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Thread: Brassia Verrucoas

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
    Posts
    167

    Default Brassia Verrucoas

    My digital camera annoys me to no end because it won't focus right. This is my new brassia verrucoas I just got today. It unfortunetly was sent in sphagnum moss, but the only thing that seems to be an issue is that just one leaf has these spots on it. They look like a whole, but they aren't completely through. I guess I'm bad at explainging things. When I repot, do you recommend attaching it to bark, or in a pot?

    Another thing I was wondering was that I have Better-Go fertilizer that I just got today too. The regular is 20-14-13, and the bloom booster is 11-35-15. No urea is in them which as I have been surfing the internet is a good thing. Is this adequet? I have one dendrobium that I have pictured earlier, one oncidium that I haven't got to flower again, and the brassia I just got today. If it's sufficient, then when do I start using the bloom booster? I know to use it half strength, but how often? Do they all need it at different times?

    Then another question is about humidity. I know that people say to put water and some pebbles underneath the plant to make it more humid. I have those plastic things you put under plants filled with water, and the plant up off it so the pot isn't touching the water. Do I still need to add pebbles? Does misting the leaves help? How often do you mist the leaves?
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  2. #2
    Real Name
    Louis J. Aszod
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Male
    Location
    Clarksville, Arkansas
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    3,780
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    Default

    I wouldn't worry about the spots on the leaf unless they seem to be visibly getting bigger. Most Oncidiinae get brown spots on their leaves, espicially at the tips, when they're given enough light to bloom strongly. If, on the other hand, the spots are mushy, wet looking, and getting bigger, that's fungus or bacteria. You should wipe a pair of scissors down with alcohol and cut the leaf about an inch past the bad part, toward the plant. Most people cut an outward "V" shape to make the cut look more natural. But if the spots in your picture are the only ones on the plant, that's perfectly normal, and not worth fussing with. (Orchids are grown for their flowers, not their foliage, so even though many people want and expect an orchid plant whose leaves look pristine, it's usually not possible. Matter of fact, many of the silk plant manufacturers have started adding "defects" to their orchid foliage to make their product look even more lifelike...)

    When I repot, do you recommend attaching it to bark, or in a pot?
    That's completely up to you. Attaching plants to a slab of bark or cork makes them look more like they would growing in the wild, and I like that effect. Just remember that you'll probably have to water the plant more frequently than you would if you planted it in a pot.

    Another thing I was wondering was that I have Better-Go fertilizer that I just got today too. The regular is 20-14-13, and the bloom booster is 11-35-15. No urea is in them which as I have been surfing the internet is a good thing. Is this adequet?
    I've never used that brand but the numbers look alright. We usually recommend balanced (10-10-10 or 20-20-20, something like that) fertilizers but I'm sure what you bought will be just fine. Remember, too, that you should dilute all the fertilizer mixes from 1/4 to 1/3 strength, not just the bloom booster. About the Urea, it's only useful in fertilizers applied to plants growing in soil, (lawn, shrubs, etc.) since Urea needs the microbes in soil to break the nitrogen out of it. So, yes, what you bought will work great.

    when do I start using the bloom booster? I know to use it half strength, but how often? Do they all need it at different times?
    Use the bloom booster on a plant when you first see it start to spike, and apply it (dilluted again) at the same frequency as the regular fertilizer (usually about once a week.)

    Do I still need to add pebbles? Does misting the leaves help? How often do you mist the leaves?
    Adding pebbles may help the water evaporate faster and increase the humidity, but it's not crucial. As long as the pot isn't sitting in a trayful of water... As far as misting is concerned, some people love to (because it makes them feel like they're doing something good for their orchids) and other people never pick up a spray bottle. If you're growing in a dry environment, a morning misting will help keep the plant's leaves from getting too dried out. It's not necessary to drench the leaves when you mist, just a light spray is fine. And be sure that the leaves are completely dried off by nightfall, otherwise fungus could result. So if it would make you feel better to mist them, then go ahead!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Wilmington, NC
    Posts
    167

    Default

    Thanks so much for the help. And yes...reading the old posts from OT helps too. She had some questions that I needed answers to too. Appreciate it.

    Jennifer

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