leaves dropping

[surtees]

Hi all. I am abit worried about my little orchid, it has dropped about 5 or 6 leaves now and each one looks a faded brown. Do orchids drop leaves before the growing season or some thing wrong with the little guy? here are some pictures that may be of some help. Any advice will be helpful.

[kindrag23]

What type is it? It looks to be in an awfully large pot for its size..
Did you also just water?

[Orchidreamer]

And please let us know your growing conditions, such as temperature, light, air movement, etc.

Do you see any signs of rot? You did mention "faded brown"...are the brown areas soft and spreading quickly? Poor air circulation can cause rot, which leads to leaves dying in quick succession. However, we can't diagnose the issue for sure without further information.

Just as a side note, is it a Sophronitis cernua?

[surtees]

I only water with rain water once a week and just enough to see water coming out the bottom. the temp is usually at 20 degrees celcius and 50% to 60% humidty I normally have a window open slightly. It was moved about 2 feet away from the window as I thought the morning light I get might be too strong as it is now spring and warming up. I did put a small fertiliser pellet on it as it had never been fertilised and I thought just 1 pellet would be sufficient. It is a slow release fertiliser, do you think this might be the issue?

---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 AM ----------

Oh and the leaves were still rather solid and not soft when they fell. the fallen leaves apart from the colour, were exactly the same as the other leaves.

[Island Girl]

Is that a Restripia? If so, it is potted way too deep... and, in too large of a pot.... Looks like it may be a little too damp as well, and although they do seem to like moisture, they don't want sopping-wet moisture. Did you repot this when you got it, or did it come this way? What is the name on the tag? That will help us guide you to the proper culture of this guy. Mine gets a good bit of morning sun (eastern), but you will wanna *gradually* introduce (any orchid) to brighter light.

I will say, that there are some "shorter stemmed" Restripias, that should look almost like this when potted, but I don't think there are many... As far as I know, most have slightly long stems... Which is why I'd like to know which species (or hybrid?) it is, so I can get you the proper advice. (I will pm an expert right now )

And, no, usually (as far as I know) orchids don't drop their leaves before the growing season begins... When it's over, there are some (not yours, tho ) that do, in fact, lose their leaves... But not these guys!

[Orchid Whisperer]

It does appear to be a Restrepia or a close relative (leaves on my Restrepia brachypus look a lot like this).

I agree, it looks to be potted too deep. It may not be too wet, though, as Restrepia seems OK with damp feet.

I would maybe remove a centimeter or two of medium from above the roots and see how it responds.

Also, I would not fertilize right now; if there is some sort of bacterial or fungal problem going on, the nitrogen can feed the fungi and bacteria, making matters worse. When it has recovered, feed with weak water-soluble fertilizer - no pellets.

Good luck.

[surtees]

Its a restrepia antennifera. Possibly a hybrid, I don't know, that's all that was written on the tag. I repotted it when I got it because the soil looked mouldy. I used the same media for potting soil as it came in (sphagnum moss) I also mixed in some perlite for drainage. I water it thoroughly once a week till I see water coming out the bottom. I shall remove some more soil around the roots and see how it responds. I know the pot is large for the little guy but it is the smallest I could get.

[surtees]

here are some new pictures. I just removed some extra soil around the base. is this good?

[vjo]

MUCH better!!

[surtees]

Im glad you approve. you mentioned the pot size being too large. should I get a smaller pot for it? and if so, could you please post a picture of one which would be small enough, just for an idea. thanks

---------- Post added at 06:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:27 PM ----------

Oh While on the subject of pot size. I have another orchid. I do not know the species as it was a gift and did not come with a tag. It gets abit more light than the restrepia in its position. I am curious about the bulb that seems to be growing at the base. and could you please advise me if I need to remove some soil or move it to a smaller pot? thank you for your help. all of you.