restrepia dying?

[surtees]

hey guys. my restrepia is not looking good. all of its leaves have fallen off and is left with just a few stems. does this mean the plant is dead or will it come back with some patience? I have been watering it twice weekly as its summer here and I water it until water flows out the drainage hole. I have a picture of one of the leaves if this can be of help in identifying the problem. any help will be greatly appreciated. I hope its not the end for this little orchid.

[WhiteRabbit]

[hagfish]

Restrepias are included in a group of orchids known as pleurothallids. None have pseudobulbs and most of them are adapted to live in tropical alpine cloud forests. The temperature is anywhere between 50 to 75 F and I don't think there are any frosts. Cloud forests are shady, damp places. Fog keeps the substrate constantly moist. This is often the live moss growing everywhere. The general guidelines I use with these sorts of orchids are bright, indirect light, temperatures between 60 to 70F, reverse osmossis or distilled water and constant moisture. Being exposed to rainwater and living in trees means these orchids tend to be intolerant of the lime in hard tap water. Some however will tolerate it if it is allowed to run out the bottom of the pot. Another thing to avoid is allowing fertilizer buildup in the potting medium. Algae are a good sign there is too much nitrogen and this can harm some of the more delicate types. Give the plant repeated soakings in distilled water if the medium begins to get green and slimy. The medium itself is often long fiber sphagnum, although live sphagnum would probably suit these plants as well. Some pleurothallids have compensated for the lack of pseudobulbs by having especially thick leaves. My restrepia is very thick leaved, explaining perhaps why it tolerates a dry medium well. A pleurothallid which has lost all its foliage is in rather bad shape and recovery is questionable. Try to keep it cool and moist and hope for the best.

[surtees]

thans for the advice. I am keeping it moist. water twice a week and when I water it the sphagnum moss im keeping it in is almost dry, kind of damp to the touch. do you think it was over watering that caused this? and how long till I know if its going to come back?

[hagfish]

I don't think it is possible to overwater any pleurothallid. The general rule I follow is that the moss is always damp. Pleurothallids which loose leaves most often do because this is a stress response to drying out. The pair of masdavallia hybrids I have at work go into plastic bags over the weekend when I can't spray them at least twice a day. If your plant does recover it will form a new bud. This will emerge from the base of the plant and with restrepias it is usually very thin and sharply pointed. This is the leaf sheath which will elongate and from which a new leaf emerges. The new leaf will be folded and it often helps orchids to spray emerging leaves. The sorts with thin leaves often get caught in the sheath and this can deform the foliage.