Cymbidium Orchid with Brown Tips

[Julflower]

Hi,

I was in the grocery store and saw what was tagged "Double Bloom Cymbidium Orchid" with beautiful peach flowers. I returned 3 days later to buy it and the flowers were dead and the manager offered it to me 1/2 off. I re-potted with Cymbidium potting material since it was potted poorly with no drainage. It's very large, in the pot about 4 feet tall. I read what I could about them, but I really have no idea. I sat it outside with morning sun, afternoon shade. Daytime around 80 degrees, nights around 50 degrees. Watering once a week, have not fertilized yet. Purchased Miracle Grow Orchid Food 30-10-10 for it. Tips of leaves are turning brown with black stripes (see pics). Please help!!

[RosieC]

I get this one mine and it just seems that the do that sometimes.

In Phrags it can be a sign of too high fertiliser but I don't think that's the case with these. Mine usually has a few leaves like this all the time, while newer leaves don't have it.

[FSUOrchids]

I have a larger Oncidium hybrid that does the same thing, since it has effectively the same kind of leaves. However, the plant is very healthy, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.

[Discus]

Cymbidiums seem to shunt "excess" salts into the tips of their old leaves; you'll see this with yellowing/blackish ends to older leaves.
You can minimise/halt further effects of this (but never reverse it) by correcting for the deficiencies in the culture of your plants.

In this case, give the plant a really good flushing with very low salt water (rain/reverse osmosis) water.

Cymbidiums are quite "thirsty" orchids and mostly seem to prefer to be kept on the "damp" side.

When you're trying to flush salts out, you're best off "double watering" - water thoroughly once, and then repeat again 20 minutes later; the first watering dissolves salts into the interstitial water, the second flushes it out.

Since using purer water and increasing frequency and amount of water to my cymbs, they've stopped doing this.

[WhiteRabbit]

True about mineral salts accumulating ... also, when foliage is starting to die back, leaf tips turn brown first.