Dryadella Simula help, - Orchid Board

roguekiller23231 · #1 04-13-2014, 12:06 AM

i have a Dryadella Sumula, and, well it's in a sorry state, it's very small and there are only 6 leaves. it's not doing very well at all.

i've been thinking about putting it into semi Hydroponic to see if that would give it a boost. would it work or would it completely kill it?

TOMMYMIAMI · #2 04-13-2014, 12:10 AM

Hi, I got one some 2 months ago from Ecuador, it had probably some travel shock, and was loosing leaves left and right. I did place it inside the apartment, it is mounted on cork with lot of sphagnum around the roots, so I let it be, it is hanging on the top of the vase which has inside life mosses and provides humidity. I do keep it moist but not soaking wet, the leaves stopped falling after some 3 weeks and now after 2 months it is growing actually new leaves already. What is the pot size you are using and medium that it is potted in?

roguekiller23231 · #3 04-13-2014, 12:40 AM

i guess i might know why mines in such a sorry state, it's in a pot with what looks like bark, perlite, Coconut Husk (i think) and covered over in moss. it doesn't seem to have effected the older part of the plant, as that is all that seems to have survived, and it has flowered occasional over the 6 months i've had it and looks like it's going to again, it did have a few new shoots that dropped out pretty quickly though and stayed very light green..

wonder if anyone has tried semi Hydroponics on one of these.

TOMMYMIAMI · #4 04-13-2014, 01:01 AM

I would use small pot, or mount it, using sphagnum, keep it moist but do not over water, higher humidity and good air movement, this one is also cool growing, so do not expose to hot temps:-) Good luck with yours!

AnonYMouse · #5 04-13-2014, 02:07 AM

Semi-hydro is NOT critical care for orchids. Do not attempt with an unhealthy plant.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #6 04-13-2014, 04:24 AM

I wouldn't attempt SH at all with Dryadella spp. I'd either pot in a 1" clay pot with moss and keep moist with moderate to high humidity, or mount it onto cork with a thin layer of moss covering the roots while keeping the humidity moderate to high. The third option would be to use the smallest size plastic net pot and put some styrofoam on the bottom of the pot, then wrap the roots of the plant with moist moss and put the moss with plant in the net pot on top of the styrofoam.

They grow in bright shade.

Grow in temperatures of 55 F - 85 F.

Do not grow wet. Grow moist. Do not allow the plant to dry out for more than a few hours.

Water using RO/DI, distilled, or rain water. Do not use tap. Many Pleurothallids don't tolerate the high mineral content and high pH that can occur with tap water from certain places.

Dryadella are minis. I haven't seen a species where the leaf gets larger than 2" in length.