Need Help - Brassia orchid leaf tips turning brown
 

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, as well as new to keeping orchids. Recently I got a Brassia orchid online. It was in transit for 4 days, but when I received it seemed to be in good condition. However I noticed that the leaf tips were a bit pale green when it arrived. Over the next 2 days they had started turning brown. I haven't repotted the orchid yet and was waiting for it to get acclimatized to the new climate. I live in Tirupati, India and it gets really hot in summers (45-50°C) here. I have been keeping the plant in relatively cool part of my house which receives diffused sunlight early morning for a few hours, but rest of the day its only mild sunlight. I water everyday since I read that Brassia love water and I ensure that the media is always moist (was planning to shift it to a self-watering system, not sure if with semi-hydro?). I was wondering if someone can help me out wity the browning of leaf tips and what would be the solution to it? I have attached some photos of the plant on arrival and after 2 days.
Another question I had in mind was the pattern of growth. The plant has some pseudobulbs hanging out of the pot and also they aren't in the same plane. Was wondering if I should divide the plant when I repot it?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers

Naman

Hello and welcome,

what i would do.

I would repot with fresh bark and sphagnum.

i would cut the 3 oldest pseudobulbs (the small ones, no leaf and wrinkled.

Further if the root tips is eaten maybe there are snail. So i would spray with some hydrogen peroxide all the roots system and between the pseudobulbs.

Welcome!
I agree that a repot is in order. But to me, the damage looks a lot like it was due to heat encountered in transit. (It can take some time for such damage to appear) You could trim the damaged leaf tips if you wish (it will look better) or just let them dry up. I would not cut anything at this point if you can avoid it. (If you are going to remove any, you could cut one or two of those small ones at the very back so that you can fit it in the pot) The old pseudobulbs are a source of energy for the plant. It will eventually suck them dry (when they are brown you can cut them) but for now, you don't want to do anything stressful that you don't have to. And please, no peroxide on the roots. I know there are some YouTube videos that suggest that treatment - but roots are covered in microscopic hairs, which are easily damaged by peroxide. If, when you repot, you find black mushy roots you can trim them, since it looks like you have plenty of viable roots to hydrate the plant and hold it stable in new medium. I suggest small bark rather than sphagnum moss, because it lets more air into the root zone. Along with removing old moss that may be rotting, certainly airless, you will also remove any potential pests that might be living in there.

Brassias do tend to climb. When I repot them, I'll put the oldest pseudobulbs as low as I can so that the new ones will fit into the medium. I'll put less medium at the back of the pot where those old ones are, but if they get buried a little, no harm, they are on their way out anyway. Also, ideally it would be better if you used a pot that is a little larger and a little deeper, to allow for a year or two of growing room.

Semi-hydro might also be a very good choice for this plant. You are in a humid area, and it is a very good way of keeping "humid air" around the roots without their staying too wet. Others on the forum utilize the technique a lot, and could better advise on how best to apply it.

In my opinion, too old pseudobulbs does't really help. In that case they are even brown to some places and if they get covered by bark there is a possibility to rot.

Regarding media i suggest combination for so high temperatures. Not compress the sphagnum and it gives you the cool it is needed. Otherwise the bark will turn dry to fast.

Regarding hydrogen peroxide i agree with what you said. But is is of my preference to use it, because I cant find a better solution with snails(and i have used some). Unfortunately, other solution or removing the snails by hand, doesn't kill the egg snails, so they return and eat the new root tips of new growing pseudobulbs and finally the plant is too weak and die.

With hydrogen peroxide, I am sure that I will not have snail in the future, even if it takes some time for the roots to fully recover which by experience will not be more than 2 months.

Just for history ;)

I bought plants with snails.

The one that I used H2O2 is about to flower for second time during this year. The new pseudobulbs have grown many roots.

For the other one i wasn't sure if it had snails so i didn't spray it. After some time i found eaten root tips and a snail. I used white eco pellets didn't work, i tried the classic blue pellets didn't work either. I tries a solution with cinnamon didn't work. I repot and spray the plant with H2O2, and now is the third month that grown some roots, the plant is too weak but I will wait until it recovers finally.

But all above advice, is what suits me to have healthy plants with lots of flowers in my climate and routine. Everyone have his one routines.

Zoizikid - If the medium is replaced, the odds are very good that any snails will be removed too. I'm inclined not to treat unless I know what I'm treating.

Snails live between pseudobulbs, old leaves and roots.
They also leave eggs in several places which later hatch and all over again even if you remove bark.

If roots are eaten by snails you can see it so you can use hydrogen peroxide to kill them and their eggs, even as a precaution.

It is natural and even used for wounds. My best friend. H2O2 :biggrin:

Welcome, spilornis/Naman!

What is the relative humidity? In temperatures like yours (and mine) high-water orchids can dry out very rapidly. I agree with repotting, and putting more of the roots into the medium.