Originally Posted by Hydrox
Plectrelminthus - These live and die by consistency in culture. Any little change in temperature, humidity, and even light intensity will cause the plants to drop leaves and shed roots. They need tropical conditions with very bright light, high humidity, and lots of water year-round, with the caveat that the roots need to dry quickly after being watered, or they rot. Long stretches of dark winter days make them sulk, and temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit make them decline.
Prosthechea/Anacheilium - Rot, rot, rot. And more rot. I can't get any of the cockleshells to make it through the fall and winter without succumbing to some form of rot. Repotting them at the wrong time makes them sulk and shed their roots, and getting the light levels correct for them is a chore. Too much light and they burn, too little light, and they sulk. P. radiata also has the problem of producing very top-heavy growths that snap at the base.
Dendrochilum - They'll fluorish for a brief period and then grow backwards. They are also very reluctant to produce new roots, and seem to be finicky about the medium that they grow in. It's as if they want moisture around the roots, but also want to dry quickly, but also don't want to dry out completely, but can't stay too wet, but still need air flow, but don't want too much air flow. Divas.
Huntleya - These are some of the most unforgiving orchids I have ever grown - one mistake and they're toast. Since they don't have pseudobulbs and have thin, lush foliage, they require a consistently moist, buoyant environment. Moisture needs to be even - not too wet or dry - or they'll either lose roots or shed leaves. They need medium to bright light, not the oft-recommended shade, though the leaves will burn if the light becomes too intense. They are also strictly intermediate growers - too cool and they rot, too warm and they burn up. They're essentially Miltoniopsis but with a worse attitude.
Brassavola/Leptotes - Both of these genera are easy growers but painfully difficult to bloom. Neither genus really wants to be in a pot, and each would probably be happiest if grown right next to the sun. You would think that the terete foliage would have been enough of a clue, but...I didn't listen to my intuition. I consider them both "prank" genera in that folks always seem to recommend them to newbies but they're not really beginner-friendly, considering both their light and mounting requirements. Silly newbies, terete plants are for experts.
Bulbophyllum - Bar echinolabium, it's been very hard for me to meet their moisture and humidity requirements. The minis and the "runners" that require mounts are no-no's for me, since they just give up in my conditions. I'm hoping my lone echinolabium will "punish" me with its odiferous flowers to avenge the deaths of its counterparts.
---------- Post added at 01:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 AM ----------
Try giving your suavis more shade, and keep them intermediate. They seem to like light that is just a bit brighter than a phal, and are not particularly fond of high temperatures. My plant goes into torpor during the summer and then begins growing once the temperatures cool off a bit. Definitely not as easygoing as my hennisiana, which grows willingly and can handle a wider range of conditions.
In your defense, neither didieri nor leonis are trivial plants to grow. Didieri is a temperamental plant that is particularly prone to rot and requires mount culture to get the air circulation it wants around the roots. The issue with leonis is that there are actually two forms of the species and each demands its own set of conditions. Most of the leonis in cultivation are the larger form from the Comoros Islands, which craves more moisture than most Angraecoids and does not appreciate getting too hot.
I think your issue is related to potting medium and moisture, due to how humid your conditions are. Make sure your plants are drying out before you're re-watering; a lot of the plants you listed do not appreciate constantly soggy conditions around their roots. With your high ambient humidity, you don't need to water quite as often as I do here in the west. Also, make sure you're not letting water get trapped in their leaf axils; Angraecoids don't handle infections very well and so require a fair bit of vigilance to keep them from happening. I'll try to go into more detail about this group in the "recommendation" thread that's in the Ang sub-forum.
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