Orchid not growing

[Gtdownonit]

This orchid doesn't seem to want to grow. I've had it about a year. Not much noticeable change. Any ideas. The other one I got at the same time seems to be doing great. I have given fertilizer. I have 2 others that do great.

[aliceinwl]

What is the leafless one? It kind of looks like a Dendrobium? Can you tell us how you’re keeping it (light, temperatures, watering, fertilizer)? Orchids are quite varied in their care requirements so what works for one won’t necessarily work for others. Knowing what you have and how you’re keeping it will help folks tailor their advice.

[SouthPark]

You uploaded two photos. Each photo is a different orchid. The photo on the right-hand-side shows an orchid that is appearing to grow well.

The photo on the left-hand-side shows a leafless orchid, with only pseudobulbs. The potting medium appears to be ok. The best we can do is to provide an area that has medium levels of light (no direct sunlight), and good air-flow. Your pot and media appear to be just fine. And give the orchids a nice warm temperature.

Is that 100% bark for the potting media?

Describe your watering method too please. Water spray wand?

[Gtdownonit]

They sit side by side in the same place. I soak them down once a week and let them drain. They sit in front of a non sun facing window. They are not in direct sunlight. Both have the same care. I have 2 other orchids that also do great with similar care. They are the regular style orchids you get at the grocery store. I recently added the sticks in the pictures and the potting mix is in the pictures.

[aliceinwl]

I’m not sure about the fertilizer sticks. I think most fertilizers diluted down to about 1/4th every other week would work.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the one doing okay is a Cattleya type and the one struggling is a nobile type Dendrobium or maybe even a Dendrobium phalaenopsis type. If I’m right on ID, it’s going to want a bit different care.

I have some of these Dendrobiums, they like it a bit wetter. I keep mine in small grade bark in clay pots without the side ventilation (I don’t want them to dry out as fast) and I water whenever the substrate approaches dryness. If it’s a nobile type Dendrobium it’s going to want to “rest” over the winter: cool temperatures and only water when the canes start to wrinkle. If it’s a phalaenopsis type Dendrobium, it’s not going to ever want to be completely dry: keep watering through the winter. If I’m right and you want to keep it potted as is, you’ll probably need to up the watering to every 1-2 days.

I’m not the best at making IDs. I’d recommend cross posting your pictures on the ID request forum to catch the eye of someone more experienced to get confirmation or correction.

Hope it turns around for you!

[Brian1212]

the dendrobium on the left is still alive. They are slow growers and don't grow during their winter rest - it has probably lost all roots to rot and only has brown dead roots remaining - I've got a couple like that here. One has just started to produce a new growth but the other one is like yours still doing absolutely nothing. They were both in terrible shape when I got them last year - like said roots were dying or dead. Still not sure either has produced new roots.
Some people have recommended breezy conditions, others have suggested closing the pot holes and increasing humidity.

Either is not going to be overly important imo since you have kept it alive for a year without changing anything - up to you if you want to take all the advice on board so far which to me is usually more detrimental than its worth. The plant was in a bad condition when you got it I am assuming- if you tug on it I am suspecting it will pull out of the bark very easily. So the main thing to change would be to get a healthy specimen next time which I kno is easier said than done. For this one like me we will have to carry on being patient.

There is no magic pill or magic tonic you can give it

Keep watering it, make sure the medium doesn't start smelling and rotting and just be patient...

[aliceinwl]

I think some of the Dendrobium’s issues are due to it being treated like a Cattleya. Dendrobium nobile types don’t do much over the winter, but they are super fast growers when they’re happy. Dendrobium phalaenopsis types also grow fast. As a whole, I’ve found Dendrobiums very tough and very forgiving.

The plant can definitely make a recovery. I’ve put some of mine through a lot while I was figuring things out and gotten them into similar states, but they’ve turned around fine for me. The fact that it has hung on for a year is testament to its tenacity.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Gtdownonit

They sit side by side in the same place. I soak them down once a week and let them drain. They sit in front of a non sun facing window. They are not in direct sunlight. Both have the same care. I have 2 other orchids that also do great with similar care. They are the regular style orchids you get at the grocery store. I recently added the sticks in the pictures and the potting mix is in the pictures.

Thanks GTD. For the dendrobium type orchid (the one that doesn't have leaves) --- it doesn't have any I.D. tag, right?

Soaking once a week is ok ----- as long as you know roughly the behaviour of the drying of the media at various depths of the pot. During the one week period, it's beneficial to know roughly just how moist (or dry) the surface layer (of the bark) gets, as well as portions of bark at various depths below that.

If the surface layer dries right out, and if the roots currently only exist near the surface, then that could be bad over a one week duration.

Also - the temperature. If the temperature is relatively cold, and roots are cold, then this can lead to very little growing activity.

Also, if the orchid has an I.D., then it becomes easier to predict its behaviour more - due to the knowledge built-up by people that grow that type of orchid.

What temperature range is this orchid experiencing in the growing area?

Buying an orchid can be like buying a pet animal --- eg. a cat, a dog, a turtle, a rabbit etc. To keep them healthy, it's necessary to provide suitable treatments and amounts (food, temperature, water, supplements etc. If conditions are suitable, then it is expected to do well. Understanding the general behaviours is very helpful too.