roots from white to black after watering? (new plant dendrobium just potted)

[littleone]

Thank you for your ideas. Since I just watered it today, I will let it sit and see what happens after a few days.

When I water it, I water it in the sink and the water runs through and doesn't pool . Is this a good idea or should I water it differently?

[james mickelso]

The water should run right through. If you don't have a lot of plants you can fill a pan with water and dunk it for a couple minutes. Saves water. Mix in a little fert and kelp too. Wait until it is just barely damp then water again. This media is pretty large so that might be twice a week.

[littleone]

Thank for your reply , that is very helpful and appreciated. I will wait for it to dry again though before I do that. I only have 3 little plants and the big one from valentine's day so I might do the dunking method next time i water them.

At this point I am trying to wait until it is completely dry as suggested before watering it again and hopefully it will be on the right track soon.

[Leafmite]

Good luck with your orchid!

[littleone]

after 2 weeks of watering it only when it was completely dry - it doesn't look to have improved much.

the plant and potting medium become dry pretty quickly in the house (3 days) , then I soaked them to water them for like 3-4 minutes. Then I took them back out and let them dry again. The roots have not gotten worse but they haven't gotten better either - my question is should I see some sort of change by now or am I missing something else that might be hurting the plant?

Leaves are still green and nice, just the bulb area and the roots don't look so good (still). how do I know if my plant is on the right track or not?

[james mickelso]

Orchids are slow growers. And once they have gotten too dry or too much light or the roots have become compromised they usually don't recover there former glory. But they are still viable. Don't give up. There will be growth from the base of the pbulbs and this is what is important now. Keep watering every few days and keep it warm with good light. This will recover. Their is plenty of energy stored in those two pbulbs for whatever new growth develops. Just be patient. With media this large you shouldn't have any root issues.

[littleone]

I have started to water it MWF since it dries up pretty quickly and I just noticed and there is a TINY green root that just sprouted out from the bottom! The other roots still look black but the little bit of green is hopeful after about a month now.

Thanks for all the advice previously!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

One more thing…

Den helix seedlings can look like that if they're still very small. Your plant could very well be Den helix. Should the subsequent growths get significantly lankier and taller and taller with proper cultivation, then it is probably Den helix.

If the subsequent growths get taller, but they stay rather compact with proper cultivation, then it's possible it is a Den aggregatum.

You should know when the days start getting longer and longer, and the temperatures get warmer and warmer. During the warmer months, the seedling should go through a significant growth spurt regardless of which Dendrobium species it is.

[Orquiadicto]

Originally Posted by littleone

I have started to water it MWF since it dries up pretty quickly and I just noticed and there is a TINY green root that just sprouted out from the bottom! The other roots still look black but the little bit of green is hopeful after about a month now.

Thanks for all the advice previously!

Perhaps just a stupid question, but I'm not very familiar with this Internet slang. What does MWF mean?

[Paul Mc]

I believe it means "Monday, Wednesday, Friday."