Dendrobium with leaves turning yellow and falling off
 

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here, and hoping to get some help for my first dendrobium orchid.

I bought it about 3 weeks ago, and all I know about it is that it says its from Costa Farms and I THINK it looks like the phalaenopsis type.

When I first bought it, it had lots of stiff green leaves. Within the next few days some of the top leaves started to turn yellow and fall off. I watered it only once, the week after I bought it and the spaghnum moss still looks completely wet today. There appears to be no drainage holes anywhere on the pot, and I don't know if that is the problem, although the leaves were already yellowing before I watered the plant.

Today the plant has only about half the number of leaves it started off with, and the remaining leaves are turning yellow too.

Is there any way to save this plant?
Please let me know.

what a pretty thing....but drowned....take it out of that pot and moss immediately and let it dry out....dens need to go very dry between waterings and you cant do that in moss and a pot with no drainage....after a couple days drying out, take what is left of your orchid and repot it with bark in a pot with drainage holes....water it about every 8-10 days and pray there might be some life left to save....sorry, but thats the way it is.....i am sure others will pop in with additional information....gl

I would take the plant out of the container and check out the roots and see what they look like. I would imagine that they are pretty well compromised with the plant looking this way.
If the root structure is rotted away, you may try the "Spag and bag" method that is described elsewhere on this site.
If the roots are healthy looking, then check the plants for any "Tag along" bugs.
Finding none, then this may be a viral issue if all other findings are negative.
Good luck.

Hi Steph,

Welcome to Orchid Board. Your plant is probably suffering from too much moisture. Sphagnum moss has a reputation for staying wet and with no air holes in the pot I suspect your roots are rotting. These type of Dendrobiums need to be potted in a well draining medium and specially designed orchid pots help as well. Orchid pots have more slits and holes than the average pot.

I'd remove the plant from the pot and check it's roots. In your fourth photo I see an example of a rotted root. It's the brown thing with a wire looking thing coming out the middle. Carefully strip all the sphagnum moss from the roots and check for more roots that look like the one in the photo. Use very clean scissors or clippers and remove all roots that look like that. Feel all the roots that are brown. If they're mushy then remove them too. You can treat all cuts with a little dab of cinnamon from your spice cabinet. It helps to fight bacterial infections. It shouldn't hurt your plant if you let it air dry for a day or two. It may even help. While it's air drying you can find a proper container to plant it in. Be conservative with the size of the container. These plants grow better when they're a little restricted. Since you're a beginner I would suggest you buy some premixed orchid plant mix. Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart carry it. Read the package and make sure the type you buy is recommended for Dendrobiums. Soak the medium several hours before you repot your baby. A few pebbles in the bottom of the pot will aid in drainage. You may have to anchor your plant inside the pot so it doesn't fall out. This can be done with wire or specially designed orchid clips (also available at the above listed stores).

Don't be tempted to remove the leaves or the canes their growing on. The leaves will most likely wither and fall off naturally. The remaining bare canes will provide energy for the plant while it recovers.

Don't water for a week or so. Remember the new medium was soaked before potting, so it will stay wet for while. When you resume watering do so sparingly by pouring water through the top. You should only have to water every 4 to 7 days. Don't let the pot stand in water. Just let it dry out naturally. Keep in mind that these plants like warmth and humidity so you may need to place a tray of wet pebbles beneath the pot.

It might also be possible that your plant has received too much sunlight. Phal type Dens. like light but not too much and not too strong. A dappled eastern exposure works well for me.

In a few weeks, if all goes well, you should begin to see new growth (canes) popping up near the base of your plant. Newly developing canes will provide your plant with fresh green and white roots. Just be careful to not overwater them or they will promptly rot.

You can begin using a weak solution of fertilizer in about 2 weeks. Better-gro is also sold at the above listed stores. This brand has worked fine for me when I mix it half strength. Avoid the use the bloom buster fertilizers at this time because your plant needs to recover before it blooms.

Your Dendrobium looks a little sad now, but she should make a full recovery with a little knowledge and TLC. Best of luck. :)

Thank you so much everyone for the quick responses. Junebug: Your detailed instructions were exactly what I was looking for - thanks.

So I went ahead and took the plant out of the pot. The roots indeed look terrible. I'm assuming they are all dead? A few more leaves fell off during the process too.

If all goes well, are the old canes eventually going to grow new leaves? Or are they only left there to provide energy to the new growths? Will it take years before I see flowers again?

think if you have 1 or 2 good roots should make it - base of cane does not look rotten...
maybe you could put some rooting hormone on the PB above the dead roots that i would cut.

I had some luck by using a water jar with afew drops of fertilizer... water culture prevents rot - there are some threads here - change the water every few days...
i think it is better than sphag and bag.
bought a LCattleya with just rotten roots and stuck it in a vase / jar with water that covered half inch of the pseudobulbs -
now it is sprouting new roots and growth.

i should post pictures.

the cattleyas seem more water-culture friendly than dendrobiums - but i put in water one i got for cheap off ebay that had only dry roots and seems to be working...
I would try that - less risk f rot with water culture.
And never buy Miracle Gro orchod mix - as it is not orchid mix - unless you mean terrestrial orchids like Bletillas.
I got Better-Gro at lowes which is charcoal, bark, perlite. wish the bark was a little less coarse - but it is the best value and it is real orchid mix. and you can break bark pieces in smaller ones by hand or with a hammer [or i wonder if a coffee grinder would work]
stefano
too tired for spell checking

stefano- Water culture works very well for Dens. I have a mini phal type that was in bad shape (no roots, no leaves) that I put in water. I kept the water level a bit below the base of the canes, changed the water every few days. Now, 6 months later the plant put out 6 new growths and plenty of roots. I will be switching it over to S/H very soon since water culture is not a long term way to grow orchids.

Dendrobiums are "tuff characters". Looking at the roots I'd say they have a good chance of surviving.
Good Luck!

I would say this plant is gone and not worth your time trying to save it.

By the label it is a big box store plant, and most will replace it if you bring it back.

My advice is bring it back. It was bad before you got it.

Also It appears to be more than mere over watering. My guess is Phyliosticta capitalensis fungus, which is common on Dendrobium. Treatment is difficult and this plant is infected everywhere. In a commercial setting we destroy these as soon as we see it and then treat the green house to prevent spread to other plants.

The velum on every root is destroyed. If it ever grows again it would be as a rootless backbulb. It will be a long process and not worth saving.

Hi Steph,

The canes will not produce more leaves, but they will provide energy so the plant can recover. It's important to not remove Phal Type Dendrobium canes until they are completely shriveled and yellowed. This rule also applies to healthy plant specimens. Removing them can cause severe set backs and long recoveries. I had to learn this the hard way.

Looking at you're 3rd photo the large cane appears to have a small white root (nub) beginning to grow at the base. This is good and I'm hopeful that that particular cane (which is probably your plants latest growth) might produce other roots while growing new canes. The new canes will produce new roots too. The other 3 (older canes) are finished with their root production and they're just there to provide energy and a bit of moisture as a strategy to ensure survival.

You'll need to trim the mushy roots back further before repotting. There probably won't be much left when your done. Because of this it will be necessary to devise some way of anchoring your plant in the pot so it won't topple over.

Other members suggested water culture and sphag and bag. IMO this is not a good idea and would lead to further rot. Basically the plant has already drowned. It needs an available source of water without sitting in it. In addition it needs humidity, warmth, good air circulation and proper lighting. Keep in mind that you live in a vastly different growing zone than I do. Central Florida winters are mild and short and don't typically kick in until Mid-December. You're natural growing season has probably ended and this might affect the recovery of your plant. Our climates couldn't be more different and I'm sure you'll need some helpful hints on how to provide warmth, humidity, lighting, and proper air circulation from other northern growers. Unfortunately you'll need to learn how to mimic "mother nature" and I have no useful knowledge in this department.

It may be a year or so before you see blooms, but look at it this way...you'll be gaining alot of useful knowledge by nursing your plant to life and you'll be so elated and proud when it begins blooming again. You're plant has an energy reserve of 4 existing canes and has a great chance for recovery. Wishing you the best of luck. :)

Jerry's comments sound like the best advice. See if you can take it back. And if you get another den be sure to look at the roots as soon as you can.

I wish I could return this plant too, but unfortunately it was not purchased at a store. I bought it from a flower stand at an end-of-summer fair; it was the first time I saw dendrobiums for sale here in Toronto aside from the Internet and orchid shows.

Right now all I can do is either toss it or try to save it... I think I will attempt to save it :)

I cut all the roots off and applied some rooting hormone on the plant base. It is propped up on its original empty container now with about a centimeter of water in the bottom to increase the humidity. The plant is not touching the water - I am afraid it will cause more rot. I will be looking for a new suitable pot ASAP. I already have a bag of Schultz orchid mix at home that I've been using for my phals, so I will be using it for the dendrobium as well.

As for the light source, my orchids are kept under a skylight (not directly under, but slightly off to the side). The phals seem to like it there - most of them grew new leaves this summer. The pictures are a bit dark because it was raining outside at the time I took them.

Thank you everyone for your advice :)
I will update in a few months if the plant improves.

Update
 

Hi everyone,

Here are some updated pictures of this plant. As you can see most of the canes have shriveled up and there are no new roots or growths, BUT there is something tiny growing at the top of one of the canes :) Can someone please confirm whether this is a keiki? If so, what should be the next step for this plant?

Since the original post I have kept the plant on top of a fish tank (to raise humidity) in a relatively dark room and pretty much forgot about it. Should I keep it where it is or would it be better to give the plant some sunlight?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I think the lower of the two does look like a keiki as you can see the tiny root nubbins stating to show.

I'm not sure if you should move it now, hopefully someone else can chime in. If you DO move it to higher sunlight do it slowly a bit at a time. If it has been in low light it will scorch if it suddenly goes in to bright light.

Those are indeed Keikis. The plant is giving a last ditch effort to save itself. I would get a shallow dish and put some damp (not wet) sphag in it and lay the canes horizontally. This will encourage the Keikis to send roots out and down into the sphag moss. Once they are large enough you can separate them from the parent and pot them up on their own. You'll want to wait until you have a cumulative root length of 4-6 inches before you remove them. You may also find that the parent canes will send out more than 2 Keikis by laying them in moss.

:agree: and :goodluck: Keep us updated!

You are keeping the plant in the dark. Plants don't grow in the dark, especially dendrobiums. They need a great deal of light. Try to get the plant into a lot more light, not necessarily sun, but as much light as you can give it. As soon as you see an indication of growth, keep increasing the light gradually.

Done. The canes are now lying on a bed of sphagnum moss with access to dim sunlight. I will slowly introduce it to brighter light. The reason that I put the plant in a dark room was because it had lost all of its leaves, so I figured it wouldn't be able to photosynthesize anyway... and plus it got depressing watching the plant wither away so I had to hide it and forget about it :blushing:

Here are some pics of the keiki. Its only been a few days but the roots are looking more defined and I can see a baby leaf:)

Thank you everyone for the advice. I will update again in a few months.