Rot on Paphiopedilum?

[monivik]

Originally Posted by Roberta

The oldest growths on Paphs die back like that, so I don't think that there is a particular problem on that count

I know that it's normal for older leaves and older growths to turn brown. But that is exactly the problem! It's the latest growth that is browning. I do think i'ts rot because it's soft, not dried out.

See the growth that's starting to rot is the one with the current peduncle and flower.

[monivik]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Very true Roberta. I do remember and know that. My conditions are tropical here.
If I had been living in Netherlands, and decided to still grow orchids (and most likely would!) ..... then I would likely follow a similar approach as I do now.
[/B]

Well, the interesting thing is that the past month my house was around 77F... it's summer, but it was raining a lot outdoors but still that's been my constant indoor temperature. But then since last week we suddenly hit tropical temperatures. It's around 86F now, and I don't have airconditioning. So it stays this temperature day and night. I do keep two balcony doors (facing each other open) and if there is any wind at least I've got a bit of a breeze (that is when I'm home).

I also have a small fan in the living room.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by monivik

I've got a bit of a breeze (that is when I'm home). I also have a small fan in the living room.

Sounds workable over there! Are there any significant amounts of time during the day or night where the air is completely still? As in the doors and windows are closed and the air becomes fairly still?

The way I sometimes think of it is ---- but not necessarily for your case ---- is something like a bathroom or shower room. If there's not enough airing - like air coming through to allow for enough airing, then mildew etc starts growing on the walls - in crevices, gaps between tiles etc. But adequate airing significantly cuts down on that kind of thing - or even stops it.

For the orchids --- not necessarily mildew ---- but other fungal activity could possibly start up on leaves and in media or roots. There's going to be unharmful fungal activity maybe, but may be also potentially harmful activity too - for orchids that is.

The above isn't necessarily the cause of the browning of the regions of leaf for your orchid.

Just thinking about temp, temp range, light level, light duration, humidity, air movement. If the media and watering schedule is good, and root health is good (and the roots your orchid actually does look pretty good from what we can see -- in terms of colour/health) ------ then take a close look at those other conditions (air movement, temperature range etc). It sounds like temperature has been quite ok there. So consider air-movement.

If there happen to be significant durations of time where the air is pretty much very still ....... and if not much air passes over leaves and through the media and over roots etc, and through the pot etc ..... then maybe something could possibly start up from there.

It seems that some orchid growers don't have issues with the orchids even with significant amounts of time in still air (indoors) ------ but maybe humidity considerations need to be factored in for those cases. As in if humidity is low, then a different story. But sometimes those growers (not all growers, but at least some of them) might not even understand why their orchid has no issue, and so (maybe mistakenly) assume that they can just have orchids growing very nicely indoors with little to no air-movement for any place. I don't mean you ----- I mean some growers - not for criticism. Considering possibilities only.

Beautiful leaf pattern on your paph!

[monivik]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Sounds workable over there! Are there any significant amounts of time during the day or night where the air is completely still? As in the doors and windows are closed and the air becomes fairly still?
Beautiful leaf pattern on your paph!

Thanks! It would be so disappointing if I would loose it.

Well, nowadays because of Corona, I do spend a lot more time at home than before. So balcony doors and windows are open a lot more than usual. Yeah except when we sleep. But then we have these small narrow windows on top of the regular windows, those are open almost all the time. So yeah there should be fresh air in the house.

Normally too the humidity is not very high here, in fact more dry I would say around 40%.

The only thing that I can think of is maybe water got trapped between the leaves and I didn't look well enough. But it's more likely that I let it dry out a bit too much between watering rather than over watering.

I have however repotted it now, it was the last bit of bark that I had, mostly small bark, and I mixed it with some spaghnum moss and perlite. I think this way it won't dry out as fast, it was in just bark and nothing else.

I had to cut off the entire growth, so now it's only got one growth left (the oldest one) oh and I sprayed it with hydrogen peroxide 3%. I'm going to put some cinnamon on there now.

By the way I do have a problem with mealybugs on my 3 newest orchids, but I don't see any of that on this one. Besides they haven't bean anywhere near this orchid. The other 3 have been separate from all my other plants since I bought them. Unfortunately I think they came with the mealybugs.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by monivik

The only thing that I can think of is maybe water got trapped between the leaves and I didn't look well enough.

That's a real possibility too. Having water trapped between leaves near the stem region could possibly create some kind of effect.

I haven't checked yet, but I'm expecting that cells of leaves need enough oxygen to survive too, just like roots. So maybe water trapped between the leaf regions pressed against the stem (ie. water between leaf and stem .... or leaf against leaf at the stem region) could lead to oxygen starvation or rotting, or unwanted things growing. Maybe in some growing areas, air-movement, nice growing temperature and other conditions helps with avoiding that kind of thing - as in water staying and/or stagnating in certain spots.

Little animals like mealybugs could bring unwanted organisms too maybe - apart from themselves - as in stuck on their bodies. If no mealybugs were seen on the first orchid, then just focus on growing conditions.

Even though my outdoor orchids get bombed by water each early morning ----- all my under-balcony orchids never get their leaves wet - except for cases when it's super rainy and super windy - where rain blows onto the leaves. But nice to report that wind plus rain combination with my orchids potted in airy-enough media has never resulted in health issues. But outside of those kinds of conditions, I just keep the leaves (which includes crown too - as that's leaf area as well) dry.

Anyway - keep us posted! Looking forward to hear of good news later!

[estación seca]

How often have you been watering it? How do you decide when to water?

[monivik]

Originally Posted by estación seca

How often have you been watering it? How do you decide when to water?

Well that depends, it's not always the same. Winter less often, summer more often. It's easier to see when they're sitting in clear pots like the Phalaenopsis orchids. I have nearly all my orchids in clear pots, except the Paphiopedilums. The Pinocchio that I've had for many years, in the summer I water it once a week. But then I know what medium I use with it.

This one, the Paphiopedilum Maudiea, I just bought last November and I had never repotted. But I realize now first of all it's a smaller pot, and smaller pots dry out quicker, right? Second, now that I repotted it I realized that it was sitting in only bark, nothing else.

So what I've done now is that I repotted it, I mixed in some perlite and spaghnum moss with the bark. That should keep it moist for a bit longer.

[estación seca]

Underwatered Paphs get brown leaves that can be mistaken for rot. Cattleyas, too. I think a great many cases of "rot" in windowsill orchids are really underwatering. Then, the grower, thinking it's rot, cuts back watering even more, and the plant gets worse.

Once a week is a long interval for watering Paphs, and every time they wilt a little they are set back, sometimes preventing that growth from ever flowering. Try not to let them go dry during the growing season.