I am so sorry to hear that! i seem to lose a few to rot every spring and fall, nowhere near as many, and still i get very upset. So i completely understand where you are coming from!

are your orchids holding up at least?

is it possible there are Hybrids that are acclimatised to your conditions? Or is the lack of supply a climate issue? I don't see people installing Air conditioning to grow plants indoors, when they live in a tropical environment. But maybe you have to consider that option for the future...

Karin

Thanks Karen, my orchids are doing wonderful, just added effort with watering every four days.i don't have any of the cool growing variety so maybe that's why I haven't lost any. About installing Air Conditioning that's a big no, no. The DH would flipðÂÂÂ, he already thinks I spend way to much time and effort on my plants ,and I couldn't tell him it's for me because I can even sleep with a fan on so to be honest that's a dead end. I guess what makes me so disappointed is the fact that I don't have anyone or any were to source back a few from ð¢. I suppose it will be way down in next year before I can maybe get a few from my supplier and that's only if she makes a trip abroad to replace the ones she lost as well. As I said she's the only person I know who does them and she's still about 250 miles from me. And yes our climate has to do with the limited about mount of people who grows them (way too hot sometimes) double bummer���"���".Velleta

How about your seedlings? Did they succumb,too?

Do you mean the streps? No praise the Lord they are still very very small so hopefully by the time they are potted individually they will have adapted to our climate.i did however loose the gloxinia though.���". Velleta

Hi
Hopefully the seedlings of the streps will bring a yield.
Good that you found orchids that do well in your
climate. Sadly, there is not much anyone can do about
climate change bringing unusual and excessive heat, except to try to find plants that can handle the heat.

There have been climate changes in many places that have made it difficult to grow many kinds of plants.

For those of us who have lived in snowy climates, we
do get more used to plants dying in the winter and
simply starting over again in the spring.

As Karin noted, the lack of supply of AVs in your
area is probably a good indication that the plants
are unlikely to thrive unless in a climate controlled
greenhouse.

When I lived in a cold, snowy climate, DH also did
not want the furnace running all day when no one
was home just for the plants and the pets. The
pets were fine. But the AVs all died. It was sad,
but, it is part of nature.

Hope I don't sound preachy, just trying to be
reassuring and realistic. Joanne

Thanks JoanneðÂÂÂ,you don't sound preachy at all.to be honest after you told me your DH did the same thing I actually told myself velleta, your not aloneðÂÂÂ.As I said before I will just have to wait until I can get back a few, at least I still have my orchidsðÂÂÂ.I will just have to concentrate on them for now. Thanks yo everyone for being so supportive.Velleta

My DH opened the plant room window in -20C weather because he found it too warm...

WowwðÂÂÂðÂÂÂðÂÂÂð boy.In the DHs defence , I am sure they just don't understand plants and their needs. Velleta

Velleta,

Sorry to hear you lost so many. It sounds as though the heat did them in.

Maybe you could take some leaves to start on a regular basis. I have found leaves are not as susceptible to heat as plants so maybe you could time it to have plants in the cooler season.

We have the opposite problem here. It is so cold already-February weather in November. I think we're in for another horrid winter.

My offer is still open. If I can send you some leaves, I will. I just don't know about the importing laws in Jamaica.

Linda

Thanks Linda, but honestly I don't think I know how to get around the importing law here. I was thinking about starting out with leaves next year when I can get a few.i was thinking maybe grown from leaves would make them more adaptable. Anyway I do hope your death toll with your weather will be minimal, it's really heartbreaking watching your plants die which you have spent so much time on and not be able to do anything. Thanks again, and if I figure out a way with the importing I will let you knowðÂÂÂ.Velleta

Velletta i'm so sorry. This is devastating.

I know my mother has similar problems to you, she's in Brisbane Australia ... many times her plants are doing fine but then summer comes and the heat kills them even if they're in the shade. It really doesn't make sense.

I do like Linda's idea too about keeping leaves on hand and experimenting with them ... maybe some in water and some in the different mediums available to you down there ...

i'm planting most of my plants in either straight perlite or clay pebbles and I wonder if straight perlite sitting in water would help them to stay cooler. (because the water is evaporating through the perlite and it's not sitting there getting warm ... on the other hand it could also turn to steam). :(

at least you know that if your supplier has gone through the same problem it's not just something you have done... if she doesn't have success then maybe it's almost impossible.

silvana.

i remember seeing a post sev years back from a grower somewhere in taiwan, may be? where it is very steamy and hot - and probably close to jamaican climate!
she said the only way she can grow av's is in straight perlite, otherwise they would rot.
so may be you need to try that? provided you can get perlite, of course. i am sure they have it in puerto-rico or mexico! may be you can source it from there?

Thanks Silvana and Petrushka, right now I am so sad I can hardly go in my green roomð¢. I do have an entire bag of perlite I mix it with miracle grow potting mix and plant my AVS. But I will try the stright perlite and see once I get a few leaves.Thanks again everyone.Velleta

Hi everyone, so the death toll keep rising���". Even after repotting to new media I still keep loosing my suckers.this is what the leaves look like, they turn sort of brown or black from the edges inward? Then they slowly rot, one leaf at a time. Now I am positive it's not over watering because the roots would rot first, then the stems but this starts from the edges . I really wish I knew how to prevent or stop this from happening. I have done all I know but still it continues.Velleta

hugs... I think you need a new thread to see if anyone can help to identify this.

did you lose all your plants in the same way? the leaves started to brown and then died towards the roots... rather than the roots died and then the leaves died as in root rot.?

I was reading about some diseases which can be airborne...like fungus spores ....

i don't know what to suggest. ... is your friend/supplier having the exact same problem?

I stumbled upon your thread here and my heart just goes out to you - how terribly heartbreaking to see your tender babies dying and feel helpless to do anything! I've not been to Jamaica, so have no idea what your climate feels like, especially to the plants, but you certainly have my sympathies.

Hi
Hopefully, Linda will see this and advise you. There are only so many ways a plant can express itself when stressed, so this might not be helpful. But when my plants did that, it was due to the chloramine in the tap water. So now I use spring water that is bottled.Did your water supply start adding chloramine recently?

Thanks Toronto.and.Brisbane, Shallots. Forty seven I only use RAIN water on both my AVs and orchids . I collect it in drums so can't be the water either.Toronto all of what I lost was from the same pattern, leaf then stem , I have watered less,repotted, remove the affected leaf to see if it would stop, even stop fertilising but it continues.they grow on the north side of my porch so no direct sun.And my orchids are in the same room and are doing amazing so I am thinking if it was a fungus if it wouldn't affect the orchids too? I have a mix variety but mostly phals which are right beside the AVs. This is just so frustrating.Velleta

I've read you can use Lysol to fight powdery mildew. Have you tried any antibacterial / anti fungus products? If you have a commercial disinfectant spray readily available - and haven't tried THAT remedy yet - it might be worth a shot on a test batch of plants. If you decide to try it, I'd suggest some reading research first for products and application methods.

Shallon

I hope that you'll get some help here ... it's too strange.

I asked my mother about the summers in Brisbane, Australia ... maybe even hotter than Jamaica ... they have 40 degrees Celsius days sometimes (104F) with high humidity. Their summer is just starting and will continue till March... she said that her outside plants can die ... sage was the latest surprise but ... her African violets do fine... both the indoor ones and the outdoor ones...

on the other hand orchids are hard for her to grow although not for her neighbours/friends.

please don't give up ...even if you have to email av growers in the u.s. ... just keep asking ... hopefully you'll get some clues eventually .....

ps: no if it was a fungus or virus or even bacterial it would not also affect the orchids ... not at all.... some plants are susceptible to certain things ... just like some people are killed by cholera while others are not and again some have no symptoms but can spread it to others.

when your plant is dead or dying do you take it out to have a good look at its roots? maybe there is some clue there?

can you get a strong microscope to see better?

can you contact your supplier and ask her if her plants have the same symptoms as yours? the leaves dying first etc.

Even if heat has a part to play in this by stressing out the plants there must be something else going on this is too weird.

This post was edited by toronto.and.brisbane on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 11:23

Wonder if it could be your choice of media? It's possible that whatever mix your using is not conducive in your environment. Perhaps some experimentation is in order?

If the heat is the issue, perhaps potting in unglazed terra cotta pots might help. Watering might require greater frequency (depending on the media) but some evaporative cooling of the soil might occur.

Thanks PaulðÂÂÂ, I was actually thinking about the terra cotta pots but we don't get the small sizes here.the smallest I have seen is 8" and that's wayy to big. I am down to just a few crowns now so I have opted to use the small solo cups.my mix is perlite, miracle grow potting soil and a bit of coconut coir dust.the ones I repotted I used about 70%perlite so I am hoping it will help.i still keep loosing though .I have also tried using phyton 27 to help stop the rotting but ???.honestly I will just have to start over when I don't feel so helpless and I can get some plants.Velleta

Velleta,
I can't help you, but I want you to know that my heart hurts for you. I've been so amazed at your collection just a few months ago, and I understand how devastating this is. I'd love to share in the spring, too, if there is a way.

Sue

Velleta, so sorry to hear that! I've lost have of my collection couple of years ago and know how much it hurts! In the spring I'll give you the list what is available in my collection, you'll tell me what you want and I'll mail it to you. Don't get upset!

Thanks SueOK and beautylover, but shearing with me is not an option I think.Jamaica has very strict import rules when it comes to plant���", their is a whole lot of paper works and you have to get and certificate and then theirs quarantine and and whole lot of stuff. But if theirs and way I will let you guys know thanks to everyone for your support and willingness to assist , it's really nice to know everyone is so generous. Velleta