Phragmipedium besseae flavum help please

[BrucherT]

I watched the plant show decline for two more days, despite creating cooler temps, so tonight I unpotted it. Here are the photos. There was one dead root. The otherlook good to me. I am going to change out the LECA with fresh and go on with LECA culture unless someone can show me how that’s inadvisable based on these photos. You can see there are two new growths on this plant. I appreciate all the help... I am feeling that the problem must be heat. It makes sense. Somehow, I will get this plant cooler and keep it cooler. I don’t know quite how. Has anyone tried a wine chilling ice bucket? Has anyone tried that? Thank you to everybody.

 

[BrucherT]

Grow-Cubes

Grow-Cubes are small 1/4” cubes of stone wool (stone wool). There are several advantages:

• Grow-Cubes stack on top of each other leaving air space in between them this promotes root growth.
• Each cube has four surfaces from which excess water can drain. This way, even if you water a lot, the Grow-Cubes will not get water logged.
• You have less algae growth on the top than with the smooth surface Gro-Blocks™.
• The Grow-Cubes are the driest of our products with properties of a 50/50 mix. (50% water/50% air)
• Very easy to mix with any other potting mix.
• Special advantages are achieved by mixing Grow-Cubes in with clay pellets. The Grow-Cubes will help spread the water in the container as well has keeping a water buffer in between the watering.
• Lightweight; approx. 1/10 of the weight of a bag of potting soil.
• See Grow-Cube growing guide right for easy instructions.

Specification Chart:

Grow-Cubes	Volume	Weight
Big Bag (2 cubic ft.)	Fills approx. 23 standard one-gallon nursery pots*	5 lbs
Medium bag (1 cubic ft.)	Fills approx. 10-11 standard one-gallon nursery pots*	3 lbs

*Note: A one gal. nursery pot does not hold a full US-gallon.

I would try these but I don’t know anyone here who sells them and it would take too long to get them, when repotting needs to be immediate. But I appreciate your message and will keep them in mind!

 

[ScientistKen]

I would try Southernbelle's recommendation. I have rehabbed phrags with that approach successfully when roots were an issue.

 

[ScientistKen]

Sorry Brucher T. I didn't see your post when I posted.

 

[BrucherT]

Sorry Brucher T. I didn't see your post when I posted.

Aw zero worries and if the roots had looked crappy, I would have! As it is, fingers crossed that I can bring this baby back. Thank you for caring enough to weigh in; it’s exactly what I hoped for.

 

[KateL]

house next door's asking price 10 millions or more ?
I don't think real estate in Hawaii is affordable to even "some what rich" peoples

It’s definitely overpriced, but not that bad. One of the good things about being ”more mature” is that we bought our home decades ago and, now it seems like we got a good deal. We were so busy paying for it and doing kid stuff that we hardy ventured into the backyard for the first decade or so. Now we (hat tip to excellent husband) have turned it into our own little orchid paradise.

 

[KateL]

I watched the plant show decline for two more days, despite creating cooler temps, so tonight I unpotted it. Here are the photos. There was one dead root. The otherlook good to me. I am going to change out the LECA with fresh and go on with LECA culture unless someone can show me how that’s inadvisable based on these photos. You can see there are two new growths on this plant. I appreciate all the help... I am feeling that the problem must be heat. It makes sense. Somehow, I will get this plant cooler and keep it cooler. I don’t know quite how. Has anyone tried a wine chilling ice bucket? Has anyone tried that? Thank you to everybody.View attachment 21263

Good looking roots. Hope it works out!

 

[NYEric]

Good luck.

 

[setaylien]

I watched the plant show decline for two more days, despite creating cooler temps, so tonight I unpotted it. Here are the photos. There was one dead root. The otherlook good to me. I am going to change out the LECA with fresh and go on with LECA culture unless someone can show me how that’s inadvisable based on these photos. You can see there are two new growths on this plant. I appreciate all the help... I am feeling that the problem must be heat. It makes sense. Somehow, I will get this plant cooler and keep it cooler. I don’t know quite how. Has anyone tried a wine chilling ice bucket? Has anyone tried that? Thank you to everybody.View attachment 21263

Your roots look OK so it is probably not a potting medium issue but an over-heating one. In my experience that is the number one problem in growing besseae f. flavum. With every degree over 70 F they decline. Short periods are not too bad but long term tends to kill the plant.

 

[southernbelle]

I would try these but I don’t know anyone here who sells them and it would take too long to get them, when repotting needs to be immediate. But I appreciate your message and will keep them in mind!

They are very light, so you could probably get them in 2 days through Amazon Prime, or even find them at good garden centers. Our WalMart carries them.