Can this Dendrobium be saved

[CarolynYoung]

No it doesn’t it’s just a glass jar, I’ve only just put it in so should I maybe boil a few small pebbles and put them in the base below the bark to give drainage.

[SouthPark]

Your potting method may be workable CY. But could also lead to issues - maybe - such as water stewing inside the pot for a long time, and maybe growing some unwanted things that could possibly cause issues for the plant and the media.

In general, a lot of orchid growing guides teach the usage of pots with adequate number and size of holes at the bottom, to allow for free drainage.

But - if no drainage works nicely for you, then that's fine. As long as it works, and keeps working nicely, then that's the main thing.

If the method you use is taught somewhere in general orchid guides, then that's ok. It's just sometimes handy to read up a lot about orchid potting methods before making a particular choice on type of pot, potting medium etc.

CY ----- check out the following links too, which may be useful to you as well.

Click Here and Click Here and Click Here and Click Here.

[CarolynYoung]

Thank you, will do some reading. No I am absolutely new to this, the other orchid I have is just a normal supermarket bought orchid and when it needed repotting a friend suggested the glass bowl so I just followed suit with this one so they matched. To be honest I’m terrible at remembering to water so water lying at the bottom most likely won’t be an issue.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by CarolynYoung

Thank you, will do some reading. No I am absolutely new to this, the other orchid I have is just a normal supermarket bought orchid and when it needed repotting a friend suggested the glass bowl so I just followed suit with this one so they matched. To be honest I’m terrible at remembering to water so water lying at the bottom most likely won’t be an issue.

In general, the orchids that you get are, in nature, epiphytes - living on the sides and branches of trees. Of course, that is in places where the humidity is high, and it rains a lot. When we put orchids in pots, we are trying to give them the closest thing that we can can manage in our non-tropical homes and yards. So, if you look at the "objective", how to pot makes a lot more sense. So... what these orchids want around their roots is "humid air" rather than "wet". When in a pot that drains well, you can water heavily so that the water runs out of the pot. This accomplishes two important things - the running water pulls air into the root zone, and also flushes out the inevitable buildup of "crud" - salts from fertilizing or hard water, loose organic matter that could otherwise lead to rot, etc. And if the pot has drainage holes, they also admit air - as the water evaporates or is used by the plant, the spaces that held water get replaced by air - which those roots want. So do consider repotting into something that will give you this behavior.

[CarolynYoung]

Thank you. Looks like I’m repotting again tomorrow 😁

[aliceinwl]

I second Roberta’s advice. I’ve had good luck with these in both the clear slotted plastic orchid pots and terra cotta pots with a drainage hole in the bottom. During the growing season (now) they do like regular water so a good soak whenever the bark is dry is appreciated.

It does look like the mother cane may be on the way out, but if the roots are good it could send up a new cane from the base. This being the case, I’d leave the keikis attached until they start to look stressed (ie stop growing or leaves stop looking turgid), then I’d give a careful twist to detach them, let them sit 24hrs to let the wound heal, and pot them up.

[SouthPark]

Just like hydroponics, and 'water culture' and other methods where roots are wet all or most of the time ...... many orchids are known to be able to grow new roots or extensions of their roots that adapt or get used to the water or watery environment.

Whether a full water or watery environment or other media is chosen ------- the aim will be to keep things under control ------ things that help keep that orchid healthy and alive for a very long time ..... decades and more.

Considerations that are expected to be made on growing methods will be time, resources, effort, cost, purpose, etc. This also includes considerations about what happens if we have to go on long holidays or somebody needs to help look after the orchids for quite a while ------ whether it is going to be taxing on them, or even taxing for the orchids.

The main thing is keeping things under control.

Those other methods - like looking out for pests, fertilising, adding supplements, cutting down on disease/pathogens, and general care/maintenance ------ are all part of it too. This is the beauty and awesomeness of OrchidBoard and the members here ------ sharing excellent knowledge.

Totally agree with Roberta and Alice etc.

CY ------- the glass with no drainage can work, and could work for a long time. But that configuration could require extra effort in handling and maintenance etc to avoid health issues for the orchids.

All the best with your orchid. It looks like that orchid currently is just fine - from the looks of it. It just needs some water into it, and should be ok agaIn.