Aerides Houlletiana dropping leaves from the bottom up
 

Hi! I've had this Aer. Houlletiana for about 4 months. It's started dropping leaves from the bottom. The leaves will be green and happy, then get yellow near the stem and drop off within a few days. I suspect some encroaching fungus or virus.

I emailed the grower and she suggested the plant was just stressed. I moved it into more light a couple weeks ago as it had become fully shaded due to the sun moving lower as winter approaches. It's getting about 3k foot-candles at peak, which should be fine (?).

Thinking about cutting off below the healthy leaves and seeing if the crown can throw new roots.

Help!

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Noooooooooo! The grower is correct, just likely to be a stress reaction - if you moved the plant to higher light abruptly, that could have been a shock (orchids need to be moved gradually, over several days or weeks to higher light) Don't cut! The roots are what keep the plant going... it's not going to grow new roots if you remove its source of sustanance, it will just die. The crown (growth point) looks fine. Losing some lower leaves is pretty normal. Eventually, when the plant is 3 feet tall or so, and has roots near the leaves, you can "top" it and possibly get two plants. But at this point, let it grow!!!

I hate it when the bottom of the stem looks all brown and dried up compared to green and lush - my houlletiana has a similar looking stem but if I remove the dead tissue there are green root patches underneath so I know mine is still alive underneath and I am guessing yours is too.

But I am guessing you got it in that state with only one root on the entire stem which has not grown any new roots in 4 months - bad plant and stressed out is right! - bad seller if you ask me.

If you want you could spray it with a fungicide ( I use about 0.5% hydrogen peroxide but only cause it is cheap).
Keep the stem dry after.

Keep the plant in the right temperature range. No lower than 18 degrees C and hope for some new roots.

Ps: I had to feed my houlletiana as soon as I got it.

Roots (plural, one big one but with multiple branches) look fine to me.

And how could you possibly know that you had to feed it? Orchids need fertilizer only lightly, and regularly. You can't tell by just looking at a plant that it needs fertilizer. When you got it, it no doubt needed water right away, then just maintenance care.

Roberta, no offence but I think the moderator status has got to your head a little bit.
You have been the only person to critizise me not just a few times but several times.
I have bit my tongue as this forum gets too many bad vibes but just screaming at members that they cannot do stuff really doesn't help, especially when it is only your personal opinion.

Everything you have told me over the past few months I cannot do I have been doing and will keep on doing for years to come. I did call the OFBI - they had a lovely customer service assistant that told me orchid crimes are rarely investigated since the orchids never end up pressing charges.

But back on topic, a week after I got my houlletiana a lower leaf started yellowing - a sign it wanted feeding, I fed it and the leaf perked right back. basic stuff. Plants can give you vital signs if you know what to look for.

So yes my plant needed feeding - I could tell after a week already that if I didn't it was going to lose a leaf.

Also Roberta do you even have a houlletiana to be adding your opinion on it. Ps singular, I only have 1 plant as does mark

---------- Post added at 12:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------

That's too bad for you Roberta cause it's a useful skill to have

You are back to the ad hominem remarks that got you into trouble before. Stick to the facts, discuss the issues. Cite your evidence and experience (how many plants, how long, under what conditions)

Yes I have an Aerides houlletiana... actually more than one. That I have had for 3 or 4 years, that have bloomed and are thriving. So I do speak from some experience.

Thanks for the help everyone. I moved it into stronger light and it seems to have stabilized. It hasn't lost any more leaves since I originally posted. I'm going to try some superthrive to see if it will start throwing roots higher up on the stem. It has grown quite a few roots down in the basket and sphagnum but I'd feel a lot happier if it would get more roots.

For root growth, you could try Kelpmax. I don't have first hand experience since I can't get it here in Europe, but seeing everyone's experiences with it here, it does a terrific job at stimulating root growth.

A word of caution on Superthrive... this is purely anecdotal, but at one point I was adding a bit to my fertilizer water routinely. And then I started to get distorted flowers (mostly on some Catts) where the segments didn't separate properly. I did find some notes on the 'net that it could cause mutations. So I stopped using it, and the problem went away (took the better part of the year, to get through another blooming cycle, to confirm my suspicions) So use with caution. And don't use more than the label says.

Thanks Roberta. I will only spray the root area once or twice and using the dilution suggested on the bottle.