Help me save this Brassavola!
 

Hey,

I need help in saving my orchid please.

I got this Brassavola Nodosa online about four days before. Since then, the leaves are yellowing and falling off and the plant doesn't seem happy at all. It was potted in pure charcoal. I have repotted it in a mixture of charcoal, bark, lava rock and a little bit of coconut husk. Today, I topped the media with some sphagnum moss to maintain humidity.

Let me know what I should do to save this plant!

(Please find attached before and after photos)

Thanks.

I am not an expert with these but I do have a few Brassavolas and have always found them easy to grow and bloom. I am not exactly certain what has happened to yours to lead to the growth turning yellow and I would remove that growth. Hopefully, this is not something that will spread to other growths. If it is spreading, you should get a copper-based systemic fungicide to stop the infection. Here are some tips for growing them:

1) Make certain that only the roots are buried in the medium and that the rest of the orchid is above it.
2) These need calcium.
3) They prefer to be kept on the drier side. I have mine set up so that within an hour of being watered, they are dry. These are probably one of the easiest orchids to grow mounted.
4) They are on the higher end of the light spectrum for Cattleyas.

What condition were the roots in? Was it shipped or subject to cold temps?

I don't really see a problem. It is normal for older leaves to die off eventually and the stress of shipping might accelerate that. If the roots are healthy I would just give it normal good care for a few weeks, maybe not in the brightest light for now, and see how it progresses.

Thank you for your reply.
I used a fungicide on the plant (just to be on the safe side). How can I provide it with calcium? Can I use limestone powder?

---------- Post added at 01:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:37 AM ----------

Thank you for your reply. The roots seemed okay to me. No rotting at all. And my country never really gets cold. So I don't think its cold temps either (minimum would've been 17 C). It was shipped however.

What else could be the issue? How do I resolve it?

---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 AM ----------

Oh! I hope it is what you're saying. Thanks for your reply :) How long should I expect before the plant starts showing progress?

You can use calcium in different forms. I buy a bottle of Cal/mag and mix it in with my other fertilizer when I water. I find all my Cattleyas and likely other orchids benefit from it. But some use egg shells or limestone powder. The liquid is calcium and the magnesium required to go with it and is well controlled since you measure it out into the water.

Just make sure the plant isn't buried too deep. It may not be but the rhizome should show at least a little at the top of media. Also let it get good air t the roots and dry before watering. Applying some seaweed to the water for a few waterings may halp stimulate some growth. I'm not sure when these put out new growth. Just give it regular Cattleya care on the side of bright , warm and not overly wet and it should do fine.

Until the plant is ready to start new growth you probably won't see much progress. That might be weeks or months, I couldn't begin to guess seasonal differences in your country. Until then go a little light on fertilizer and water (but don't let it wilt). Let it get used to your conditions and set its own pace, don't push it.

What is the humidity like through the year where you live? If it's high for the summer, you will probably do better with this plant mounted or even just hung on a wire rather than in a pot.

Where I live, it gets pretty dry in summers. They are atrocious and humidity is generally as low as 20% and temps climb up to 45 C for a couple of months. However, during monsoons, it's as high as 85% for a couple of months.

For people in the USA 45C = 117 F.

My summer is almost the same but our monsoon humidity is mostly 25%-40%, up to 60% during some days when it might actually rain. In the winter our days are in the upper teens and nights 3-10C, occasionally a little below freezing. Winter humidity is very low.

In the past I tried growing this plant outside during our summer on a shaded patio. It's just too hot and the plant shriveled and died right away.

I bought a near-blooming size seedling from Carter & Holmes in the US in August. It arrived in a small plastic basket with a small amount of large-chunk bark. I kept it inside the house in a window that got morning sun. I sprayed the roots with water twice a day. It was completely dry within a few hours. I began wetting it more and more thoroughly. Now I spray it twice a day or more, and soak it overnight every few days. It is dry within a few hours of soaking. When the sun declined I moved it to a sunroom where it will be warmer and get more sun than in would the house. It has grown new roots since I began soaking it, but has made no new vegetative growth.

I also bought a smaller seedling in Septemember from Olympic Orchids that came mounted on a piece of cork with some sphagnum moss. It was in active growth when it arrived. I gave it less light at first and watered it the same. It remains in growth with new root growth.

If your winter temperatures are warm during the days and not too cold at night (maybe not below 5C?) you could put it outside, but I think you should keep it in the house during the summer.

I think Cattleya tribe orchids really hate being wet and hot for any length of time, which is why I'm not going to try this plant potted again. I think the near-bare-root basket and mounting are the way to go. But this means very frequent watering.