a newbie with an ??Ascocenda??

[diogo]

Hi everyone!

Like all the newbies here, i bring another problem!!! I don't really know what happens with this plant... i bought it a bit distressed about one year ago, the leaves were looking tough and nice, so as the roots hanging outside the plastic pot where it was strangely potted (the roots were starting to break because of being forced to hang in a not good position). I cut the old dry spike out and only could realize that the flowers from the other plants around were small, with strong yellow petals and sepals and a dark pink/purple lip, what makes me think it could be big mixture 'around' Ascocenda (Vanda x Ascocentrum). I decided to get this one because the plant itself was looking better!!

Thereby i decided to get it a nice wooden cedar basket on the internet and potted. After this procedure, and probably because of the weak substract it was into (eventhough i know they don't need so much... more humid air, good high temperatur and nice afternoon light - 5-8h), the older leaves (5, at least) started to fall and all the plant got a bit wrinkly, so as the roots, i decided to add a one-hand Sphag moss to the basket.
In the picture i send you can see what i mean with "wrinkly"!
The basket is turned to a south window, with sun during a big part of the day, but i live in Berlin, and sun is not so much what we have here. Also the temperatures are not so high but i try to keep it in the bathroom, where the air is more humid and warm.

Meanwhile the leaves are not falling anymore but it looks exactly like when i bought her, not one root, not one leave!!! I try to give it water every day by sprinkling and make this "water-for-about-20-30 min-stuff" to the roots once a week!! This makes me really sad, what can i still do for it to grow better? I know i don't have the pefect conditions, but i would like to try it!!!

I hope not to be too boring with my story and that you can understand clearly what i mean! Thank you for reading until here!
Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

tks.
Diogo

[orchid-man]

The biggest problem that I can see is that there has not been enough humidity.
If possible mist the plant 2-3 times per day,emough to wet the roots and leaves.The roots should be a greenie color when wet enough.The temperatures for this plants should also never fall below about 17 degrees celius.

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Your plant looks so de-hydrated. I would wrap moss around the roots to increase the humidity even more or cover them with coconut husk chips. These plants love heat, i.e. day temperatures above 75 F, all the way to 90 F or more, so try to figure out to increase the temperature some more. Night temperature of around 65 F or higher is optimal for their growth. When you mist them, the roots dry out so fast, in minutes and that is not good enough. You have to figure out way to keep the roots moist for many hours but eventually dry out at the end of the day.
Cheers. Hoa.

[work2ski]

Had the same problem with a vanda I have growing in a slatted basket.

The air here in my area is so dry that most vanda spikes would dry up in a matter of weeks before reaching maturity. It wasn't doing much so I repotted with large bark chunks and charcoal. It gets a quick watering (not thorough like the others) every morning.

Can't afford to mount or hang anything because I'm not home to maintain the daily spraying. If light is an issue, artificial lighting is another option.

Trung

[diogo]

this is what i did about 2 months ago. Sphag moss in the hanging basket, the leaves stopped falling, but no growth at all!! I think the big problem is the moist, the temperature is never below 68 F... eventhough i know it could be higher!
Lets see what can i do more about it.

Thank you very much for your help!!
Diogo

[Brutal_Dreamer]

If possible, put this plant outside under a shade tree or an area where it will not get direct sunlight, but very medium light until it is healthy again. Then give it a good soak once a day. Take a large bucket and lower the basket roots and all down into the water and let it sit there for 15 min or so, then lift it out of the water and hang it up to dry. The moss should retain some moisture for most of the day. The outside wind and heat should mostly dry it out again by evening. Spray/ or heavily mist the leaves also. Once a week, fertilize as you would normally.

Something to remember is that once an orchid is de-hydrated to this point, it will take it a long time to come back. By now, (two months in spag) you should begin to see some green root tips.

In the photo it looks like there are some completely dried-out roots. These roots will not come back. Once they get to the brittle point, they will not grow again, however, do not remove them yet. Let the plant get healthy and then you can clean up the dead roots. It will become apparent which are healthy and which are dead.

Also, don’t expect to see new leaf growth on this plant this year. It will have to get healthy before it can grow new leaves. Right now, you should focus on creating an environment where it is getting lots of humidity. That is the best way to turn this orchid around. JMHO

After the plant is healthy again, increase its light level and keep the humidity up and it should bloom. Do not put this plant in bright light until it has a chance to recover. It could kill itself trying to bloom.

Cheers!
BD

[maegg]

I totally agree with BD. This plant is VERY dehydrated. It needs more watering. I'd even add a little superthrive to the water to help get it going. You need to totally drench that plant when you water it. Misting should help some but it needs a total dunking. If you have it in a bathroom, run the shower and let it get completely soaked. The only other idea is to repot it in something that retains moisture a bit better like clay pot. I have several orchids in baskets and they need way more watering than any of the ones I have in clay pots or they start to wrinkle like yours.

[diogo]

Thank you very much for your replies and suggestions! I'll try what you're saying during the next months. Like BD said, i realized it had a new flower spike that dried out with around 2 cm!!
Until now, no new roots in the basket!!!

tks.
Diogo

[diogo]

Hi everyone,

i'm very happy to tell you guys that your tips have very gooooood results! With the warm weather help the new little leave started to grow (it's really loving the sphagnum inside the ceddar basket) and already a new one is comming only in 1 week!!! The leaves are much less wrinkled and i feel really happy to finally realize that she just needed more water and more frequently.

I was walking around and looking at the basket and realized the first new root sprout!!! Hey!!!!!
The water showers and the open window are having wonderful results.
Thanks guys!!!

Cheers.
Diogo

[Diane]

Great News! Be sure to post a picture when she blooms!