Dendrobium orchid, been abused by cat, now don't know what to do??

[sallen1]

Purchased a Dendrobium orchid from Safeway in August of 2009. This was my first orchid ever. Still have the card that was stuck in it, but there is no more information about the type of dendrobium on it. I was told by the florist that this was an easy orchid to maintain and needed very little watering. Once a week, about an ice cube size, and I was good. I live in Southwest WA.

Beautiful plant, did very well, till it got knocked over by the cat fell off the TV stand. It broke one of the flower stems off which eventually turned yellow/brown and I cut it off with sterile scissors.

The cat knocked it off another stand about a month later and broke the top off one of the stems which had four flowers on it, and I cut it off with sterile scissors before it yellowed.

Then I moved the plant to a place where I thought the cat might not get it, but she did and chewed on the leaves. Now I don't have that cat! (Don't get mad, it was about more than just the orchid, she didn't get along with my infant)

Then the orchid in the new spot developed dark brown/black round spots that grew in size and were soft in the middle. I bought a fungicide/insecticide (don't have a lot of options in a small town). THe growth started to slow, but I decided to torture it some more and cut off the parts of the leaf with the spots (as it also moved to another leaf on the same pseudobulb) and replant it. The florist told me to replant it in a slighter bigger pot once flowering was done, and I read in another forum that once it got the fungus to cut it off as well.

The replanting was at the same time I bought a Phalaeonopsis Orchid that needed to be replanted. I used Miracle Grow orchid plant mix and didn't upgrade too much on the pot size but made sure it had good drainage and good air flow but wasn't too loose. Also since the florist told me to replant after growth I also decided to cut off all the flower stems. The flowers on the stems were starting to wrinkle and yellow and fall off.

So now I have this plant that looks like it's growing and doing healthy especially the two smaller psuedobulbs, but the one psuedobulb in particular that had the black spots has lost all but one of the leaves but it's almost to the point of the others that it's yellowed enough to start to come loose. And now the largest psuedobulb on the plant as very small black marks (not like the other larger black spots) and the lowers leaves are wrinkling and turning yellow.

When I replanted it I looked a the roots and they were a beige/brown and only a few had slight, very light green to the tips (if none at all for the majority) Before the replanting some of the roots were growing out the top of the plant and were all brown and dryish. But there were a lot of roots, not soft, mushy ones, solid and looked ok.

I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to find similiar situations on the internet where I might be able to get some help but besides a few pictures I cannot seem to find anyone with the same problem or if I think I do there are no pictures. I am going to post pictures of mine for some help!!

I understand that some dendrobiums are decidious (sp?) and so there leaves naturally fall off, but I think my understanding is that right now it's too early for that. It's supposed to happen in February or May?? As you can see the plant is getting taller- should I even be worried?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Why does the potting media look like potting soil?

Canes on the Den look fine. A little wrinkling is normal, especially on older canes.

Don't worry about those black spots. It's a minor infection, usually caused by a little chill.

No more ice watering. Ice bad for tropical orchid.

Older leaves do die back. Eventually, old canes will be leafless.

Temperatures shouldn't drop below 60 F.

Light should be moderately bright indirect.

I'll bet this is a hybrid that has a lot of species from the section Spatulata. Dendrobiums from this section have thin twisty petals and sepals. They're often collectively called Antelope Dendrobiums.

If they're not that, then it's a Den phalaenopsis type hybrid. These are the ones with flowers that look like the flowers of an orchid belonging to the genus Phalaenopsis.

[sallen1]

Thank you so much king_of_orchid_growing for your quick reply. Ok, so I won't use an ice cube to water the plant anymore (should have known that wasn't the smartest idea for a tropical plant!)



This is the image from the tag that came with it. My flowers are white with this color pink in the very inside middle of the flower. I don't think it's the Phalaeonopsis because I have a tag from that one and the flowers are different.

And the black spots that I cut off weren't like the ones you see in the pictures now. THere were two on each leave sidebyside about the size of a dime.

So, when should I expect for new leaves to appear? Where can I find out more information about when and how blooming will come about? What do I look for? When should I stop watering? I read in this forum that you were supposed to do that when they are dormant. I heard that this plant might bloom in the late summer? Is that true?

The lowest the temp inside the house gets is 62 degrees during the night. Is it okay to put this plant above the fireplace where it gets around 80 degrees but its not constant?

[sallen1]

Nope- I was wrong- it is a dendrobium phaleonopsis hybrid.


Found this during a search for the hybrid different types. THanks so much for helping me identify it. Now to find out more information!

[stefpix]

"Miracle Grow orchid mix" is not an orchid mix. it is potting soil with a few chunks of brak here and there. might be ok for some terrestrial orchids but not a Dendrobium.
will make the roots rot.
cause more damage than the cat.
I would get Better Gro orchid bark that you can find at places like Lowes. or coconut husk chips.

what happened to the cat?

[Blueszz]

Your's isn't a Phalaenopsis but a Dendrobium. There are several types of Dendrobiums, one often is called Dendrobium Phalaenopsis type. These Dendrobiums have to be cultured warm without rest.
I agree that the medium you used looks/behaves to much like ordinary soil. It's not airy enough, to much fine particles.
Also for a Phalaenopsis this medium is to fine.

Nicole

[sallen1]

thanks- next time I go into the Portland, OR, I'll stop at lowes and get the right BARK- it was the only one I could find at the time.

Could that Miracle Grow Bark be the reason that the leaves are turning yellow and falling off?

How do I know that my dendrobium phaleonopsis orchid is thriving? What are the signs?

Will I hurt it to repot it again once I get the right medium?

The cat was given to the shelter because it kept getting into the crib wiht our infant at night and sleeping ontop of her- and then the other day the infant was playing with her too rough (i.e pulling on her coat) and she bit her. Didn't draw blood or make my daughter cry, but it was kinda the last straw. We debated for over a month before we finally took her in- tried to give her to family and friends first but to no avail.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Temperatures don't need to be constant throughout the day. I can't think of anyplace in the world that has orchids growing where it's the same temperature from morning till night.

As long as the plant is in an area where it's within its temperature tolerance, it's fine. You also have to take the amount of light it receives into consideration.

So a nighttime temperature of 62 F (17 C) is fine.

Dendrobium is Latin for "tree dweller". As in it grows on trees.

This should be grown in bark. Small to medium grade is good.

The larger canes will not produce any more leaves.

The smaller newer canes will.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Pictures of healthy Dendrobium roots:

http://www.aclassinfo.co.uk/dendrobi...%204.11.09.JPG

http://www.corvettejunkie.com/KP4.jpg

Notice they're white with green tips.

The roots are green because they can photosynthesize.

If you like you can use a clear plastic pot to see how the roots are doing and allow the roots to photosynthesize.

[sallen1]

yeah, they don't look like that at all- they are brownish. i will get the new bark and take a picture when i repot.