cym leaf tips turning brown? - Orchid Board

kindrag23 · #1 01-27-2015, 08:05 PM

This is my new NOID Cym I got from home depot. I repotted it due to it being in a pot that it had broken out of. I did not feed it when I first got it bc I noticed the miracle gro mix I could find in town (only thing there was to find) said it had food in it. I sprinkled a small amount of osmocote slow release food on top of the media for food as well in case miracle grow is not enough. I noticed when I first got it that the leaves seemed to be covered in salt build up so I flushed it as much as possible after repotting it. Its roots are full and thick and barely fit in my 2 gallon gardening pot I got for it....it had a few tips that were turning brown. Now there are more and they are really brown!

My other Cym same space quite happy. The browning leaves.....could this be Sun burn? They were in the middle of my home depot w no access to light...so maybe it Is scorching them? We will have another day of 80* weather then this weekend snow and ice....

Cym Ladye · #2 01-28-2015, 04:59 PM

This can happen for several reasons, all fixable.
1) The most common is fertilizing a dry plant with too strong a strength fertilizer solution. The fertilizer goes to the tips and they die back.
2) Root die back to the point that they cannot carry water/nutrients to the leaves.
3) Lack of water.

You did not say what condition the roots were in when you repotted. Were they firm? If not, you may have filled your new pot with rotten roots which will cause you huge problems. Also if you used Miracle Grow Soil and not a bark mix, this will be too heavy for Cymbidiums and will also cause problems.

If you are uncertain how to repot or divide a Cym. I will be glad to send you a culture sheet used by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Growers, a Branch of the Cymbidium Society of America (CSA). Just send a PM to goldcoastcymgrowers@gmail.com with an addy they can send the printout to. Many growers on this Forum have found it very useful.

Buying plants from the box stores is always an iffy situation as the staff haven't a clue how to handle them and generally over water them. If you can get them when they first come in, you are usually OK. However, they need to be repotted as soon as they are out of bloom in the case of Cyms because the mix they are in may not be the best for your situation.

kindrag23 · #3 01-28-2015, 05:10 PM

Oops. I thought I covered all of my bases. The roots are in awesome condition really fat and happy. I have the repotting guidelines you have sent me previously (I looked those over before I broke it out of its pot the rest of the way). So perhaps could it be the miracle gro mix it has feed in it I think? That's why I did not feed it with my normal food when I got it. I was trying to avoid root and leaf burn. ha. looks like it may still have it. My dog knocked over the pot today why I have no idea he has not touched them ever...the media was still slightly damp and the roots still looked fat and happy.

OH I added the slow release feed to the top of the plants media. But I only did this AFTER I watered and flushed the plants in their new media really well.

Thanks for you reply!

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 PM ----------

Oh. I also decided to take a gamble on 2 big NOIDS with fat phulbs to learn with before getting an expensive one and killing it (I would be sick if I did that!)

Cym Ladye · #4 01-28-2015, 05:31 PM

What is the name of the mix you used and did you shorten the roots when you repotted or did you just drop the whole plant into a bigger pot? Do not worry about added fertilizer at this point until you get the plant into the proper mix. Then you can add a teaspoon of a slow release to the top and water it in on a regular watering basis.

kindrag23 · #5 01-28-2015, 05:33 PM

I followed the guidelines I trimmed the roots off and decided to cut the spike. Its Miracle Gro. Coarse mix. Its all I could get. I am going to be in DFW on Monday for my internship and hope to get perhaps a better mix?

Cym Ladye · #6 01-28-2015, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindrag23

I followed the guidelines I trimmed the roots off and decided to cut the spike. Its Miracle Gro. Coarse mix. Its all I could get. I am going to be in DFW on Monday for my internship and hope to get perhaps a better mix?

Sounds like a good plan.

kindrag23 · #7 01-28-2015, 05:37 PM

Small agricultural town....if you ask for orchid mix that's what you get. The only other one I have ever found has been better gro? Mix such as their special or den mixes. Would either of those be better?