Coryanthes macrantha slowly dying

[Rothrock42]

I got this at the beginning of December. The nursery had recently put it into 100% sphagnum moss in a vanda basket. It languished a bit and lost a leaf from a back bulb, but I just chalked it up to moving from their green house to my windowsill.

I think it was a little cold in my house during early January, but I adjusted the temps and it has generally been 70 to 80 during the day and 60 to 65 at night. The humidity in my place is pretty high (for a windowsill grower) ranging from 55% to 75%.

I did get one new grown, but the pseudo bulb is much shorter than the previous years. And I've several of the old leaves have started yellowing and dying off.

It is hanging next to a Stanhopea that is doing very well. So I'm thinking the problem is the moss and tonight I decided to yank it out -- mostly just because I didn't know what was going on down there!

It looks like there are actually quite a few roots, that aren't in too bad of condition.



And this looks like it could be a blooming spike. I had kind of seen the one on the left from the top, but it hasn't done anything in three weeks. So I'm taking it that the plant isn't happy.




Here is my plan dip the roots in a light physan bath and soak in some super thrive and lightly fertilized water. Soak some coconut fiber and line the wood basket. Mix up a little sphag, medium bark, and expanded styrofoam and repot the whole thing in the morning. This medium is very similar to what my Stans seem to be liking.

Any suggestions? I really want to be successful with this plant. It is the one I told my sister, "If my place is on fire you have to save this one and the Stanhopea."

Should I cut any of the roots away? While they don't seem optimal they don't seem smushy or rotten so I wasn't planning to do so.

BTW here is my windowsill environment. You can see the Coryanthes and Stanhopea in the two baskets to the right of center. There is a fan all the way to the left that blows air along the window and an oscillating fan that blows back and forth toward the window. I get a nice little leaf quiver so I assume it is about right.

[Helene]

I have no idea, but google the plant, and seems fascinating the way they trap bees to get pollinated😎
Coryanthes Orchid ("Bucket Orchid")

Anyway- maybe it needs more shade?

Coryanthes Macrantha care tips
Read this one, maybe it should be on the left side? (Or did you have it on the left side?)

[Mandy2705]

I am hoping to give you a little bump as I am not expert on coryanthes. I have a coryanthes acrantha (this may or may not be macrantha?) for almost a year and it is is just growing like a weed. It seems that you have a much better growing environment than what I am currently giving mine?? It had a spike when I first bought it and then after that it had thrown out about 5 pseudobulbs which are all smaller than the ones it originally came with. I don't mean too but I unintentionally let mine dry out occassionally. It's in a net pot 5in and its in sphagnum and a few lava rocks. I. The first few months that I had my plant, I would soak it in seaweed kelp for hours. And I still occasionally do that. Every time I water, I soak it for hours. It sits in front of a southeastern facing window and gets direct morning sun. I know that my environment is extremely dry and to add that it hangs above the baseboard heater 😩 which is constantly on bc it's broken?! Apt management is going to look at that soon 😌 I remember reading that someone puts coffee grounds in their coryanthes bc it loves it, I might try that soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rothrock42]

Thanks for the ideas. I had read several things online that said it should have approximately Cattleya light, but when I read that thread it does seem to be lower than that. I've swapped the Stan embreei on the left.

While repotting three of the oldest back bulbs broke off and I've put them in a separate little pot on phal/paph tray.