RIP Lc. S.J. Bracey 'Waiolani'

[sand_tiger86]

Never in my life have I dealt with such an aggravating Cattleya. Extremely healthy root system and leaves upon arrival last year. However, every single subsequent new growth it puts out begins to rot from the tip of the leaf down (5 times now, it keeps trying and failing over and over again). I've given it calcium, epsom salts, fertilizer, you name it - it just keeps happening no matter what. I'm finally giving up on it. Evidently it's simply a dud, and it saddens me to throw it out before I ever got to see it in bloom but I no longer have the patience for this game. Just a bit of a rant more so than a "help me" thread, I guess. I've never killed a Cattleya before, and I refuse to accept this as my fault.

[leafmite]

Have you tried treating it with a systemic fungicide? Do you flush the pot very well with distilled/rain water to avoid fertilizer build up? What do you grow it in? Did you look up the parentage to find how they are grown (some cattleyas like more shade, some need very bright light, some prefer to be mounted, etc.). Do you keep the leaves dry after watering? What sort of calcium product do you use? Do you have adequate light and air circulation? Does your fertilizer contain trace elements? In what media do you grow? Is the blacked part of the leaf dry?
I know how frustrating it can be as I dealt with black rot. This year, many of my orchids are recovering instead of blooming. Good luck!
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[leafmite]

Okay, missed the 'need to rant'. Sorry for the attempt to diagnose.
Rant away!
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[sand_tiger86]

Haha well, if this particular Cattleya is that picky then I really don't want it anyway. Anyway, I'm done dealing with it. I had hope for the latest growth which was nice and green and just as the leaf was about to open, I look at it today to find black rot starting at the tip. I threw my hands up.

[Desdinova]

One aspirin in a gallon of water. Spray the entire plant. Apparently it works--salicylates for plants are like vaccines for people.

[yvonni]

Hey Kelly , sorry to hear of your troubles . I have had that trouble but with a den . It keeps putting out new growths so I know it has life within it but they grow for a while then something goes wrong . The last thing was I saw the new growth looking limp and when I checked below the media the base where roots should appear was rotted into a hole there . I am also at my wits end with this one . It's the first orchid I ever bought and I want to hold onto it if I can but I'm slowly getting to the point where I know I've tried and that's it, if it dies it dies . I'm going down fight of course but.... meh . Right now I just cut off the new growth and all the roots and dusted it heavily with cinnamon and just tossed it there , it either sink or swim .

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hang in there, Kelly. Get a new, healthy cattleya and keep moving forward. Every plant you grow gives you that much more experience and we all loose a few along the way.

cheers,
BD

[tucker85]

Orchids are like people, some of them like living with me and some don't. I stick with the ones that like living with me (orchids and people).

[Cjcorner]

I agree totally with Jeff, above...I only raise orchids that like me. Also; like people there is always a possibility you got a dud. lol Better luck with the next one...

[leafmite]

I had a cattleya that was declining (it had suspicious markings, new growths were dying). In April, I put it in a ziplock bag (to avoid the spread of disease) and tossed it near the trash can. It was such a good feeling to get rid of this troublesome orchid that I worried might be virused. What great relief! Ah, but then a few days ago, I found it, still bagged, hidden underneath a shrub. Four months of neglect and it looks terrible but it is getting new growths that look really great. I am not quite certain what to do with it now. I plan to take it to the orchid society meeting and ask the experts. It has come back to haunt me.
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