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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain' hanging on to life

A sick Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     I last wrote about my struggling little Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain' back in late September, when I first treated all my orchids with systemic fungicide.  In the 3+ months since, the orchid's recovery has been slow and questionable.  

     Nearly rootless, the orchid shows severe dehydration in its leaves.  It shed most of its old leaves, and now only has the two large ones left.  Of these, the smaller one is wrinkling, and may quite possibly be gone by the time I return from my holiday trip.  

     The suspicious black spotting on the leaves increased since September, but has mostly held steady over the last two months.  While I'd normally consider cutting the affected leaves off, I really don't want to do that when there are no other leaves left on the plant.  The orchid has received a few more fungicide treatments since September, so hopefully whatever was causing these spots will be held in check.  They don't seem to be growing anymore.

New growth on Psychopsis Mariposa 'Mountain'

     The roots seem to have grown a little since September, but less than I could have hoped.  I did not wish to disturb the media to find out for certain.  The orchid is in loosely packed sphagnum moss in a net plastic pot, which lets it dry out every 2-3 days.

     The new growth has gotten larger since September, but only slightly.  Still, as long as it is growing, there is hope for this orchid's survival.
     

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