Epidendrum Defforme

hello all,

I was given a keiki (is that the right way to spell keiki?) not too long ago, the species is of course, "epidendrum defforme". I mounted this little beauty onto a slab of pine bark with some sphag, and secured it with invisible monofillament (fishing line) I have been misting it with 25% 20-20-20 solution every 3-4 days. After a few days the leaves got a tad wrinkly, not drastically, but it made me recall the state that my first few phals fell into before yellowing and dying (years ago).Today I noticed new bright green root tips emerging, ordinarily I would be releived to see new root growth, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't plant it into a pot. This was incidentally my first mounted orchid, and I have since acquired a second, a mini oncidium which has many spikes but is starting to drop leaves... CAN ANYONE HELP?

I've been sucessful with a couple of dend keikis, following essentially the same formula. I give mine a good shower every three days. Maybe the misting isn't getting enough moisture to the plant.

Otherwise it sounds right. Mounted, they'll dry out faster and so will need to be watered more frequently. Just follow the rule for that particular plant (whether or not it wants to dry out between waterings and to what degree.) Good luck!
Julie

I think Julie hit it on the head. If leaves are getting wrinkly, and new roots are emerging, the plant needs more moisture and is actively looking for some. If you don't pot it up, I would definitely decrease the time you wait between waterings, or add another layer of sphag to keep the roots wetter longer.

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Louis J. Aszod

Thanks for the input, I will add more sphagnum to the slab, and I'll keep y'all posted on the progress.