. I was instructed to add 2 cubes of ices every two weeks; that's all. Could anyone give me more specific advice on how to care for this orchid? After having it a month now, it's not looking so good. Blooms have wilted and leaves are pale.

[Bud]

That is because you gave it ice.
Orchids are drenched by rains in the rainy season and rely on morning dew in the mornings of the dry season...
2 cubes of ice every 2 weeks will kill it.
Orchids are by nature tropical plants...they have never experienced frost or winter.
Whoever invented the ice cube technique is insane...lazy and irresponsible

soak your plant for five minutes in water...then every other day drench it under a sink until soaking wet for a week...then after a week of this waterings...wait for the media to dry and drench it under a sink once again...and then from then onwards look at the media if dry then water
now do some research on what fertilizer you are comfortable with and do it weekly weakly....
also take into consideration your room temperature, humidity and air flow....

[Slobo]

The ice cubes are real no no for any type of plants. That gimmick is invented to sell more plants. Don't fall into that trap. I'm not familiar with the particular plant, so somebody else will probably chime in with advise on a good routine to take care of your plant.

[Bud]

Culture of brassias is similar to that of cattleyas but with little more shade and should not be allowed to dry out completely.
Brassia is sometimes called the “Spider Orchid’.
Crosses of Brassia with other genera help increase plant vigor and flower size. These intergeneric crosses also help the plants to grow in a wider range of temperature and also make them a more forgiving plant for beginners.

Some of the crosses are:
Miltassia = Miltonia x Brassia
Aliceara = Brassia x Oncidium x Miltonia
Brassidium = Brassia x Oncidium

Temperature: 55 to 60 F night; 80 to 85 F during the day. If temperatures rise into the 90’s, increase humidity and air movement.

Light: A shadow should be detected when placing hand 10”-12” above plant. This is the quality of light required for at least 6 hours a day.
WATER: Always water plant in the morning with room temperature water. Watering should be thorough, and the medium should dry at least halfway through the pot before watering again. Frequency will depend on your climate, pot size and material (clay or plastic), and type of potting medium.

Humidity: 40-60%. If you do not have adequate humidity, place the plant above pebbles in saucer or tray filled with water making sure the pot is not sitting in the water.

Fertilizer: The easiest way to feed the orchid is to give it a weak solution (1//2 to 1/3 dilution) of fertilizer every time it is watered. Application of high nitrogen formulation (30-10-10) should be used in a bark-based medium. An even numbered formulation (20-20-20) should be used in other media or on slabs.

Potting
When the plant is outgrowing the pot or when the medium is breaking down and holding too much moisture (usually happens in 2 years) then it is time to repot. Potting should be done when new growth is about 4 inches tall. Use medium bark making sure the plant is positioned in the pot so that the newest growth is farthest away from the edge of the pot, allowing room for growth.

GOOD LUCK!

[Rowangreen]

It would be good if you could post some pictures. The blooms going might just be time, and yellowing leaves might just be natural too. Is it all the leaves or just some? Can you see roots and what's happening with them? What is it planted in?

The ice cube thing is just an advertising gimmick and not a good idea. The amount sounds really low for a Brassia too. What you need to do first is check you have it in a pot that can drain well. When you water use room temperature water and let it drain through. It's a good idea to take it to the sink to water. You can use lots of water as long as it can drain away quickly. You want to water when it's nearly dried out, but not totally. How often will depend on what it's potted in and conditions in your home.

It's very possible it has some issues going on with the roots. You might need to repot: again, pictures showing the roots would help people to help you.

[james mickelso]

I have a couple of Brassia Rex' and they are very easy to grow and flower. I have mine in a course bark/sponge rock/charcol media and water them when they feel dry. You can use a skewer but I prefer to lift the pot up and feel it's weight. Yellowing leaves can mean two things. One is when the leaf is getting old and giving up it's energy to feed the plant. Or shall we say it is older than the plant needs and the plant doesn't feed it anymore and it loses it's photosynthesizing ability. The second is more serious. The roots aren't able to absorb water because of rot and the leaves can't photosynthesize and then lose their color on the way to dying. People read where these plants like to be wet or watered a lot. They don't. These plants like to be moist but don't tolerate being wet constantly. They like to almost dry out before you water them again. They need to be kept less moist in winter or the pbulbs will rot. They should be a light green color. Not as light as catts but not medium or dark green. They need a fairly bright light. A little less than catts. When the new growth gets mature (as tall as the next older pbulb) then I switch to a bloom booster or a fertilizer with an N-P-K of 10-30-30 or similar. I use this every other or every third feeding at 1/4 strength. I fertilize my orchids every time I water but very lightly. Brassias don't like a high TDS or a lot of salt in their water. I use RO water from the machines outside of supermarkets. Around 30 cents a gallon. If you put them in too much light they burn easily (picture of burned leaf). They are very hardy and can take periods of high 30*f temps in winter for short periods at night but need to be kept dry if that low. You don't have to sweat having to water them at critical times. If they dry out for a couple days they will perk right back up when watered. Here are a couple pics of two of mine.