Pleurothallis dilemma leaf tips

Marni, do you grow it mounted or potted?

Kelly, for me Pleurothallis dilemma and penelops grow better in shallow pots. During re-potting I found that naturally they have rather long roots (hard to imagine them on mount). What about chemical leaf tip "burning" due to mounting technique?

 

Would you explain that? I don't see the connection between "chemical ...burn" and growing on mount or "mounting technique".

If you talk about the salt build-up here, then you should work on the water quality, not the growing method(in pot or on mount).

 

Personally, I think it all depends on the growing conditions. For example, while some people can grow Lepanthes successfully only in pot, they will die slowly if I grow them that way.
BTW, my Pthl. dilemma has been growing happily on a stick. I suggest good air and slightly dry between watering.

 

Pretty much year round, I water mine every other day or sometimes every other two days. Keep it in mind, My condition is cooler(not warmer than 75F) than yours and humidity is always good.

 

well, I kinda suspect it might be fungal problem. Cut off the affected area(not the whole leave) and see if it will stop the spreading.

@ insects/mites, Check closely. if so, you know what to do.

I don't think you have a whole lot to worry about it. Just keep your eyes on it.

 

Tom, everyone appreciates your posts with beautifully grown plants using classical mount technique. On the other hand, you have seen that I can grow well in pot orchids, typically mounted by others. Not that I am using a magical secret. It is just a common sense approach for me - mounting requires a significant time investment and less forgiving to my faults or neglects. That is why for me it is a not a water quality, but growing method question.
Growing orchids I have learned that anything is possible, but common things they are ... common. There are not to many plant pathological conditions with leaf tips necrosis and funggal infection or mites infestation are not among them (sorry Kelly, all that not about your plant, but about true!).

 

No one questioned about your growing method or how you care for your orchids. Like I said before, it all depends on your growing conditions.... I just don't understand what the connection between "Chemical burn" and "mounting technique" is.
My head hurts!

 

I can't see the roots? Are you getting good root growth?
My mentor has over a thousand plants and he's been finding that his mature plants stop doing well with too much moss on the mount. He's been seeing the moss actually keeping the plant too dry!? He's been scraping off moss on some of his established plants.
So here's a great grower having to do something different after over three decades of growing!
Hope this observation helps.
In my experience, leaf tip dryness is the first sign of significant root rot... Scares me to death to see it - it's good that your plant is otherwise heathy and blooming.
-John
(PS. What about neem oil on the leaves in the future... My plants seem to like it and it seems to keep the leaves in really good shape)

 

I agree Andy's staffs may use a bit too much moss sometimes. Normally remount most of the plants from Andy right away or pull some moss off the mount.

@moss, dead moss will soak up the water right away while the thick live green moss may prevent the water going down to the roots if you don't water it properly.