New to Orchids and some question.

[Rayleigh]

I recently got an orchid from a friend and I have never care for one before this.

This is the orchid that I got:


I did a web search and came to a conclusion that it's a Dendrobium. However, I could not come to a sound conclusion on which of the many variations of the Dendrobiums it is. So I would be glad if anyone can enlighten me on that part.

When I first got this flower, it came in a paper bag (the base about 4"x4") and some of the leaves were bent. So that yellow leaf was one of the unlucky ones which got some cuts and tear on it. Some of them fell off a few days ago.

The question that I had was, lately, I noticed that the cane is turning from green to whitish/grayish color. Is this normal or is something is wrong with the orchid?



Also some parts of the cane is also having some sort of "hole" as you may notice in the picture below.



At first I thought that the orchid was dying from some sort of sickness or lack of proper care. When I got this plant, the flower at the tip of the stalk was still a bud but it bloomed earlier today. So I was not sure if nothing is wrong or is it dying or something.

I would be once again glad if anyone can tell me what's going on?

[Lilac]

The pic link doesn't seem to be working for me.

[Rayleigh]

Does it not open up if you paste the link into a new browser tab? I can't post images here since there's the forum's rule of min. 5 post before posting links. You might have to add the h**p:// before the link.

[RandomGemini]

I'm not that familiar with dendrobiums and the one dendrobium I have has a completely unique culture from other dendrobiums, but hopefully something I have to say will help you out and maybe some other folks will see your post and chime in too.

I think the plant might be overwatered. The medium looks like it's VERY wet and there seems to be some mold growing at the base of the cane. I could be wrong, I don't know how much larger dendrobiums need to be watered or what sort of conditions they like. Your medium looks like it's staying constantly wet though and even orchids that like to have wet feet, have to dry out some between waterings.

How often are you watering it? Daily?

If so... then the most likely culprit here is some kind of rot. Orchids are very susceptible to rot and the conditions they grow in, in pots, create a perfect environment for rot to set in. I would cut back on the watering for now.

What is it potted in? I'm having a hard time telling from your photos. It looks like its potted in dirt, but it could also be moss. If this orchid is potted in moss, the medium is way too broken down and is probably not allowing a lot of air circulation to the roots, which is part of your rot problem too. It will need to be repotted after the blooms have dropped.

All of this stuff, is stuff I think all of us are guilty of at some point when we start keeping orchids, so don't let it hold you back! Hopefully someone with more experience with dendrobiums can recommend the proper culture for this plant for you. Good luck!

[Rayleigh]

The reason the medium looks overwatered is because I took the pictures after watering it. I water the plant about once a week.

The medium that the orchid is planted in is some sort of bark stacked vertically. The roots seems to be doing fine. They are white in color and I don't notice any signs of root rot.

[RandomGemini]

Stacked vertically? That sounds strange. Hopefully someone here can help you then. It may be no big deal at all.

[Rayleigh]

Hahaha...sorry for my poor description. What I meant by stacked vertically is something like pencils in a pencil holder. Not one on top of another.

[Polarizeme]

Still, it looks like there is some mold on the base on the roots. It also looks like some possible mold on the sheaths, the brown papery looking growth on the cane. Does the pot it's in allow the water to drain? Is there some air movement in it's location? Mold will form if the air is too stagnant and the medium stays too wet for too long. If that is mold, we will need to get that taken care of pretty soon.

Hopefully someone who raises Dends will come and help with the culture end of things.

Hang in there, someone will be by with some

[Rayleigh]

The plant is kept indoors next to a window. I think that the air is circulation alright. I for one would feel suffocated if the air circulation is poor. Other than that, there's no strong breeze of any kind that you might encounter outdoors.

The actual pot that the plant is in has lots of holes at the side. The ceramic pot is just a decorative pot used to store and keep the plant from falling over.

Whenever I water the medium, I always let it drip dry before setting the plant back into the ceramic pot. However, the ceramic pot is never wet, so I suppose that the medium is drying up well enough.

[Rayleigh]

So I guess no one here knows if anything is wrong with my orchid?