I need advice!!!

[EdistoMikey]

Hello all...new to the forum here and I need advice.

I live in CHarleston, SC and I just finally put up a greenhouse. I have all of my plants in there now but a lot of my orchids are turning yellow and dropping leaves.

My question is this.

I am heating the greenhouse with an unvented lp gas heater. Could this be the problem. I though they only gave off co2 and water vapor...

Also, the main ones dropping leaves ate the cats....they did get a coupld of cold nights (i.e. upper 30's) before I gotr the greenhouse up....could this be the cause of the leaf drop.

Right now I am at just a wait and see as far as their survival goes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all!

Mikey

[Diane]

The 30's is pretty cold for catts.... That could be your problem. Are they dropping all their leaves, or just the oldest ones?

PS WELCOME to the forum

[Gin]

Welcome to the forum ! I agree 30s too cool. Are they losing old and new ? Another thing is if the heater is unvented and the green house is fairly air tight , the oxygen sensor on the heater might turn it off , a safety feature .
I am not familiar with the amount of heat/sun you get there , do you have a fan running 24/7 .Are the other plants Ok.?
Sorry about all the grilling .. Gin

[EdistoMikey]

They seem to be dropping the older,larger leaves. It looks like the ones that were kinda protected by the others are doing okay. If it was the cold that got them, will they come back?

Thanks,

Mikey

[mitcholito]

Hi there Mikey,

I would definately say that it has to do with the temperature "chock" they experienced when temperature dropped. Usually the plants can take this if they are healthy otherwise. You might have a period when the plants stand still as a result.

Regards

Mikael

[Diane]

If it was the cold, then yes they will come back. It's a good sign that only the older leaves are falling, as this mean the plant shed the least useful leaves and held on to the 'young' ones. Sometimes I get a whole wave of catts dropping leaves at the same time, it's just that thay are on the same growth cycle. Look closely over the next couple of weeks to see if any growth buds start to show for new leads.... Keep us informed.

[Piper]

Hi Mickey,

This question floated around just over a year ago. Ethylene is a plant regulatory hormone, that often triggers flower, petal and leaf drop.

A major source of ethylene is incomplete combustion, and I know of very few "purely compustible" heating sources available to home orchid growers (that is, who don't own their own nuclear reactors.) Whether they're furnaces, cigarette smoke (don't smoke - it's bad for your orchid's health), fireplaces or gas heaters. Vent that puppy! Quickly, or you'll have few plants left.

Julie

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

I think that maybe Julie, you are right. Thanks Julie! I used to have this problem everytime I moved plants from growing outside to wintering inside the house. I don't do this anymore. I always thought that is due to the temperature shock.
For cattleyas, however it could a combination of 2 factors: cold and wet at the same time. Cold and wet will cause root rot. And when the catts lost their roots en mass, they drop their leaves, the older ones first then the new ones. The remedy: allowing the plants to dry out and keep them warmer at night (60 F or above), they will re-root and you will be fine!

Cheers. Hoa.

[EdistoMikey]

Thanks you to everybody that replied to my delima...

I am just an amatuer at this, so I doub't I will be able to give anyone usefull advice. I really do appreciate all the advive you guys/gals have given me. I hope one day I will have enough knowledge to help out someone else.....


Thanks a million...

Mikey

[Piper]

I am just an amatuer at this, so I doub't I will be able to give anyone usefull advice. I really do appreciate all the advive you guys/gals have given me. I hope one day I will have enough knowledge to help out someone else.....

Hi Mickey,

Someone here posted a quote last August that I really loved:

"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement." - Fred Brooks, University of North Carolina

That you’re raising orchids and not afraid to make mistakes means you’ll learn a lot and become an Obi Wan with time and patience. Good luck and may the Force be with you!

Julie

PS - I give advice freely...but don't confuse quantity with quality!