Dying Mini Phal Bellina :(

[jenilee]

I think my baby orchid might be biting the dust....two leaves have now yellowed and dropped. Granted they both were bottom leaves but I haven't even gotten it to bloom yet....would it already have old growth?!?
Help?

[LovePhals]

How long have you had it? Have you always had it growing like this? How much light does it get?

[jcec1]

I'm guessing with the amount of media surrounding the roots, that they will be constantly wet, causing them to rot. I would take it out your decorative container, put it in a one or two inch pot and only water when the plant has dried, possibly every 7 to 10 days.

[Ray]

What are the temperatures it is seeing?

Phal. bellina is a particularly hot grower that does best if it never sees cooler than about 75F.


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Way, way too much moss. Remove the plant from the moss and check the roots.

If the plant has at least three solid roots that are still alive and healthy, don't worry about the leaves, they will bounce back.

These grow intermediate to warm. Do not grow cooler than 60 F.

---------- Post added at 06:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:25 AM ----------

They grow on trees in the wild. The way it's being grown right now is not really what they experience in nature. The roots need to breathe. In the wild, the roots are usually pretty exposed to the air. The air is very humid, >80%, and they are found in swampy areas, where the water is wicking up the tree trunks. There is very, very little by way of moss growing on the tree trunks if there are any at all.

If mounting the plant is not an option, I'd grow it potted in the smallest clear plastic pot you can find and use a medium grade bark mix

---------- Post added at 06:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 AM ----------

If you have some time, please read the following:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

[CA2FLxplant]

I'm not sure, but the first 2 pictures seem to show a yellow edge at the lower edge leaf on the right...I'm pretty sure that's a sign of over-watering...as was suggested, take it outta the sphagnum and repot in bark. Remember, potting medium relates to root size, so bigger-type roots (Phal., Catts) like bigger medium, and smaller-type roots (Oncidium) like smaller-sized, finer medium...
Good luck to you!! Keep us posted

[Leafmite]

The bellina and other closely related Phals can be difficult to grow until they get their first mature leaf due to their demand for higher temperatures. The mature ones are not quite as fussy. I tried twice to grow a seedling Phal bellina and failed both times due to not having warm enough temperatures in the winter. This September, I bought myself one 'IN BUD' from Hausermann's. It is thriving. I usually prefer to grow my orchids from seedlings, especially the Phals (they are so cute) but this is a case where I finally admitted defeat.

[RandomGemini]

I have a bellina var. coerulea seedling. I've had it for over a year. It has waxed and waned for me. It's not thriving as well as my other phals and I have considered mounting it and putting it in a terrarium. I also did the same thing as Leafmite, when I decided I wanted Phal. Violacea and ordered one in spike from Hausermann's last spring. Darned thing still hasn't put up any flowers, but the spikes are still growing and it is doing a LOT better than my seedling in general. I may give up on the seedling the try to find a mature plant as well, but I keep hoping!

[Leafmite]

A heating mat would work, too.
My Phal violacea was working on a spike but took a break to work on a new leaf and lots of new roots. The spike has just recently grown a little more. I expect it will probably bloom by early summer at this rate. :|

[RandomGemini]

If I put it in my terrarium for a while, I will remember to water it a bit better. I check my terrarium plants daily. It stays pretty warm where it is now, but I have noticed that when I see a bellina that makes me go, "Oh! I love that!" they are usually mounted. I wonder if this is the best way to grow this species?

My violacea also stopped to grow a new leaf and a bunch of roots. I had heard that these are pretty slow growing orchids so I was surprised to see that leaf grow so fast.