why is my plant dieing!?!?!

[Oshi5Rock]

ok all i know is that its a low light orchid... one by one each stem from the ground to the leaves is turning brown... and falling off... its on the 3rd leaf! there are only like 4 left! HELP ME PLEASE!!!

[Fabolusus]

That looks like a cattleya to me, which is not really a low light orchid.

[dennis]

kinda looks like a cat needs more light and i would check the roots on it

[fred]

I hope this helps you with your cat.

Cattleya orchid care

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Cattleya is the name of a genus in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It contains 42 known species of orchid and many of them have been heavily used for hybridization. The hybrid flowers can reach a size of 15 centimetres or more and can be obtained in virtually any colour, except for genuine blue and black. Wild Cattleya orchids grow from Costa Rica in Central America to the southern end of tropical South America. When the last flower has fallen from your Cattleya orchid, it is a good idea to cut the flower spike all the way down the stem. If you want to help the plant sealing the wound, you can apply melted candle wax or some cinnamon powder.

Cattleya orchid care - Medium
A well-draining potting medium is an important part of proper Cattleya orchid care. Coarse fir bark or medium coarse fir bark is a good choice. If the potting medium does not drain well enough, the Cattleya orchid will not thrive. The potting medium will also be susceptible to green mould and snow mould infestations.
Cattleya orchid care - Temperature
The Cattleya orchid hails from the tropics and requires warm temperatures. A healthy and well established Cattleya orchid can usually cope with occasional temperature extremes, but such instances should be avoided. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures is highly detrimental to the plant. If you want to provide your plant with ideal Cattleya orchid care, you keep it in an environment where the day temperature stays between and 75 and 85˚ F (24 and 29˚ C). The recommended night temperature is 60-65˚ F (15.5-18˚ C).
Cattleya orchid care - Light
Cattleya orchid care involves providing your Cattleya orchids with large amounts of light. They should however be shaded from intense mid-day sun between 11 am and 3 pm. During the morning and afternoon they will love receive full sun. If the leaves turn yellow, your Cattleya orchid is probably exposed to too intense sun-light. If the leaves instead lose their light green colour and become dark green, the plant needs more sun.
Cattleya orchid care - Watering
Cattleya orchids are epiphytes and in the wild they grow on tree branches and similar. They are therefore ill adapted to a life where they are forced to grow in a soggy medium. Letting the potting medium dry out thoroughly before you water the orchid is recommended. The best Cattleya orchid care is to mimic the natural habitat of the orchids, where the plant is allowed to dry out before the next rain.
Cattleya orchid care - Nutrients
A high-nitrogen fertilizer (25-9-9) can be used 12 months a year. 1 teaspoon per month is usually enough. It can be a good idea to split up the servings over several days instead of giving your orchid one massive feeding.
Cattleya orchid care - Repotting
Cattleya orchid care involves repottig your Cattleya orchid when it has outgrown its pot. This will usually happen every 2-3 year. Do not repot more frequently, unless the potting medium show clear signs of deteriorating. A potting medium that turns sour or becomes infested with mould should be exchanged at once. The same is true for a medium that does no longer drain well

[fred]

The cattleya, favored by the florist and valuable as the parent of large and showy hybrids, is perhaps the orchid best known to the public.

There are over forty species of Cattleya. In their native state the plants grow in thick clusters on trees—frequently mahogany or a type of acacia—and are so well protected by giant stinging ants that the only way to harvest them is to cut down the tree.

The Cattleya plant lacks beauty to the uninitiated, being composed of longish, rounded pseudobulbs, which advance rhizome-fashion along the surface of the potting mixture, and are topped by one, two, or three long green leaves of firm leathery texture.

The average Cattleya 'puts on' or grows one new pseudobulb a year. After several new bulbs have been formed the old ones tend to lose their leaves and roots, becoming backbulbs.

These back-bulbs are frequently referred to as poor relations, owing to their habit of sapping the energy of the growing end of the plant. If severed and placed in a warm, moist spot they will usually respond by sending forth new growth and roots to start a new plant.

A tiny swelling or dormant eye will be found at the base of each pseudobulb in a Cattleya plant. In proper time the eye of the youngest bulb begins to swell and break into growth, acquiring new leaves and sending out new roots.

A new pseudobulb is formed and, in a healthy, well-cared-for plant, each will be finer and larger than the last. In case of injury to the forebulb, one of the dormant eyes of an older bulb will break.

From among the leaves at the top of the new growth the flower sheath will form. Very disconcerting to the beginner is the habit of some species of growing or 'throwing' sheaths at the time the new growth is made up.

This means that after the new bulb is completed there is a long period during which the flower sheath remains empty of buds, and the amateur despairs of ever having a flower.

Some Cattleyas even have double sheaths, which also disappoint the eager grower. Finally, after repeatedly holding the plant against the light in search of buds, he is rewarded by discovering small dark spots at the base of the sheath.

At last the flower buds are 'set' or have begun to ripen. Species differ in the length of time required for maturing or flowering.

The Cattleya is among the larger and showier of the species orchids—species meaning 'native' as opposed to 'hybrid.' Coloring ranges through all shades and tints of purple, from amethyst and violet to magenta and deep red.

Brown, yellow, and green species are found among the genus. Many of the species have alba varieties, whose flowers are pure white with a touch of green or yellow at the throat.

Important among the Cattleyas are the labiata group, those possessed of a fine, large lip, which makes them valuable as the progenitors of commercially desirable hybrids as well as for their own beauty and prodigality.

These labiates have some representative blooming, with trustworthy regularity, at every season of the year. The intermediate or 'Cattleya' house satisfactorily serves this group.

The Cattleya permits division as long as three or four bulbs are allowed. Each year in the life of the Cattleya adds a new growth at the front end of the plant, and certain species may occasionally grow in two and, more rarely, in three directions. As the new bulbs form, the old ones frequently begin to lose their leaves and roots.

They become 'poor relations,' a drag on the living plant. On being severed from the living plant the backbulbs, as these old drybulbs are called, will, if placed in a warm, moist spot, start life over. After two, three, or perhaps four years these will be new plants and will flower.

The advantage of the backbulb type of propagation over the growing of seedlings is that the flower will exactly resemble that of the original plant, while in the seedling there is no way to tell whether it will resemble one parent plant or the other or be something entirely different.

When it comes to cattleya orchid care, this one requires direct sun. Cattleyas, native to Central and South America, are found hanging on trees in the tropical rain forests. The burning sun of midday is usually kept off the plant by foliage directly overhead.

The grower, guided by this knowledge, lets Cattleyas be exposed to the sun, but provides shade in summer during the warmest part of the day, for sunburn must be avoided.

The increased exposure to sun necessitates a corresponding increase in humidity to prevent the pseudobulbs from shriveling.

When watering Cattleyas, it is well to soak the pot thoroughly and then allow the potting material almost but not entirely to dry out.

The pots should not become completely dry since the bulbs may shrivel and plant growth may be retarded for at least a year. Yet, if there is any doubt, it is far better to err on the dry side.

When it comes to cattleya orchid care, dryness will deter growth, but too much moisture will kill the plant. If water remains in the pot and does not dry out in a week or ten days, it is likely that the roots will have rotted off.

The pseudobulbs will shrivel and the leaves droop. Many amateurs mistake this for an indication of dryness, and treat the pot to another drubbing, thus rotting the remaining roots and probably killing the plant.

A plant that shows signs of shriveling from lack of roots will often respond to a daily gentle overhead spray. Laelias and other plants with light, heat, and air requirements similar to the Cattleyas need about the same watering treatment.

Laelias like slightly more water after complete growth and before flowering. After flowering they will require slightly less.

[Oshi5Rock]

i dont think its light... i think its somethnig like tis sick
its turning brown from 1 stem to the other... from the bottom up...

[mayres]

Sounds to me like you have some sort of bacterial or other disease action going on. I would remove the plant from the pot and remove anything that looks remotely brown/rot and put in fresh media - probably at this point a smaller pot - and then treat with hydrogen peroxide or fungicide if you have some.

[Oshi5Rock]

ok what is media... and where do i get it?

[Oshi5Rock]

how do i treat it with hydrogen peroxide?... spray the leaves? water it with it?

[fzzdk]

media is what the plant is planted in (ie. bark, sphagnum moss, etc)

the idea with treating with peroxide is to dab or spray the infected areas, if using something like a systemic fungicide, then you'd water the plant with it.

also, the people advising you to give the plant more light is because if the plant isn't getting enough light, it's put under stress, which makes it more likely to fall prey to something like rot.

[Oshi5Rock]

o ok... i had a pot next to my plant (i live in a dorm) and i didnt know my roomante put her dirty dishes in there and didnt ever clean them, so when i noticed the mold in the dishes, i noticed the first stem closest to that turning brown

[Oshi5Rock]

should i get that moss or bark? im heading out to wal mart and idk what is best for that plant... should i get both and layer it so the moss is on top?

[Oshi5Rock]

i have another plant in the room... its hanging near the top of my window... its that one @ risk?

[fzzdk]

definitely get the bark. the moss will be too moisture retentive and rot your roots.

good luck!

[dennis]

if there is fruit around it that can harm it as fruit when it is ripening gives of a gas harmful to orchids. may look at what is on your roomates plates

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

When cutting into a plant, as suggested for removing the rotting parts of the plant (100% of it), you should sterilize your tool, heating might be simple to do, or soak the tool in 10% bleach solution for a while. Or use a new razor blade. Then you can use cinnamon to dust the cut surfaces to prevent spread of the rot thru the cut.

[maninair]

I think it is due to overwatering or it is possible that there is no drainage hole to allow excess water to go out.

Mani