Help for Cymbidium devonianum
I acquired a nice-sized Cymbidium devonianum last spring. It was planted in a plastic basket filled with NZ sphagnum moss, and when I transplanted it into a slightly larger pot (I did plant it high so that the spikes will hopefully not bury themselves in the pot) I simply took it out of the basket it was in and placed it into its new home with more of the same kind of moss.
The plant is growing two beautiful new leads and is producing lots of thick white roots. But the tips of some of the older leaves are beginning to die back. I've read that this species requires very clean water and lots of it, and since I water with RO water, I assumed this would be clean enough. But since it's also a cymbidium, and therefore (by orchid standards) a "heavy" feeder, I've been fertilizing it regularly over the summer. I'm assuming that the leaf die back is from fertilizer salts in the water (although I'm not sure why since I'm only fertilizing at a strength of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, and the plant is only fertilized once per week and then flushed out with plain RO water).
Has anyone else experienced the same leaf tip die back with this species? How often, and at what strength, do you fertilize? The plant is growing nicely, and I keep the moss pretty moist (not dripping wet, but it doesn't dry out completely either). But those half dozen or so dead leaf tips on the older growths are bothering me!
Thanks!
Steve
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