Leaves are falling off!!!

[Jonatan]

I got my first dendrobium not too long ago. It bloomed and everything was going great and then one day, the flowers and the buds start falling off. Once these have fallen off now the leaves are turning yellow and brown and falling off. I think I did everything right. I didn't water it to much and it had lot's of light, I just don't know what's going on. Could it have gotten too much humidity? Is my plant dying or is this normal?

[Ross]

It can never get too much humidity. Could be a number of things - what's the room air temperature like? By not too much water, could you have underwatered it? What sort of pot and growing mix is it in? As you can tell we need a bit more information. A picture might help.

[Jonatan]

I keep it in it's original pot but put it in a bigger pot with clay pellets so that it could stay it up right since it was top heavy. I didn't under water it, I watered it weekly and the room that it's in now (cause it was in my bathroom at first and when to flowers started falling off I moved it with my other orchids) has a southern exposure and it always between 17-19 C daytime. My other orchids are doing great.

[Jonatan]

It's a Dend. Thongchai Gold
I'll post some pics in a few minutes.

[Jonatan]

Here are some pictures. I hope that these will help.

[Lagoon]

Jon, I have had this to my dends, flowers will fade and the leaves will drop, This can be normal if the plant is finished blooming and you have NEW canes comming up. The older canes will dry up like green or brownish sticks.
I can not grow dends very well even in the south facing window unless, I add extra lighting. These dends really really need to have good light with fanning ALL year around.

It's abit hard to tell from the photo's (Kinda dark) But I do see some new roots, how are the roots closer to the bottom of the pot doing? What is the media mixture?

[daemondamian]

Hi Jonaton,
I can't quite tell from the photos, is it a hardcane or a softcane dendrobium?

Some dendrobiums do lose their leaves, but you're saying that the leaf loss has conincided with flower *and* bud loss also?

Maybe it was originally growing in much hotter temps- say 20s to 30 or more degrees celcius and the temperature drop has shocked it?


If you've already lost all the flowers and buds.. well if it were my plant and I hadn't already, I would unpot it, check out the roots, trim any dead ones off if needed, maybe soak them in some superthrive or root hormone or something, repot with new mix if need be.

What season is it over where you are BTW?

[Ross]

If someone who is better at Dendros sees my reply and has a different opinion then jump in! I'm no expert at Dendros... However, I see a couple issues from these photos. Number one is the pot and, perhaps, the medium. You say you have other orchids. How do you grow these? In what type of medium. If were to bet I would say the little plastic pot contains old bark mix that is super saturated. It can't dry out enough before the Dendro roots fail. What I mean is, I would bet the bark is old and holds moisture long enough to rot the roots off the plant. If this were my plant (keep in mind I don't have luck with Dendros, but have lots of luck with many other species) I would get rid of the outer pot, pull the plant out of the small clear plastic pot, get a clay (unglazed) pot about 3-4cm wider in diameter, cut off all the old dead roots (they'll be brown and squishy or blackish), dunk the bottom of the plant in Physan 20 (or sprinkle liberally with any cheap cinnemon powder), repot in new fresh fir bark which has about 25% charcoal chunks mixed in (coarse bark that has been soaked over night in K-L-N rooting mix or any rooting hormone you can find quickly), do not water plant, but place in large plastic bag in medium light (bright, but no full sun - not enough light to fog inside of bag). I'd leave it there for about 3-5 weeks then open bag to slowly accustom the plant to my room environment (your temps sound fine to me). I would start the weekly watering at this time, but outside the bag (replace it to the bag to help hold huidity). Then after another week or so I would remove the potted plant from the bag and watch it. I would keep up the watering, but one thing that concerns me is that orchids like this in a household environment in the winter with central heat need watering more often than once a week if they are healthy and growing. If they are dormant, then less often than once a week.

Now (sorry this reply is so lengthy) I need to remind you that I have killed many dendros in the past and I might one day try them again, however I (right now) am convinced that, for me and my home environment, they are not meant to be.

The description I just went through is what I would try. My objective is to recover roots. I really wouldn't care if the leaves fall off because lots of dendros do that (not all, but lots.) Yours looks like a possible deciduous dendro (I'm not sure) and those do drop their leaves. But firstly, you need to be convinced the roots are healthy. At this point you have nothing to lose by repotting. Try that and let us know.

Others want to jump in? Please!

[Lagoon]

This den is a warm grower, a beautiful one too! The warm dends also drop thier leaves but can still reproduce canes. It's early spring here now.
I renew the media for my dends after flowering each year. I keep some in bark & sponge rok mix while others (seedlings) in sphag and rok, all grown in clay pots.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Lagoon

This den is a warm grower, a beautiful one too! The warm dends also drop thier leaves but can still reproduce canes. It's early spring here now.
I renew the media for my dends after flowering each year. I keep some in bark & sponge rok mix while others (seedlings) in sphag and rok, all grown in clay pots.

Gloria, do you think it's even possible for me to grow Dendros successfully in the future?