Angraecum didieri turning black. Leaves dropping.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

This is a such a good thread. I have been wanting to try one of these for a while (they have cute itty bitty baby ones at Louisiana Orchid Connection, I’ll have to check out Hausermann's too), now I have some motivation to pull the trigger
Had no clue about treating them with fungicide or making sure they have some calcium, and was clueless about the potting material vs water requirements

I have found them to be one of the easiest Angraecums to grow and bloom... in your humid, warm climate, they should grow outside easily except when you get hit with really cold weather like happened this winter. And they bloom on tiny plants. I have had mine for quite a few years. It came in a 2" pot with a small amount of media, I just put the pot in a 4" wood basket, and let the new roots go wherever they wanted. Sometimes it even blooms twice in a year. The roots are now pretty much everywhere except in the pot, and it has produced keikis that will hopefully give even more flowers. I am sure it would be bigger if it were grown in a warmer, more benign environment, but it's a tough little orchid.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

That is the size of pot I am getting, too. Has yours bloomed previously?

It does not appear so. But it has at least three crowns.

[junebug's orchids]

Okay so I'm getting lost in all the chatter LOL.

I took the plant out of the terrarium tonight. I took the whole mount out. However where I live it is EXTREMELY arid and humidity in this room is only 30%. (which is VERY high for my area and house)

Once again, I DO NOT SEE any fungus anywhere. It's just turning black and the roots are dry and wilting.

The restrepia striata and jewel orchids in the terrarium seem in perfect health.

[Roberta]

If it were erwinia, I think it would be soft and smelly (Ray, correct me if I'm wrong) So if it isn't, I still don't know what it is, but if it isn't erwinia than drastic measures might not be necessary.

[AnonYMouse]

Take a look at pics of erwinia.

Whatever it is is killing your didieri.

[junebug's orchids]

Okay so it's not erwinia based on the pictures or description. (not soft, not smelly, not brown)

I'm aware it's killing the plant. That's why I'm here I'd like to try to save it. Since it does still have one root. I'm wondering if I should do something drastic, like take it off the mount, remove all of the moss, trim all the wilted roots, and trim the black stem. Then try to regrow.

[Dollythehun]

Junebug, in reading all the pertinent posts, it seems most growers have lost two or three. Some don't know why. You have one root and one leaf. Toss it, sterlize the tank, and start over. Imho.

[Roberta]

I'd suggest taking it off the mount - this was a recent mounting job. Put it in a small basket with loosely-packed moss, and then you can use the plastic bag trick to give it some humidity outside the tank. If the crown is gone, it will probably not survive, but since these do tend to make basal keikis, it might. If you don't have the basket, you could just sphag and bag... wrap that sphag around the root, get it nice and damp, then put in plastic bag and ignore it for awhile. If the jewel orchids are fine, you may not have to redo the tank but it would be the safer thing to do. I suspect, since this was a new plant, that the issue could have been with the plant. Or its reaction to its tank-mates or the environment in there.

[junebug's orchids]

Yeah, it's officially dead The last root that was looking so great was wilted and yucky when I got home from work today. I'm very sad. This was my #2 favorite right behind my pleuro.

I'm going to throw it out and will probably order another one in a few weeks once I make sure whatever killed it isn't wiping out anything else it was in the terrarium with (and I will probably not put it back in that same tank anyway).

So bummed

[Dollythehun]

Rip little guy. So sorry, Junebug. 😔