Have this sick Dendrobium...

[NeoOrchid]

Hello there....

My dearly beloved dendrobium, purchased as a rescue is getting sicker. Can anyone identify what type of dendrobium this might be???

I understand there are 1200 types of dendrobium...and that there are soft and hard cane dendrobium (can you tell I've been in orchid limbo for a while?- I have been! It's been horrible!!!:drool

[Zoi2]

I can't help with an ID from your picture but what do your roots look like?
Joann

[Becca]

I can't really tell what kind it is from the picture either, perhaps a different angle and more views of the leaves would help as well. Did you get it from a local store?

[NeoOrchid]

Gosh, sorry for the crummy picture, but that's it! It's a single cane with two yellowing leaves and a little baby at the base (yay!) Root system is close to nothing. I'm very lucky it's growing at all.

I'll give it a few months of babying and repost another picture.

Thanx all!

[Becca]

Just keep in mind that even if all the leaves fall off of the cane that it can still make a comeback, especially if you have a new growth at the base, like you do!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Is that moss for the potting medium?

I'd avoid using moss for growing Dendrobiums. They usually can grow fairly dry. I grow many of my Dendrobiums mounted on cork bark without any moss underneath the roots outdoors.

I recommend using small or medium grade bark as the potting medium.

You might want to check the roots. It might be good to show us a pic of the roots too. You might be able to get some advice as to what is going on with them and what to do.

Right now, based on what I'm seeing in the photo, the pot's too big too. I recommend a much smaller pot size (probably 1" or 1.5" smaller, if possible).

If the plant is top heavy, put some rocks that don't absorb a lot of water on the bottom, and clip the plant in place with some wires (be creative with the wires - it might take some trial and error).