Bletia leaf tip die-back

[Herrania]

I acquired a Bletia patula 5 days ago, it came bare root and I noticed some of the leaf tips were dead. Since potting it (pro-mix HP, stalite, marble chips) next to a humidifier, the die back has moved down the leaves. Does anyone know if this would be expected from the stress of shipping and potting, or could this be something more serious?

Edit: I sprayed it down with neem oil when it arrived, have I found one of the few that hate the stuff?

[SouthPark]

Make sure to know what the neem oil is supposed to treat before applying it.

The leaf browning could be due to not enough water getting to the extremities of the leaf ----- which is the end regions or tip regions.

This sort of condition can often arise when there's too much fertiliser applied. But in your case - maybe you didn't apply fertiliser.

Anyway, rather than spray with neem oil (new incoming plants that is) ....... spray with mancozeb instead.

[Roberta]

I get some leave-tip dieback on a lot of thin-leaved plants (especially those that are eventually deciduous). Can be buildup of salts (from fertilizer or hard water) or just aging. I don't think it is anything to worry about.

[Herrania]

This is the Bonide brand .9% neem oil spray, it's labeled for houseplants, roses, fruit... but I'm not at all an expert on neem oil mixes. Thanks for the tip on mancozeb!

As far as I know there's no fertilizer in the soil yet, I was waiting to see before adding anything.

I've now lost the oldest leaf on each crown, the younger leaves are either fine or progressing slower.

Just grasping at straws, could humidity be a concern? I have it in my area that stays around 40%, but I could stick it in the Theobroma/Herrania tent that stays around 70%. It wouldn't have as much light though, Paphiopedilum level.

[Roberta]

I don't think that there is any disease problem here, so no need to treat.

Now noting that the plant was shipped bare root... I think the problem is just stress. Terrestrials especially tend to suffer when bare-rooted. Particularly this is a problem when shipped in active growth. Reference in the Baker culture sheet (in Orchidwiz) is a bit unclear on the issue, but I think that it is deciduous. The ideal time for shipping is during (leafless) dormancy, so that they can be potted up and be ready for new growth to establish in the medium. The plant will very likely be fine in the next growth cycle. For now, just care for it normally. Looking at the Baker culture sheet, blooming may happen after leaves drop, when new growth is matured. So it may actually be getting near that point. Losing leaves is normal. According to Baker, watering can be reduced in winter but don't let it dry out completely.

An advantage to deciduous plants... ugly leaves will be replaced next season, life begins anew.

[Herrania]

Thanks! I really need to look into getting those sheets, if I'm going to continue with less common stuff. It would have helped a lot with figuring out if the p-bulbs should be in the soil, on top of the soil...

Good to know about it not going completely dry during winter, I bought it to go with my other indoor "seasonals" but wasn't sure just how much dry stress it needed.

I only sprayed it out of "once bitten", after finding boisduval scale had hid on a previous plant, but put any thought of further treatment on hold when I saw it was in some form of distress.

[Roberta]

The species is native to the Caribbean islands as well as southern Florida, so that says a lot in terms of the cycle in terms of watering - wet, hot, humid summers into fall, then somewhat drier and warm but not as hot during the winter - never completely dry for very long.