black tips/discolour on dracula leaves - Orchid Board

Sylorna · #1 03-10-2009, 12:07 AM

Hi all
I have written in this forum before regarding a dracula that I didn't get to work in our new apartment. We just went to the orchid show in Burlington and my boyfriend got himself one that was happy, healthy and flowering. We have only had it here for a week and it is already having problems.
First the current bloom died, then he lost a couple leaves, then he forgot to water it (and it dried out completely) and he lost the bud as well. The leaves are progressively getting black/yellowing and more and more of them are getting black tips.
Conditions:
it is hanging in a plastic hanging pot (with holes in the base) in sphagnum moss. We have it at the back of the living room where it gets no direct sunlight, but does get some indirect light during the day. He has been watering it with RO water and it has not completely dried out with the exception of yesterday when he soaked it when he found it. No fertilizer. We also have it directly above my humidifier which is set to 45% humidity. It is nowhere where it could catch a draft. The apartment stays around 70F most of the time (no, there's nowhere colder).

Any thoughts?
Sylorna

MuscleGirl'sHobby · #2 03-10-2009, 01:49 AM

I don't really have any experience with draculas since I've always read that they were very fussy. I think they're awesome, but just scare to try them. I thought they reguired quite a bit of humidity. I keep all my orchids at 50% or higher, and some of the more moisture loving ones still protest at times.

Sylorna · #3 03-10-2009, 03:51 PM

I can try to turn up the humidity...he has a new leaf growing that is very happy/growing quickly.
And also his Masdevallia is doing great! We have 3 blooms, one more bud and one that is just forming...they are in the same room about 10 feet from each other.

shakkai · #4 03-10-2009, 04:27 PM

It will definitely help to increase the humidity. 45% is way too low for Draculas. They should be kept above 70%, and especially when in flower they need as close to 100% as possible to keep the flowers from collapsing.

That said, the temps and the light seem to be okay.

You don't mention air circulation, though, and that is also key - especially when the humidity gets high - so that you don't end up with rot.

Good luck! I hope that this one works out for you!

Sylorna · #5 03-10-2009, 08:43 PM

well there is air circulation from the humidifier, but no fan, at least not till summer sets in a bit more.
I have a small (12"X12"X12") aquarium. Do you think it might be beneficial to place it in that to keep some humidity in?
I'll turn up the humidifier.

Ross · #6 03-11-2009, 11:18 AM

Brown tips are usually caused by fertilizer burn, but you say no fertilizer. What type of water? They are extremely sensitive to mineral buildup (thus very little fertilizer.) Mine are watered with pure water (RO, distilled, rainwater, etc.) with no included minerals. Tap water will cause the brown tips. While they like to be kept constantly moist at the roots, dripping water is a no-no. If you can manage it, try using RO or distilled water with a very weak fertilizer every 3rd or 4th week (mix the fertilizer to result in 125ppm nitrogen.) See this web site Fertilizer PPM Calculator Hope this helps.

Temperature is not all that important for leaf growth. Mine get up to 70s F at night and 80s F during day in summer. They just are reluctant to bloom under warmish temps.

shakkai · #7 03-11-2009, 03:05 PM

Ross, she stated in the first post above:

Quote:

He has been watering it with RO water ...

Which led me to think its the humidity. But you are right, black tips are normally a sign of fertilizer burn/mineral build up. However, I thought discoloured leaves was more indicative of general stress, which could be caused by the low humidity.

Ross · #8 03-11-2009, 05:32 PM

Sorry, missed that point

Guess I'm at a loss, then.

playtime8978 · #9 03-11-2009, 05:40 PM

can I hijack this thread a moment? what is RO I see it mentioned a lot, I currently have a tray outside to collect rain water, but typically we are not getting much rain, looking for other option distilled water is an option for me, sorry sorry sorry to have hijacked the thread.

Ross · #10 03-11-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by playtime8978

can I hijack this thread a moment? what is RO I see it mentioned a lot, I currently have a tray outside to collect rain water, but typically we are not getting much rain, looking for other option distilled water is an option for me, sorry sorry sorry to have hijacked the thread.

RO is Reverse Osmosis. It's a process where water is forced thru a permeable membrane to filter out most dissolved or suspended solids.