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Hey all--

I wrote to NWO about my seds-- my email and their informative response below:

So I've had basically sedirea die-off. I know, it sounds horrible (and it is!). I did really well with these plants for many months but it seems that when I moved the plants to a new grow area, I had major root loss, which sends the plant into general decline pretty quickly. I think part of the reason is that the conditions changed from what I was use to-- lower humidity in general being a main factor. in the new environment, I'm able to keep the humidity much higher and with less of a swing between day and night time humidity (temperature dependent means that during the photo period of my lights, temps hit 80-84F and then drop to 68-70 at night, but the humidity goes from maybe 65-70 during the day to a solid 75-80 at night-- not that huge of a swing all things consider, especially considering my altitude). This higher humidity I'm assuming has kept my moss wetter, longer.

So for ease of examining the situation:

Current conditions are:
1. Photoperiod runs for 12 hours
2. Humidity Day: 65-70 Night 75-85
3. Day temp 84 Night Temp 70
4. Grown in moss mounds, hollow centers
5. Water via heavy misting/pick up and weigh method
6. Light mist daily or every other day
7. 1/4 or less fertilizer once a week at most during growing season

Observations:
1. very dry moss on the surface, wet on the inside :(
2. Root rot on chabo and minmaru shima, minimal root rot on minmaru
3. Lower leaves begin rotting at base and fall off in succession
4. Any new roots stall and tips brown when they touch the moss or even sooner (maybe moss isn't the culprit if some roots stall before touching moss?)
5. Leaves wrinkling suggesting they aren't getting anything from the roots that remain

I've lost a minmaru shima already (an expensive loss!) and I have little hope for my next one. Chabo is in the same boat. Minmaru (standard green) seems more robust and while it has roots that stall too, it has more than actually keep growing. I have two minmaru and one is from Glenn and Ibelieve it is growing a keiki-- which could be good or it could be bad. good that it's healthy and is growing or bad that its failing and attempting to continue via keiki.

Steps I've taken to remedy the situation:
1. Removed ailing plants from moss
2. Removed as much rotting material as possible (this seems to not really helped)
3. Placed under auto misting system that delivers fine mist twice a day but not enough to soak the plant for long periods
4. Re-planted in aquamat-- a water retentive material that holds water similar to a sponge but remains open and airy-- best of all, it's inorganic and this isn't breaking down like moss!
5. Emailed new world orchids pleading for help.

Possible conclusions:
1. Plant sedirea high-- they like the air and the two plants I planted high are both my minmaru which both seem to be doing relatively well.
2. Moss just isn't ideal for my conditions- having a media that wicks and remains moist without remaining wet is needed-- firstraysorchids.com sells aquamat so I'm testing using this
3. Frequent watering seems to do better than less frequent but heavier watering-- while not sedirea, I have several phals that live under the misting system and they've done exceptionally well, but because of the way they're planted, they require frequent watering, but never "heavy" watering or watering in a media that remains wet for long. Perhaps seds would benefit from that more than getting watered once a week but soaking wet.

I have thought about soaking these plants in seaweed extract to jump start new leaf and root growth but haven't yet. I think I may do this tonight because honestly, what do I have to lose?

So that is the situation-- most dire for chabo and shima. I can't bare to lose any more plants. I should also say that I'm experiencing similar issues with my neos as well but neos seem to be much more tough!

Thoughts?

NWO Response:

Okay, the master is home, and he has read about your woes. I am reporting his diagnosis:

The good news: there is hope! The bad news: you're an overprotective parent who loves his orchids too much. In a word, your problem is over-watering. I think because the phals are more tolerant of the water, they're doing fine, but the fact that you're seeing the same problem in your neos tells us that FOR SURE it's an overwatering situation. Oh, and regarding the toughness of shima vs "plain" minmaru: the variegation is beautiful but puts the plants at a disadvantage because they have less chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Less p'synthesis, less reserve energy in the case of emergency :)

Glenn is also wondering what kind of moss you're using. He told me to let you know that I wrapped his bum leg in some New Zealand 5A moss and it grew right back! :) I think that the frequent fertilizing is over-mineralizing or acidifying your moss. Since the plants aren't taking it up (since they're not growing well), it's just sitting there in the moss. It could be burning the roots. We had too much water outside this summer so that we couldn't even fertilize or it would have waterlogged them even more. I know you know that orchids have minimal fertilizer needs, but I think even less than you're using right now. Try just once a month and only on plants that are growing well.

We grow our neos and sederias exactly the same: wrapped in 5A moss, no hollow center, just loosely wrapped. You may need to change out your moss because of the fertilizer build up. We water when the moss is almost to completely dry. These plants are epiphytes in nature, so they're used to drying out completely between waterings. If the surface is dry but it's moist inside, leave it be. We both agree that frequent misting is okay, but that's going to mean even less need for watering, especially if you have roots out of the moss where they can get that moisture. I checked our sederias today, and they are going nuts with root growth, even through the bottom of the pot (and therefore through the moss).

Our recommendations:
1. Repot in 5A New Zealand moss. Don't worry about the hollow center.
2. Water once a week, mist daily or every other day (this isn't necessary, but I'm sure they appreciate it).
3. Don't fertilize for a month or so. After that, if plants are growing well and you see new root growth, fertilize once a month at 1/4 strength.

I really think you'll see a big difference. Remember the general rule with orchids: benign neglect!
Here's a link to the Sederia culture sheet on our website, too: Sedirea japonica

Here's a picture from the website that shows all the Sederia children in the moss beds.

Try to hold back the love, Ryan, and I think you'll be happy with the results! Keep us posted, please.