Dendrobium leaves yellowing and falling off

[NTN]

The leaves on my dendrobium are turning yellow and falling off one by one. There are only 2 left on the biggest stem. Is it in danger or should I let it be?

[RosieC]

Do you know what type of Dendrobium it is, and if not do you have a picture.

Some Dendrobiums are deciduous and loose their leaves every year. It would normally happen earlier in the year but if you didn't cool it down and reduce watering at the end of last year it may have thrown out it's timings.

Other dendrobiums are not meant to loose their leaves though, so it all depends on the type as to whether it's a worry or not.

[Paul Mc]

One additional detail though, as the Dendrobium canes get older they can tend to lose their leaves. Although a cane may lose it's leaves, do not cut it off as it is still helping feed/support the rest of the canes.

One of my dendro's has four canes that the leaves fell off of but the canes are still green. I'm hoping when summer comes that they will shoot out baby canes.

Best of luck.

[johnblagg]

Pretty normal for older canes on mine to have leaves yellow eventually and drop.

[RosieC]

Yeah, good point. Older canes also loose leaves even even if the Den does not loose them annually.

[hevnbown]

what about a Den. Loddegesii? I've had mine for about 2-3 weeks and the leaves are falling off it...it looks terrible though there is new growth.

[prc11]

I would check the roots. It sounds like they might be rotted.

[johnblagg]

actually this one is decidious so losing leaves is normal in the right culture ...I have one mounted and have bare canes and nice leaves also ...but I did not dry mine off this winter as well as should be...

[RosieC]

For loddegesii (note the lower case l which indicates it's a species not a hybrid) you would expect to loose leaves over the winter.

I've kept mine too wet and it hasn't lost them, which means no flowers for me