Hiroba suddenly losing leaves

[Reeses]

I have this lovely Hiroba that I got from Kristen from New World Orchids. Two massive fans, two little ones starting--I love it. But I repotted it last weekend because the moss was grey and clearly needed to be changed.

Since then, my poor Hiroba has lost almost an entire fan. The leaves just snap off and fall. I have no idea what to make of this. Could it be sulking because I repotted it? What can I do to make it happy again?

[estación seca]

I don't know what to tell you. I suspect it has to do with temperature and water as the seasons change.

I think you're talking about a Neofinetia? I might suggest you start another thread with that name in the title and ask again. A lot of people don't open threads if they don't understand the title. There are a lot of Neofinetia growers here. I hope they can help you.

[Leafmite]

How are you growing it? Does it have a good root system? Does it get enough Calcium? Are you growing it in a window? They do like a cooler winter.

[Reeses]

I have not been treating with calcium, but there is some in my fertilizer. It did have a good root system when I repotted it, but i trimmed the two longest roots to have it fit in the mound. I had heard that was okay to do, but now i'' worried that it was a mistake!

I also don't think it's getting enough light. My apartment doesn't get any direct sun, and i'm still playing with plant setups, but my other two Neos are doing well, or seem to be.

I feel so bad about this! The Hiroba was my first Neo and my favorite. I'll try to post a pic so you can see how all the leaves on one fan just dropped.

[Leafmite]

I know how you feel. Neos are rather special. I lost my favorite when trying to grow it under the hot lights for the winter. I will give the new ones a cool winter rest.

Kristen spoke at our Orchid Society and said that these can grow in a North-facing window and if yours have been doing fine until now, this is probably true.

I have never been a fan of trimming roots. Many plants (including some orchids) suffer terribly if their roots are damaged or even disturbed. That has made me very wary about purposely damaging roots. With the orchids, if the roots are damaged, I let the roots dry for a few days to heal before again watering to prevent fungus getting into the wound.

[Reeses]

That is what Kristen told me, as well. I do think it's not getting enough light, but I hope that isn't the reason it jettisoned a whole fan!

I wish I hadn't trimmed the roots now The video I watched on youtube, which was by an orchid seller, said that it was okay to do. I feel like I should have known better.

Now I'm not sure if I should unpot it again? It was literally a week and a half ago that I gave it fresh moss. I made sure to have a hollow in the center, too.

[Leafmite]

What kind of pot do you use? If it is a basket pot, your roots should be okay, especially with the hollow. Fresh air helps to prevent fungus.

You could be right about the light. I always grew mine in a South-facing window before I got the lights and killed them. Now I have the new batch. I think I will put them in the South-facing kitchen window, now, with the Neo Lou Sneary.

It should not hurt to take it out of the pot if it is in moss. Moss is pretty gentle to the roots. If you need more light, you might need to go artificial. I would recommend LED's as my fluorescents really give off heat.

[estación seca]

Low light doesn't cause a Vanda to drop leaves. Inadequate water for the temperature, and/or rot, do.

[AnonYMouse]

I've had that happen. No clue why. The two I remember were one fan out of multi-fan variegated plants after repotting. The remainder fans survived so I just chalked it up to damage.

[Reeses]

Thank you all! This is very helpful. I was devastated, but the second (remaining) fan still looks healthy. So I think what I am going to do is un-pot it and remove the dead fan, then try to increase both light and water, or at least water more consistently.
I love my Neos and I'm considering getting another one, but I want to make sure that I know what to do with them.