Phaiocalanthe Kryptonite 'Chariot of Fire'

[cb977]

It will bloom again...just not from the same spike. You can cut the old brown one down to almost nothing

[peeweelovesbooks]

I love the color saturation. Thanks for sharing. Awesome color.

[lsdmasdev]

I know this is an old thread, not even sure I'm posting correctly (I'm new!)
Anyway, I have this exact orchid and it has never bloomed for me, I've had it for 2 years. It is planted in sphagnum moss, gets humidity and medium light.
But I don't understand why it's leaves always start to turn black beginning at the tip and slowly continue all the way down?? I use RO water on it, and fertilize lightly.
Does anyone know why this has always happened with it's leaves, even young ones! I'm so frustrated... If anyone replies I will try to figure out how to insert a picture... Thank you very much :-)

[estación seca]

Hi lsdmasdev,

I have the same problem with other Phaius and Calanthe. I have read leaves turning black from the tips might be fungus, might be low humidity and might be letting them get too dry.

People in warm, humid climates grow these as outdoor landscape plants with almost no maintenance. I have seen them used like this in southern Florida. The big-box hardware stores sell them to people who don't know anything about orchids, and they grow well.

Sphagnum is probably not the best medium. They are terrestrial orchids. Consider something used for Cymbidiums. I have also read they like a lot of fertilizer, but I am not an expert on them.

[lsdmasdev]

I started re-potting it yesterday to check out the roots and had some dead and some just great, so I trimmed off the dead ones and cleaned it all up and soaked it in Physan 20; roots and all, for about 15 min.

The plant is very healthy; has 3 green, firm back bulbs, then the next growth is starting to fill out it's bulb fatter (this is the one, right now w/the black), and it's newest growth is leafing out great, it's about 12 in. tall, and no black...yet

In my grow area, I have 2 humidifiers (New Mexico is also dry), and grow several other genera of Orchids, and my Carnivorous collection is starting to really grow.

I do know it's terrestrial and in the past had it in a peat mix, but seemed to do bad in that, and it's only gone almost dry once w/sphag. So, after spending hours, hours on the internet trying to figure out what to use as media (quite a few others do use sphag + perlite + charcoal), I just had to get it potted up and made up a combo of medium orchiata, charcoal, perlite (rinsed), NZ sphag and some organic peat, and then topped off w/sphag., and finally drenched the pot with the Physan 20.
For orchids that need to stay moist, or not go dry, I tend to get busy and miss watering times, that's why I choose sphag for those so they never go all the way dry.

Anyway, I decided to treat it with Physan 20, because as you said, and I agree with you about a fungus problem, (because humidity and letting it get too dry wasn't the problem), also....it was way overdue for re-potting as it had a literal sheet of green algae covering all sides of the clear pot - my bad!

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to try and cover everything. What do you think about what I decided to try? I hope it helps... And, again thank you so much for replying, that was fast!

One last thing, I have about 3 bulbs; near the bottom with very small green, flat, pointed growths(?) hugging the bulbs. Are those new growths?

[estación seca]

I initially thought you said you potted it in sphagnum moss. What you describe now sounds about what lots of other people use.

I don't think green algae on the walls of clear nor white pots is a problem.

The 3 new things at the bases of older pseudobulbs are likely to be new growths. I think these plants flower from the center of the new growth.

[lsdmasdev]

I'm sorry to have mixed up communications:
In my 1st post I said that I've had it for about 2 yrs (maybe longer), and I had FIRST planted it in a peat mix, but it didn't seem to do good in that, so NEXT I had potted it in sphagnum with perlite, charcoal.
Sorry for the misunderstanding...

But I agree with you, that those small green points are more growths... Thanks for your input, really do appreciate it!!