Advice needed for wrinkly dendrobium nobile (noID)

[flowerpower]

Got my Dend nobile NoID on June 20th (in bloom) and immediately repotted it. It was potted in some kind of soil type mix so I carefully removed it all and was pleased with the roots. Firm and wiry roots. I repotted into a mix I had from Orchid Focus (dry bark and coconut husk type mix). Unfortunately I was in such a hurry to get it out of that soil I did not have time to soak bark. Straight away the flowering cane wrinkled and the older short cane wrinkled too. There was a small new shoot growing at the base when I bought it, which is continuing to grow, and it has even decided to start a second new cane at the bottom, 1cm high now, which I was delighted to find!!!

I don't know if I should really step up the watering as much as people say they need (eg daily), but when I saw the wrinkles I did soak for several hours to no effect. It was watered yesterday and there is still moisture in the pot and it's in the evening of the next day, just doesn't look like it needs another watering today? I don't want to rot the plant with all this watering. I was in the store I got the orchid from recently and the other ones are not wrinkled even though they don't get water or any light!

Find below before and after shots, the canes were plump when I bought it and I'd really like to make them plump again.

So should I:
- do nothing, this is normal dendrobium behaviour, continue alternate day watering
- step up to daily watering now it is the growing season
- soak the whole thing again for an hour
- repot again in a finer mix for added moisture?
- reduce watering?

Just to reiterate these wrinkles seemed to appear rapidly after repotting and then it remained stable. No pleating on new growth (which is putting out its first few roots now (very short).

[rbarata]

I don't see nothing wrong with your den. It's normal to see the wrinkles, they can be cause by low watering but if you water it once/week that should be fine (that's what I do and I live in a dry place in the summer).

[ula]

Hi,
doesn't look that bad, really. It should plump up with time- water it every day only if it's staying outside for the summer, inside the house once or twice a week is enough. Watering every day indoors will rot the roots, I'd say. If you keep it happy, you'll get a monster plant in a couple of years . Good luck!

[bil]

Perfectly normal. They all seem to wrinkle up after flowering. I don't think you can reverse it.

[flowerpower]

I figure it will probably be shrivelled during the winter rest anyway?

[bil]

Originally Posted by flowerpower

I figure it will probably be shrivelled during the winter rest anyway?

I have never seen one recover, and have always assumed that once it has flowered, the shriveling is natural and permanent.

[markeckstein8]

Great post my dend nobile looks exactly the same and besides the leaves that got burnt from leaving it outside mine has alot of new growth and the leafs that aren't burnt look great

[Roberta]

Even if somewhat shriveled, those older canes are still likely to bloom again next spring. No worries. While have heard "no water from end of October to mid-February" I have found that to be too severe of a winter "rest" ... have had some for whom the "rest" was RIP. They do need much reduced watering in winter, but I'd give a little every two or three weeks... depends on your humidity. But you will find that some very ugly, wrinkled bare canes are where a lot of the flowers come from.

[markeckstein8]

Great to know because my dend nobile has 3 big canes but the original and biggest cane lost almost all its leaves to sun burn . The plant is very healthy there is even a 4th cane emerging is it possible the original cane flowers

[bil]

The dry rest is more about reducing water, not stopping it altogether. You are supposed to stop fertilising.

I think that the most important part is ensuring that it gets cold enough to stimulate blooming, or you will get mostly keikis.