stressed brasia? - Orchid Board

Stefan · #1 01-05-2008, 09:53 PM

hi all,
i bought this brassia around 6 months ago and ive noticed that the bulbs are getting more wrinkled. i was wondering why this was hapening and how i can help it. the leaves and new shoots seem fine so im a bit confused.

kiki-do · #2 01-05-2008, 10:05 PM

Hi Stefan!
My first thought was that it isn't getting enough water. I don't own a Brassia, so not up on what it needs, but usually bulbs wrinkled indicates water lack and/or too much?????? I read that somewhere.
Also, have you looked at the roots to see how they were doing? I'm sure someone who knows will give you more usuable advice. Meanwhile...good luck to you.
kiki-do

Stefan · #3 01-05-2008, 10:16 PM

hi kiki-do,
the new shoots are sending out roots like crazy, and i water it at least 2 times a week, more depending on the weather.
thanks for the quick reply aswell

stefan

Undergrounder · #4 01-06-2008, 05:42 AM

Hey Stefan where in Aus are you? Your Brassia reminds me a lot of my Coelogynes. Yours actually doesn't look as bad as some of mine.

I think the wrinkling is not enough water and the paling of the other bulb might be sunburn, frost or mould.

For mine i put them in a mix that holds a little more water (Coarse coconut husk instead of coarse bark) and protected them a bit more from the sun. I think there's slow improvement.

shakkai · #5 01-06-2008, 07:27 AM

Your Brassia looks very much like mine that I rescued from being overwatered in a garden centre. The mature bulbs are all shrivelled because th roots that support them were rotted away. There was new growth, which had wonderful new roots growing, so I assumed the plant could be saved. The new growths continue to do well, but those older bulbs never seem to grow new roots and they will eventually die completely once the plant has used up all of the stored food and energy in the pseudobulb. I water my plant once a week in the summer months, but decrease that to once every two weeks with some additional light misting in between during the winter months.

I'll see if I can get a photo of mine showing the old rotted section and the new growth. If you think that might help.

Stefan · #6 01-06-2008, 07:51 AM

hi thanks for all your replies.
undergrounder im in perth, where are you?
shakkai do you think it might be overwatering? i read somewhere that it maybe lack of humidity but i dont know if it is true.

Undergrounder · #7 01-06-2008, 07:55 AM

Stefan i'm in Sydney... pity you can't send plants in and out of WA without having to go through customs...

The wrinkles is water not getting to the bulbs. As shak said, this could be because the roots are rotten and not working properly or it could be because you're not watering them enough. Check the roots and see for yourself.

Stefan · #8 01-06-2008, 08:00 AM

thanks undergrounder,
it is a shame, there are so many sites, and people that i would like to buy orchids from but cant, oh well better to be safe than sorry. i will look at the roots in the moring, hopefully with a pleasent suprise rather than a shocking one

shakkai · #9 01-06-2008, 12:45 PM

Here are two photos, the first one shows a smaller division of the plant that was rotting - this one clearly shows one of the shrivelled older pseudobulbs. The second photo shows the larger of the two divisions, but you can still see where some of the rotten bits used to be...