Beallara/aliceara orchid, what am i doing wrong?

[lauraeli]

my third year with this one, they are supposed to be 'easy' but it has just been on an extremely gradual decline since i bought it. It is potted in nz sphagnum. Its in an east window. It probaly gets fertilized every 6-8 weeks. The roots start out and then die as soon as they touch the moss. Every years growth has come in smaller than the previous years so eventually it will die. It has never attempted to flower This one dries out fairly crispy a couple times a month which i dont think they like. But ive never grown these before so im pretty clueless. Help?

[Optimist]

Put it in small bark. They sell this at many plant stores so you can get it quickly. I would go with fish tank gravel or also small stones next. Mix them possibly. (Gravel also keeps the plant pot from tipping). You can do it in layers. Moss is "iffy" with orchids as far as I am concerned. I have only had luck with moss with orchids that needed to be wet all the time-- New Guinea dendrobiums, Phragmapediums, etc). It holds too much water which in turn rots the roots. S moss is useful in orchid culture, but not for all orchids in all cases.

This is only one view, there are a few more views and strategies. Oncidiums like water, but they do not like "standing" water. and moss creates a "standing water" type environment.

You might also examine the light you are getting. Is it enough? This might account for small leaves.

[SundayGardener]

As a newbie who falls for the "easy grower" line every time, I can confirm that they are not what I would call easy. I've got one, it's alive, I have no wisdom to share, I believe they don't like to dry out, I moved mine into semi hydro a few weeks ago just to see if that would help in terms of providing more consistent moisture, since it can be hard for me to get the balance between comfortably moist (for a plant) and drowning.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by lauraeli

The roots start out and then die as soon as they touch the moss.

That says a great deal, all by itself, suggesting that the moss has become old and contaminated, so is toxic. When was it replaced last?

It is also possible that you're growing it too warm, but that wouldn't explain the root issues.

[lauraeli]

ive had that root issue since the moss was new tbh.

im not a new orchid grower, i have 14+ phals, a vanilla orchid, a tolumnia, and a paphiopedilum. The phals and tolumnia are easy. The vanilla orchid is boring. The paphiopedilum ive had less than six months.

I grow my mini phals in straight sphag. My bigger phals are in 50/50 sphag and bark. Im an underwaterer, i love sphagnum moss.

My tolumnia is grown in charcoal. I wonder how my aliceara would do in that.

[estación seca]

Underwaterer - that is the problem. These struggle if they dry out for much time while making new growth. Emerging roots contacting crisp-dry moss will be damaged at the tips, and stop growing.

[lauraeli]

thank you estacion that is probably the problem then. hmmm not an easy one to remedy though. I forget to water at times and tend to either kill or give away plants that cant handle that. This plant also gives no indications when its thirsty so its hard to even determine its watering preference. Wih the phals you can tell by looking at the roots. The encyclia has pseudobulbs. The tolumnia holds water in its leaves. And the vanilla orchid just takes whatever i give it.

[estación seca]

This plant is always thirsty. After repotting consider standing it in a dish with a half inch of water so you can stretch the watering interval. Most Oncidiums really struggle if they dry out for very long.

[Ray]

I can give you a few things you might consider:

1) Use a less-porous container. All of the openings in the current one allow the sphagnum to dry very quickly.

2) Place the container in a small tray and water it in the tray only, whenever it is approaching being dry. That keeps the moss moist, without compacting it.

3) Consider growing it in semi-hydroponic culture.

[lauraeli]

thank you for the suggestions! but are ypu suggesting i leave the pot standing in water? i think the moss would stay too wet that way. Not really famiiliar with semihydro. Is that with the clay balls? i cant get those