my den has a yellow leaf

[sii]

what have I done? Is this because of the sun?

I put this by an east windowm along with my phals nelly isler and emma white.

I see a similar spot on another leaf.

What should I do? help

[Paul Mc]

I'm honestly not sure what it could be. My first thought was sunburn as well, but if you have it with phal's then I'm not so sure about that.

Are the two leaves that have this spotting on the bottom, middle or top of the plant? I'm asking because my second thought was perhaps it was it's natural cycle and was shedding the older leaves.

Have you checked the condition of the roots?

I grow dendrobiums, but I'm no expert at it. I'd be really interested in seeing what others have to say.

[sii]

The spotting appears on a top leaf and the other one is on the opposite side, but the lowest leaf.

I didn't check the roots because it's in bloom.


I've attached a pic of the roots. I have watered them since I took this shot.

Any thoughts??

[sii]

So I've been worried lately.

I posted that 2 leaves had turned yellow. I took them off. Now another leaf has turned yellow. So far it has 6 green leaves (unless someone else decides to turn yellow too!) I'm wondering if the plant will still be okay with so few leaves.

Also, look what else I saw today.

[RosieC]

Dens can loose leaves. Some loose them annually, but even those that don't will drop them ocasionally. I find they tend to turn yellow then drop.

One of mine has only a a couple of leaves at the top of each cane and it seems to be fine. Its has new growths so I'm not too worried. I think they are more likely to drop with dehydration but Dens seem to cope without many leaves, even the ones that are not meant to drop them over the winter.

Your picture shows a new growth so I would not worry too much about it. In your previous pic the roots look very dry. It looks better in the latest pic and upping the watering slightly, along with the time of year might have triggered the new growth.

[PeaceLoveOrchids]

OH MAN! I had no idea they could live without leaves! Mabe mine wasn't dead after all! And come to think of it, it was right before winter dormancy that they fell off! It was my only non-phal and had such pretty blooms! It's leaves looked just like that before they fell off!

[Paul Mc]

A few weeks after I brought one of my den's in and started giving it a winter rest, a lot of leaves started turning on it. It still had many many blooms so I was afraid it was trying to survive by blooming. Come to find out, the medium it was in was rotting so I removed it only to have even more leaves drop.

There are many canes left which still have the green, no new growths yet, and only a few leaves left.

When I watered more, the lost more leaves quickly, when I watered less it seemed to slow it down.

I've had this den for years and have never noticed this behavior before, but then again it has never been this big so the changes I saw may not have been as drastic in the past.

I personally am not concerned about mine as the canes are still green which means the plant is feeding off of those canes. New growth will probalby start occuring once it goes outside into a more warm and humid environment.

As a side note, my den is not the kind that loses all of it's leaves and goes dormant.

My point is that yours may be just fine and be experiencing a natural cycle. Even if some years it seems a bit more intense, it may be fine in the long run. Just keep a steady eye on it and make connections between your watering habits and leaf drop.

Also, you might want to try removing it from any strong sources of light. That also slowed down the yellowing leaf "syndrome" I was experiencing.

The more connections you can make, the better off your den will be.

[sii]

Thanks for that!

As this is my first den, this is my learning curve (actually I do have an Emma white, but she's doing okay). The medium and roots were a little crispy when I got it, so I've watered and placed in a vase of sorts to add humidity.

I haven't unpotted it because there are still blooms on the cane, but I'm excited about the new growth and will keep an eye on it. ;-)

[RosieC]

I actually repotted one of mine when it still had some flowers left and it's still got them weeks later.

It's a good idea to repot not too long after new growth starts. With new growth comes new roots soon after and they do best if those new roots grow into the new medium rather than being disturned.

[catwalker808]

sii.
Your plant is a nobile dendrobium hybrid. From the size & flower type it looks like a standard nobile rather than the more compact warmer growing type.

The standard nobile hybrids are usually deciduous or semi-deciduous just prior to and during the blooming period. It is a normal occurrence for the plants to drop some or all of its leaves. If the plant has gotten a really good chill (mid 40's for 2 weeks) the flowers will be nice & crisp & full. But the leaves will also drop. The plants can also bloom at higher temps, but not as completely (and the leaves may not all fall off).

It is not unusual to see standard nobiles blooming without any leaves. However, these days, some commercial growers adjust their growing & blooming temps & light to maintain some of the leaves.

Your conditions have probably been experiencing changes, which have triggered the leaf drops. When it gets warmer, new growths will emerge & develop into fully leaved canes.