Switched Burr. Nelly Isler to S/H

[desertanimal]

Well, I got a Nelly Isler yesterday from kawamoto orchids and repotted it into S/H today. It has 7 pbs, one has leaves about 6" long, and one has no leaves yet, so that suggested to me that there is at least some growth going on. Plus, I worried that if I don't repot it now, I won't water it correctly (and I leave for a week in a week and have a house-sitter) and its health will decline, making the switch even more difficult for it later. So I decided to go for it. I think the best thing about S/H is that I will never again have to try untangling those roots to get the old medium out! That took me forever!

My fingers are crossed that it will take to it well!

---------- Post added at 09:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:50 AM ----------

Hmm. My photos didn't make it. Let's try this instead.

[Ray]

Hard to say from that first picture, but I see no signs of new roots emerging, which often happens with the emergence of new pseudobulbs.

The plant might be in for a "rocky ride" at first. I'd put it someplace that it will be very warm, and consider treating it with a root-inducing product like KelpMax, K-L-N, SuperThrive, etc.

[desertanimal]

Thanks for the feedback, Ray. Much appreciated. There were a couple new roots emerging, once I found them after digging out all of the old substrate, but only a couple (like two). They are so much different from my phal and cattleya roots that I'm not 100% positive , but they were short and a little thicker than most of the others, and very white. The way it was packed in its substrate, I couldn't tell if there were new roots before cleaning them, so I gambled and used the presence of newer growth as a guide. I did soak the plant in a kelp supplement while loosening the roots for cleaning, so hopefully that will give it a boost. I'll keep treating it while it's working on the transition. I purposely chose the plant with the most pseudobulbs in the hopes that it would be able to marshal the energy to make the switch. This is also the warmest part of the year here, and I wanted to take advantage of the 6 or 8 weeks we have left before it starts to cool off. I'll keep my fingers crossed and I'll keep this thread updated as it goes! I can be prepared for a rocky ride, I just hope it doesn't completely croak on me! I love S/H so much and feel so good about caring for the plants that I have in it that I've decided I just won't keep a plant unless it's in S/H (or equivalent)! Eliminating the variable of watering inappropriately just makes me feel so much better about growing. So thanks for that!!!

[desertanimal]

So I have some issues with this plant and I'm not sure what to do. I left it in a shady place while I was away from July 18-25 because I didn't want it to get too taxed while (hopefully) growing new roots. It was warm and humid in the house (we have no AC and it was getting in the 90s that week). When I returned home, I noticed some leaf-tip browning and yellowing. I marked them to see if they're progressing, and some of them are.

I have been watering with either rainwater or DI, and fertilizing at half indicated strength with an orchid fertilizer, so I don't think it's a problem with salt buildup. Plus, I don't see any precipitate on the top LECA.

It's in a sunnier spot since I got home, next to an open window so it's getting better airflow.

My questions are: 1) should I cut away the bad parts and dust with cinnamon?
2) Should I get something systemic to treat with?

Any advice is welcome. It also has a new 3 inch flower spike. The pseudobulbs are slightly wrinkled, which I expected from its shift into S/H, but just barely, so it seems to be ok on getting water. Thanks in advance!

[DTEguy]

I would cut the third one off till the green part..

Leave the rest for the plant to reabsorb nutrients from leaves. The orchid is most likely resource managing due to root loss....but keep an eye for opportunistic fungal infection as the leaf tissue is dying.

Consider putting a clear bag over it or into a tall clear vase (6 inches above leaves) with some water and leca at the bottom to increase humidity.

Keep it shady, your orchid doesn't need to make a lot of sugar from the sun for now, it's more important to conserve water for survival--photosynthesis is water taxing.

[desertanimal]

As per Bud's suggestion on another thread about this plant, I cut off all of the brown and yellow parts of the leaves. That took care of it and no more leaf yellowing or browning has occurred. The flower spike continues to grow and I have a teeny new little p-bulb starting way down in the middle of the plant. In other words, so far so good.