Help Yellow Leaves on Dend. - Orchid Board

AnnieDN · #1 03-09-2012, 03:49 PM

Please help. My dendrobium was seemingly doing well when all of a sudden the blooms dried up and fell off. Then the leaves started yellowing...but in this odd way with strips of green down the middle. See attached photo.

I cut off the yellowed leaves, pulled it out of the pot and did find the bottom of the pot soggy. I'm cutting the bad roots and am going to try and sphag and bag. But I'm concerned that, given the odd way the leaves are yellowing, that I may be facing a bug of some sort.

Any advice would be most welcome!

Bud · #2 03-09-2012, 04:07 PM

you can repot it but sphag and bag might not be needed ... if you still have good roots to sustain the plant(pictures of the plant and media can also help)
what is your grow zone?
where is your plant placed? in an east or south window?
the temperature, humidity or dryness of the room can also be a factor
its not bugs but maybe overwatering and poor drainage of the media is the culprit...that caused root rot

Leafmite · #3 03-09-2012, 04:44 PM

The leaves are a bit alarming. I've honestly never seen leaves like that in all the years I have grown plants so I will skip that. If this is a phal-den (they send out spikes of flowers) then, as long as the canes are green, not rotted, being rootless and even leafless will not present a problem. These guys are tough, really tough. You can just repot this, stake it so it doesn't wiggle, and set it in a bright window until it gets new growth. Misting the top of the media to add humidity will help but if it has no roots, don't actually water until the new growth grows new roots. Some of these don't like to be repotted so I use lava rock in plastic net pots so I won't need to ever repot them (I will just drop the net pot into a larger one, lava rock never breaks down.). I hope this helps.

AnnieDN · #4 03-09-2012, 04:54 PM

Thanks, Bud. The plants have been in a southern facing window, though I pull them away and to one side for the fall and winter months to keep them from getting too much sun...they get bright light all day with some direct sunlight in the a.m. We're in zone 5.

Part of the culprit may be the potting medium...I was unable to find what I usually use and ended up with something I wasn't happy with. I've had some of these orchids for years with no issues, until now. These are the 3rd plants at risk since using that other medium. I did lose one already.

I've soaked them in water with some root hormone and have repotted in a better medium and I'm going to bag them and keep them out of direct light to see if they don't revive.

Glad to know that you think it's not bugs. Thanks so much for your quick reply and information!

---------- Post added at 03:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

Thanks leafmite, I was alarmed too as that's what's led me here. I've had leaves brown up and fall off before, but never this quickly or this oddly. I hadn't heard about the bag and rocks technique...most interesting.