Dying denny orchid........im trying!!!

[Ej2505]

Hi all, Im both new to the forum and a new-ish owner of what i have found out-is an orchid. It was a gift with no instructions so tried my best to keep it alive. The photos is what i have now....after following a few videos i stripped it down and have this. Problem is now i dont know what to do. I have dired out the "soil" that it came in and took away all the mushy ball underneath. So im assuming i was drowning it. My plan is now to put it in the bowl pictured however i dont thinkninhave enough soil stuff for that and dont know how to replant with out damaging the roots. Managed to get myself into a right mess!!!! Please help!!!!

[SouthPark]

The roots still look fine. And the nice thing is there is a new plant growing out the side ----- ie. a new growth/shoot --- with new leaves.

At this point ----- if you have nice warm temperature in your growing area, and medium level of light (as in reasonably good natural sunlight, but not direct sunlight) ---- then could try the method of potting shown in the attached diagram. You don't have to use the 2 different sizes of media. A single size of your choice (eg. 10 to 15 mm average diameter pieces) will work nicely. 15 mm size bark, or bark/perlite mix should be workable too.

Some more details that could be useful to you are: Click Here and Click Here and Click Here and Click Here.

[SouthPark]

Also - good luck!!!

[Roberta]

Ej, first Welcome!

The roots look great. I can't tell from the photo, but are those buds on one of the canes? It looks like a nobile-type Dendrobium. Those may lose at least some leaves in winter. They bloom on old canes, so don't cut anything that isn't completely shriveled, dry and crispy. The the growth looks a bit dehydrated... I'd suggest potting in small bark. (If you don't have a plant-supply store nearby that has orchid supplies, there's always the 'net, Amazon or equivalent.) Definitely don't want to use soil. If it was in something that looked like it, probably a peat-based mix that professional growers use under their controlled conditions. You did great cleaning it up! While you are waiting for some suitable bark, the plant will be OK bare root, but it does look rather dehydrated. You could wrap the roots in paper towels, and mist/water to get it damp. That will produce a humid environment. With that many good roots, I don't think that a plastic bag would be such a good idea, since air is also important. ("Sphag and bag" is a useful trick to prevent dehydration on a plant with no roots, but yours has plenty)

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

This kind of plant flowers in early Spring, then makes new growth from the base. I agree on not using the bag. Pot it up into the smallest pot into which you can squeeze the roots. Water when almost dry (judge by the pot weight.) Wait for more growths to come from the base, then water so it never wilts.

You can use the Search feature in the top menu to look for Dendrobium nobile culture. This is likely a hybrid of that and closely related species.

[camille1585]

Welcome to orchidboard!

You've recieved a lot of good advice already, that should help get this orchid back to full health. If you can't find small bark or pots for it at your local garden center, you can try orchidsupplies.co.uk. You probably won't be able to get much bark down around all those nice roots, but that's ok. Firmly tapping the pot on the table as you add bark should help it settle between the roots a bit better. Soak some bark for a couple hours before potting up the plant, it will help it 'open up' the bark pores and better absorb water later on.

[Ej2505]

so i did as you all suggested....thank you so much for all you advice. I took a few of the shoots off of the stalks to allow the plant to concentrate its energy on itself....was this the right thing to do??
Any way so now i have this.....babys look great but i dont knownif i have put the adult plant into shock by moving it....its starting to yellow the leaves.....or is this part of the process?? I dont know!! If you can give me some advice that would be fab.......

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Ej2505

so i did as you all suggested....thank you so much for all you advice. I took a few of the shoots off of the stalks to allow the plant to concentrate its energy on itself....was this the right thing to do??

EJ - it depends on what you mean by 'took off a few of the shoots off of the stalks'.

Generally, for this sort of orchid, the leaves - young or old - serve to use light energy for growing, transpiration etc.

[Ej2505]

Oh the photos havent uploaded.....there are 4 that i removed and repotted. I left one on. Ill try uploading the photos again.