Help! Yellowing, droopy cym.

[orchids3]

The water should not be a problem at that pH. I grow outside so my main concern is the frequent rains we get in this area. I use crushed shell grit that is prepared for chickens and dont know what king of shell it is. It is all calcium Carbonate. So is lime - if you use granular Dolomite lime you will also get as much Magnesium as you plants will need. Actually crushed egg shell will work fine if you dont have shell grit. Some use marble chips. As the the mix, water,or fertilizer tries to lower pH the calcium carbonate releases the calcium - in doing so it raises the pH. If the pH is high the Calcium carbonate does nothing at all so it doesnt raise pH above 7 as a rule.
If you use an organic mix you will find that it lasts longer if you use lime. I think this advise does not apply to Calif as the water I used when I lived there already had Calcium Carbonate. (Flush the seashell before you use it to eliminate salt)

[NewBloom]

The cym kicked the bucktet today. Rot. It as a learning experience...that's what I'm telling myself.

[Cym Ladye]

NewBloom,

Once crown rot gets started in a small division, there is very little anything can be done. Larger divisions sometimes can be saved by cutting off each bulb at the base showing infection until one finds a clean lead. Even then, the success rate is iffy.

The shriveling of the bulbs together with the loss of new growths as shown in your original photo should have been a red flag. But probably, there was not much we could have done for you even if we had spotted it.

Good luck with your next one. We all learn by our mistakes.

CL

[orchids3]

That happoned to a few of mine before I changed to my lastest practice. I should be clear that misting twice a day as I said should be done when the night temps are above 80 F all night - I dont do it in the early spring late fall or winter. A lot of the country gets very hot days but it cools off at night not so where I live. Hot - wet-acid and low air flow=ROT
When I lived in Carona Calif I saw 112 some days with 65F nights 1% humidity - that is a differant growing challenge than we have here in Florida. It is best to select the plants with care.

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[orchids3]

In regard to pH. I have noted some pretty wild changes in pH this summer. The rain is checking at a pH of 4 but I noted pot drainage with pH as high as 7.6 a few days ago - when i turned off my sprinklers because I expected rain and it didnt. I had also fertilized without checking the pH of the fertilizer mix and know I should have adjusted down. It is important not to let pH get either too hight or too low. I make corrections whenever I see pH over 7 and under 6. The pH of the N. Florida aquifer changes pH a little over the year I believe due to rainfall amounts and the limestone structure of the aquifer. It is also important to make checks when fertilizer changes are made. The point is that an understanding of pH is important and should be watched - it can slip up on the grower and do some damage if not watched.