Trichocentrum Candidum info please!!

[mdomingz]

Hi everyone

If anyone could give me some advice. I would like to know what would be the ideal medium for my Trichocentrum Candidum. I'ts a small plant with small delicate flowers and thick leaves. I water it every two days. One week I fertilize it weakly and the next I superthrive. I have it mounted on a wood slab and directly on a chunk of coconut husk. The thing is that even though there are quite a few flower spikes and two leave (new, healthy and obviously taking their time to grow), all the mature leaves are shriveled and there are very few roots. Actually, just one visible healthy root. The thing is that all spikes are flowering regulary and i'm puzzled on why there are almost no visible roots and most leaves are shriveled.

Thanks for your help
manuel
panama

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

My guess is that those shriveled leaves, if still green, are still functioning. I have not had any experience with a Trichocentrum yet, so can't help with the culture. But shriveled leaves on Phals are known to be cause by severe drying, and past a certain point, the leaves do not fill out again as permanent damage has been done. But that doesn't mean that the leaves are usless to the plant, just that they have taken on a deformed condition that is permanent. I would mist this guy every day, early in the day, to be sure it is not dehydrated any further with the limited root system it has. And if the coconut holds water, you probably want to mist lightly, so you are not soaking the coconut with the misting. Cynthia

[mdomingz]

Hi Cynthia,

Thanks for the advice. I'm misting it everyday in the morning. And as I mentioned the new leaves are perfect and growing. Yes, all leaves are green. Maybe it's just as you said, they took this shape permanently after I brought it home. Too bad, but, as someone wrote on this forum once, "It's for the flowers we're growing them".