Brassia Rex Christine yellow/wilted pseudobulb

[corsea]

Hi all, I am a new user, also new to the world of orchids.

This is my first, my mother purchased it from a local orchid lovers' group. It was labelled "Brassia Rex Christine" and is supposedly easy to grow.

Well, I know I've given the poor thing too much sun (misinterpreted "bright light"), and the leaves are a bit sunburnt. However, I also noticed that my tallest pseudobulb (the stalk coming out of the "soil", I am using what it came in, looks like tiny stones) started to yellow and became wrinkled/shrivelled. The other stalk has started to yellow as well and I'm thinking it's been underwatered, possibly as a result of the oversunning since I was told only to water once a week by sitting it in a bowl of water for half an hour.

Any insight would be appreciated. I will see if I can post a picture if that would help.

Can it be saved? Is more water the answer?

[slipperfreak]

It is definitely being underwatered from the sounds of it, and the yellowing/browning of the leaves may even be linked more to that than to too much sun. You can never take general advice like "water once a week", because orchid watering is not a universal procedure - the amount of water a plant needs depends on its environment. With a Brassia, you will want the mix to be barely damp, but not bone dry, when you water it again. You will have to get a feel for your own conditions by checking the plant every day to see if it needs to be watered. There are several ways to do this; lift the pot, stick your finger into the mix, etc. The plant can be allowed to dry out a bit more when it is not actively growing, but it shouldn't remain bone dry for extended periods. The pseudobulbs should be plump (at least the younger ones should). Also, a Brassia is more of a moderate light plant than a bright light plant, I would say.

To solve this problem, I would soak the pot in a bucket or deep container of water for 24 hours. In a week or so you should start to see improvement. You may also consider repotting the plant.

[corsea]

Oh, thank you so much. I didn't want to overwater it either, so the last time I let it sit for an hour rather than only 30 minutes... but I'll let it do its "thing" this time and keep my fingers crossed that it perks up!

Sunday will mark 3 weeks since I brought it home, and I was so discouraged when I started to see it fail! Then I thought perhaps the brightness of the continual sun mixed with the heat/dry air from my rads (located under the windowsill) were sucking all the moisture out. Glad my motherly instincts were right!

It looks like it should become an excellent conversation piece once it starts blooming, so I'm very hopeful that I can keep it going! Thanks again!

[slipperfreak]

No problem!

If you are unable to move the plant farther from the rad (which I would recommend), you might need to buy a cool-mist humidifier to correct what may become a humidity problem.

[slipperfreak]

Oh and by the way, just to avoid any confusion with names in the future:

Your plant's name should actually be written as Brassia Rex 'Christine'. Brassia is the genus (type of orchid), Rex is the hybrid, and 'Christine' is the clonal or varietal name assigned to your particular plant. I would write an essay if I explained everything about orchid nomenclature, but the more you participate in this forum, the more you'll learn!

[corsea]

Originally Posted by slipperfreak

Oh and by the way, just to avoid any confusion with names in the future:

Your plant's name should actually be written as Brassia Rex 'Christine'. Brassia is the genus (type of orchid), Rex is the hybrid, and 'Christine' is the clonal or varietal name assigned to your particular plant. I would write an essay if I explained everything about orchid nomenclature, but the more you participate in this forum, the more you'll learn!

Thanks for the tip. Yes, I'm trying to learn as I go along, so any help at all is very much appreciated!