Den Sakurako rehydrating

[AdeleDS]

Yesterday I bought a Dendrobium Sakurako that came with dry roots in a dense 1-inch plug of dry sphagnum moss. I open up the plastic plug and took out the moss and put it in a water glass; loosely packed and rehydrated it is about 1 cup of moss in volume. The leaves aren't looking dry but the little bulbs have vertical creases. I thought they might puff up again overnight, but they haven't.

Right now the plant is in a water glass, loosely packed into the sphagnum moss. Should I leave it until the bulbs have rehydrated? Or, should I repot it right away, and if I do, should it go into the sphagnum moss or should I put it into small bark or ??

BTW, I have a photo and I used to be able to upload photos here but right now I can't figure out how to do it. Do I need to start an album? I've been away from the Board for a while and I'm wondering if things have changed.

[Roberta]

Once desiccated, the leaves and pseudobulbs will likely not "plump up", certainly not within a few days. Pot it up. You'll want it to stay damp but not sopping wet.. whichever medium works best for you, use it.

For posting photos... From the "Quick Reply" dialog box, click on Go Advanced. Scroll down a bit to "Manage attachments". That should pop up another window (make sure your browser lets you have pop-ups on the Board website) and you can select the photo(s). Click "Upload" when you have made all of your selections, and then Submit Reply.

[estación seca]

This plant has two ancestors, Dens. bracteosum and laevifolium. If it came in a 1" / 2.5cm plug it was a very small plant and was likely either a seedling or a small mericlone.

I suggest not disturbing such tiny plants. These two species are water lovers that do great in sphagnum moss, and don't like to dry out. With a healthy plant the sphagnum would not stay wet for long; the plant would absorb the water quickly.

I would have waited for new growth and put the undisturbed plug into a pot and medium of my choice. Removing the sphagnum will almost certainly damage a lot of the roots, no matter how careful the gardener.

[AdeleDS]

Thanks for the replies. I am just getting back into having orchids. In April I had 11, then I had to go to the States for a while and I left them in charge of a 'gardener' who thought that a full day in her car in the hot sun wouldn't cause any problems. Now I have 3 orchids out of those 11, and I am really trying to keep my new orchids alive.

The Den Sakurako is about 4" high, has about 11 canes growing, and one little place where there are 4 flowers.