New den stalk stopped growing!

[paamul]

Thanks all for the advice. I did check the roots and the seem robust...thick and white. I believe the reason it didn't bloom in the past was lack of light but I have corrected that and now I have some signs of sunburn...can't win. Again I have repostioned the plant to get only morning sun and indirect afternoon sun. I'll let it go for a little while and then maybe will repot in smaller pot. Or just toss it and buy another.

[silken]

I hope if you toss it, that you toss it in the direction of someone who wants to care for it rather than the dumpster!

[camille1585]

The trick is to adjust the plant to more light gradually, or else it will burn. Or put up a sheer curtain to filter the light.

[paamul]

Thanks Camille and Silken, It stopped growing when I believe the light was sufficient. That's when I put it outside and it got slightly sunburned. After some more research I think the problem might be that I have over fertilized. There is a white residue around the bottom of the clay pot. I'm going to cut back on fertilizing (even tho I use a weak solution) and just use regular water every other watering.

After 3 years with no blooms, I don't think that tossing it is a bad idea. But I will give it a little more time. I don't have a lot of room for plants and my other orchids are doing well. I'd rather replace it with one that produces blooms and isn't so frustrating. If I give up and toss it, I'll see if some kind soul wants to adopt the poor thing..

[camille1585]

Just a thought, is it a nobile type Den? If it is, then perhaps you are not doing the winter rest correctly, which would explain the lack of blooms...
If it's a Phal type it should have rebloomed by now. I have one, and even on a north-east facing window with very little sun, I still get lots of spikes on it.

[silken]

When you got it in bloom, were the blooms coming directly out the sides of the cane in little clumps or from a long stem at the top of the cane? This would help determine what type it is as they have very different blooming requirements as Camille says. I can't really tell from the photo. The canes look tall and thin compared to my one Phal type Den. and none of them have shed leaves as nobiles do. But if it's getting too much fert. and water, they likely won't shed.

[paamul]

I never have gotten it to bloom since I acquired it. I bought it from an annual plant sale from the Orchid Society in 2009. It was in bloom then...and bloomed from a long stem at the top of the cane. It has never lost any leaves. ONe of its 3 canes is 3/4" thick and another is 1/2 inche. The new stem is thinner but it hasn't grown for over two months. In the winter of 2011, I was out of town and my mother took care of this orchid for 4 months. It was not fertilized nor watered much and did not lose leaves. So I don't think it's a noble.

The roots I checked with from the new stem...I didn't dig down and check the other roots.

[silken]

Sounds like the warmer growing Phal type with the bloom spike out the top. Maybe now that spring is almost here it will enjoy some nice sunny warm temps and start a growth spurt. That's what my Den. likes. Some fertilizer with fairly high nitrogen might be a good idea now.

[paamul]

Thanks, Silken. I agree that this is probably a warm grwoing Den. It was suggested earlier in this thread that I repot in smaller pot. I do believe the pot is too big for this orchid. Is this a good idea?

[silken]

It's best to re-pot when new roots are growing. With the new growth it's likely a good time for you. I would give it a smaller pot and then if it tips over, you could rest that one inside a larger clay pot. I like to soak my plants' roots in some water with K-L-N for a short while when I re-pot. Just to encourage them to grow and hydrate. Then once it is re-potted, let it get dry before watering again. I use kebab skewers in most of my pots to tell when the centre of the pot is approaching dry. That prevents over-watering. I also give some bottom heat to any that might need some help after re-potting. this really encourages root growth.