Brassavola Nodosa needs help - Orchid Board

Jo Ann · #1 10-08-2007, 06:55 PM

Hi, everyone unfortunately this is my first post and it has to be about a sick Brassavola Nodosa. Not quite a week ago I noticed this plant’s leaves were turning black at first I wasn’t to concerned I thought maybe its just shedding its older leaves, then I saw that its new growth was effected too and I got worried. I guess I should tell you about its growing environment. First off I bought it has my first baggy plant from Walmart. I planted it in grobetter Orchid mix, in an 8 inch wire basket lined with coconut fiber. It was hanging outside where it received morning light and some afternoon shade. It was growing great I could see new roots growing through the fibers and it was making new leaves with slight reddish spots. All was well. Then we started getting a lot of rain and this is where I blame myself. I believe that the container was to big the roots could not get tried up. So I took the plant inside where it would get a chance to get dry. So for the last 3 days the plant has been inside next to a window with light sun and a fan blowing near it. Its leaves were still going black and I continued to cut off the black infected leaves in hopes it would stop. Today I decided I better take it out of the container and as I suspected wood chips were still moist but not soggy. So I did a little research and I believe the plant may have,” black root fungus?” I’m hoping I got it out of the container in time; the roots are not mushy like from extreme over watering. But there was some damage. Well according to what I read humidity and water are how this fungus can get started and we have a lot of both here. I took the advice and decided to spray the plant with a liquid copper fungicide. Not exactly sure what to do next I placed the plant in a wire basket with no orchid mix just leaving the roots exposed and rehung it outside since the rain has stopped. If anybody has any other ideas I would be glad to hear them also if this poor plant does recover does anybody have a better way I can grow it outside.

Thanks for listening,
Jo Ann

isurus79 · #2 10-08-2007, 07:09 PM

It sounds like your basket may have been too deep or too large for the plant. I keep my nodosas in pots with full wine corks on the bottom and bark chips on top (about 3 or inches deep for the chips). This allows plenty of rapid drainage. Or you could also mount the plant on a peice of wood. This works really well because its almost impossible to overwater a mounted 'chid. As far as your reaction to the situation, I doubt you could have done anything better! Let the plant dry out for the next couple of days, but dont let the pbulbs and leaves shrivel too much. Maybe repot or mount the plant this coming weekend or the middle of next week, but make sure that the black spots are all gone or dried out. I hope it all turns out well!! Nodosas are amazingly resilient, so the odds are in your favor!

Ross · #3 10-08-2007, 08:11 PM

Mine are mounted on cedar shingles. I think they do not like wet roots.

Gin · #4 10-08-2007, 08:27 PM

I had to bring mine in awhile back it was looking like a soggy mop it also was getting cool here . They do not like to be wet for any length of time , it sounds like the basket was to big and keeping wet mix around the roots .
Mine started out in a clay pot it kept climbing out of it rather then keep re potting I let it go , it is now a big ball covering the pot . I would leave it out of the basket and set it in a bare clay pot until you see what is going on down the line . Gin

Jo Ann · #5 10-09-2007, 09:03 AM

Thanks everyone,

I appreciate all your responses because of this incident I’ve decided that that I had better transplant a couple more orchids that I’ve got into smaller containers and not so deep.

Jo Ann

phragguy · #6 10-10-2007, 03:45 PM

I have mine mounted on grape vines. Spray the roots every couple days or everyday in the summer. Mine flowers all the time

kmcalpin · #7 10-10-2007, 04:07 PM

I had a mounted nodosa that just dried up and shriveled off. I was misting it about 3-4 times a day but that so did not help with the ambient humidity in Colorado about 0%. I got another one for free off the internet, when I bought a whole bunch of other ones, and I've potted it in orchid bark in a clay pot, the kind with the slits down the side. isurus79 says he uses wine corks for his nodosa -- would stryofoam peanuts work also? No matter how much I try to get the humidity up, there are times in my greenhouse that it really plunges, so I think I'm down for the count in terms of mounting. Too bad -- I really like the way that looks so much!

Ross · #8 10-10-2007, 05:20 PM

Anything that pleases you will work for medium. Marbles, styrofoam, bark, clay pellets, charcoal, gravel (well maybe not just any kind of gravel). As long as you can control pH and nutrients with the water/fertilizer you give an orchid. This advice is based on experience but you should tailer your regime to your growing conditions. Since you claim 0% humidity (I would believe 3-4% but 0% is almost not achievable) I would tend to be careful of the roots. This plant isn't used to such dry conditions, but still needs to avoid wet roots (which will rot). I have best luck for plants that like to dry out between watering (like nodosa) mounting them. But my humidity is 40-50% where they grow. This isn't really moist, but sounds like a dream compared to yours. I would strongly consider a Orchidarium if you want to grow these guys and have that much trouble with humidity. No need to mist or anything fancy. A couple wet sponges will do. There are lots of folks out west in really dry environments that have invested and (I think) are pretty-well pleased with the results. Do some searching in the "Terrarium" forums area of this board and read a few of those threads. Just a thought and good luck.

kmcalpin · #9 10-11-2007, 12:22 AM

Ross,
I have a nice little terrarium for the masdies and dracs that I have, keeping it about 70-80% humidity and between 55-75 degrees. They seem to be doing well so far, but I've only had them about 6 weeks. I've considered doing a warmer terrarium as well, and the brassavola might be a good orchid to start in there. I am having major issues with my larger greenhouse as a whole, though, and am currently working on getting that improved a bit. I never thought I would be Crazed Orchid Woman, but I am definitely becoming that way! I believe I have discovered obsession . . . . ah it's so great!

euplusia · #10 10-11-2007, 03:53 PM

Two observations: In Venezuela I´ve seen large clumps of Brassavola nodosa on an organ-pipe cactus in a semi-arid deserted hilly country.
In southern Brazil/Argentinia I´ve seen large clumps of Brassavola flagellaris growing in constant mist directly above the cascades of the waterfalls of Iguazu.
For cultivation of B. nodosa take a claypot, put in a trunk of grape or a piece of bark from cork (twice as long as the pot is high), mount the plant on top and let the roots find their way. No potting medium needed.