Help!! Lost multiple plants

[sweetas647]

Hi all! I need help!

I have multiple plants showing signs of distress. I have Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Encyclia, and Vandaceous orchids all dropping leaves. I've attached some photos of what I'm seeing. The sad looking Renenathera in the photos - I had assumed the browning tips I was seeing was some type of infection, so I cut off the brown areas but the browning has continued (I cut well into healthy green tissue then "sealed" the open areas with cinnamon).

Some back story... I moved houses about 6 months ago to a town less than an hour away. All my plants were doing just fine in the previous house. Now, not so much. I've kept care pretty much the same - I water when media is dry for Cattleya, Vandas, etc. or approaches drying for Bulbos, warm growing Phals, etc. and all plants are under grow lights.

I'm wondering if what I'm seeing is due to my care/environment (maybe my previous house had more airflow??) or if there is some sort of infection running rampant through my collection.

I've already had to throw out 7 plants and more are showing signs

[Dimples]

What I can see in the photo of the Phal shows it has been under water stress for some time. Not terrible, but it’s either not being watered often enough or something has happened to the roots and they’re not able to hydrate the plant effectively. The visible roots look shriveled. When was it last repotted?

I don’t grow the others but the brown crispy tips and slightly deflated appearances would lead me to suspect under-watering and/or poor root function resulting in dehydrated plants.

Check the roots.

[Ray]

It’s near to impossible to diagnose accurately via photo, so my guesses are that you’re either dealing with 1) a general lack of water uptake (due to underwatering and/or poor root systems - that would be my guess with the phalaenopsis pictured, for example), 2) a pathogen, or 3) a source of ethylene (or some other contaminants) in the air in the new house.

Air flow is not a concern in a home.

[Pegleg]

Is the water you are using very different in the new location? My sister moved house last year, from a house on county water to a house on a well. The new house had a water softener and she did not realize you shouldn’t use softened water to water plants due to its salt content.

[WaterWitchin]

Excellent thought Pegleg!

[Ray]

That IS something to consider!