Why is my Neofinetia Fugaku losing its variegation?
 

I have two Fugaku plants. The first one I ordered years ago, and was disappointed to receive a solid green plant. I'm not complaining too much, because it has been an exceptionally strong grower.

About 2 years ago I purchased a second Fugaku, this time making sure it was variegated. However it has been losing its variegation. It started with the plant making new green leaves on a previously variegated fan (and they are not becoming variegated as the get larger), and this year it started a new growth which is also solid green.

Can I do anything about this? Is Fugaku's type of variegation something that can be fixed by modifying cultural conditions, or is genetically based only?

The most common suggestion for this issue is to increase the light level.

Fugaku is considered to need some of the highest light levels Neos can withstand to get its best variegation.

Thanks for your help. I don't think I can do much more in terms of light, it spent the growing season in a spot on the shelves which gets 4-5 hours of direct sun per day, and right now it is under lights. The standard species Neo I have is turning purple under the light, so it should be enough... I could add another fixture to one of the shelves to increase the light further.

May I ask why it turns purple with too much light?

Many plants, not just Neos develop reddish pigmentation when given very high light. This pigment, anthocyanin in Neos, serves as a sort of sunblock to protect the internal mechanisms of the cells from damaging levels of light.

A small amount of pigmentation is a good indicator of the plant getting a high but healthy amount of light, but a lot of pigmentation, especially if large swathes of the leaves turn purple, often means the plant is getting too much light.

The amount of pigmentation is variable between varieties though. Some varieties naturally produce more pigment even in normal levels of light, while some varieties won't produce any pigmentation even in too much light.

Low temperatures will also trigger pigmentation even in normal levels of light.

Thanks! I understand now why the "heart" (base of the foliages) of my four neof is looking dark purple. The foliages still look dark green though.

That "heart" is what's called the jiku when using Japanese terminology. In neos, most commonly the jiku has some level of pigmentation. Sometimes it's pale, sometimes it's very dark (Shutenno is known to have a dark, near black jiku) When pigmentation like this is present, the color mixes with the green and looks "muddy" so it is called doro-jiku, which means mud stem.

In some varieties, the jiku doesn't produce any pigmentation at all. in this case, it's called ao-jiku, which means green stem.

In some uncommon varieties, the stem area doesn't show much chlorophyll while showing strong anthocyanin pigmentation. In these cases, the stem will look saturated red, in which case it's called beni-jiku, red stem.

Absolutely fascinating. What is the name for an example of beniku neof ? I would love to look it up.

Also, jiku means 時空， time and space in abstract terms. How very romantic way to describe the heart of a beautiful plant ❤️

One example of a benijiku plant would be Shingetsu

That's a near homophone, but not quite right. The Japanese word for space-time is jikū with an extended /u/ (時空、じくう). Jiku in reference to plants literally just means "stem" and it is written 軸 (じく).

Japanese has vast numbers of homophones and there are many words that sound similar or the same without context.

This has nothing to do with the light levels.

Most people would call this normal neo behavior.

But ps the same variety can have purple bases or not... Can be verified with pictures online

furthermore the purple can spread and not just fill the base but reach all the way to the leaf tip.

Your first comment is not entirely true from my experience, jiku color can be affected by light levels. I have a green Fugaku with a usually slightly pigmented jiku. When light get increased (usually when I turn on the supplemental lights in the fall) the pigmentation becomes very dark and spreads slightly further up, while the leaves remain uniform green.

ah true camille. And you are absolutely correct. Maybe that is why we can see differences in that area between different growers.
I know it is going o occupy me for the next year to find out more about this coloring (my 2022 project) but doubt I will learn much new in that time.

This pink neof is putting out new pink toot tips on the "side" of two existing roots (they are usually covered under moss. Dies it mean I should repot the plant to cover the new root tips?

no but try to get it to grow into the pot. So remove some bark underneath it and place a large piece over it just to keep it from growing out the pot or keep an eye on it and make sure to direct it once it reaches the pot edge as most time it just grows over and out. Not the end of the world but it works better in the pot and isn't in the way then

ps nice looking neo and root, I even spot 2 roots.

Remember, Neos are Vandas... they LIKE to have roots in the air. Those pink root tips are part of the charm of the plants that have them. Don't hide/smother them!!!

In fact, in the traditional moss-mound potting of Neos, the various root-tip colors are a characteristic of the various varieties.... they are not hidden.

I would if the orchid has more roots under. But it has only two long roots under the bark and I think it would help to have more longer roots established inside. Good news is that I found two new tips ready to show up from the stem. I will let those new roots go outside if they wish.

Photo is from exactly one month ago. It seems to like the moss over bark setting so it will get it for now.

Yes, let the orchid do what it will. My advice is the same as for all the others... first observe before you intervene. Neos are strong little orchids. Yours is doing very well, just keep giving the care that you have been giving it, and see what it does... growing roots is great! And roots in the air is what Vandas like(and Neos are little Vandas)