Dendrobium Kingianum, Parishii root, leaves and cane conditions

[Orchid-Obsessed]

Good day everyone.

Im on vacation this week and have read through a lot of the posts and I would like to THANK everyone for taking time to respond with very helpful details-wow! Thank you.

I was going to wait to attend my first orchid club meeting in September to find out answers to my concerns but it was cancelled. Besides, I need to find solutions to my concerns sooner than later.

I received Dendrobium Parishii in March, but the canes are still shrivelled. The leaves on the new cane has spots and cane looks awfully small or is that normal.

I received Dendrobium Kingianum by mail on June 11. Three leaves from one cane turned yellow and have fallen. Two more leaves on one cane are turning yellow. It’s June and isn’t it too early to rest?

Both were purchased as blooming sizes from online garden/nursery.

D. Parishii is in pure orchiata bark, in net pot. D. Kingianum in river rocks and bark in net pot.

No new roots on either one of them😩

Both receive weaker solution of Schultz orchid fertilizer every week. Daytime Temperature averages 26 c; night 19c, humidity at 50-60, 5” fan for gentle air movement on the plants. Fan and ultra sonic cool mist are turned off at night, bedroom door is opened at night. Window is opened at night if humidity outside will be over 55. Watering when pot feels light (not heavy). East facing window with curtain so no direct sun. I did spray them with hydrogen peroxide per MissOrchidGirl which I just read is not recommended by Orchid Board. How can I sanitize/sterilize new purchases instead?

Here are some photos. Should I be spraying canes with water to plump them up? Are the bottom of the canes rotted? Are any of the canes rotted? Should I direct the humidifiers fog directly towards the canes? Should I feed them seaweed, epsom salt? The roots are firm.

I’ll also include pix of my make shift growing area set up.

I would appreciate any recommendations for led grow lights. I’ve ordered a 5x5x6.4 outsunny brand clear 3 shelf grow tents so I can raise the humidity higher, put the fan and humidifier inside. So many to choose from out there.

I’ll be very grateful for your response before Sunday because I’m driving 3 hours one way to buy d. Phalaenopsis and biggibum at garden centre which doesn’t ship live plants.

I started orchiding just end of January and is now super obsessed with them, but I’d like to give them the proper care that they need. I’ve tried other hobbies, but orchiding is what I’m loving to do. I’ve got 15 now and I promised my kids I’ll stop buying soon. Thank you.

Photos are still upside down, I edited in photo library to make them upside down thinking that when I attach they’ll be right side up but didn’t work.

[estación seca]

The Den. parishii looks like the stems have been cut off. Did you do that, or did the vendor do it to get it into the box? Did the newest stem start to grow after you got it, or was it there when you got it?

Did these orchids arrive bare-root, or potted?

Most Dendrobiums are high water use orchids when in active growth. The Den. parishii newest growth is stunted because it didn't get enough water while it was developing. The kingianum is likely losing leaves because it isn't getting enough water. However, if neither plant is making new roots you need to take care not to water too much.

I would have put that Den. kingianum into a smaller pot - just large enough to hold the root ball plus maybe a centimeter extra. I would not repot it now and damage the roots.

Keep both of them as humid and warm as you can during the day, and when they begin making new growth, water well. Do you have a space outdoors for growing? They would like to be warm and humid.

[Orchid-Obsessed]

Thank you. I got them both potted. The Parishii had two new growths already. The bigger cane of the two, had 2 leaves but wilted during transport. The newest cane grew for me, but looks super small. The canes were sooooo shrivelled when I got them in March.

I’ll follow your suggestion to repot the kingianum to a smaller pot, but will do so next year.

I have a balcony outside, east facing but unfortunately, our summers in Calgary is very dry unless it’s raining, then the temperature is about 10c like it is now.

I wish I were living in an area with better climate, I just have always loved gardening but I have no yard to do so, so orchiding is the next best thing. The only orchid I’ve seen are the phalaenopsis but quickly fell in love and became obsessed with dendrobium, twinkles, and all the others that have scents. That’s why I bought them. Thanks so much again...I’m truly grateful for your time.

[Ray]

There is no need to "sterilize" a plant upon its arrival. Keep it isolated from your other plants for the first couple of weeks, and if you see no insects or disease, you should be good to go.

I think the biggest challenge for you may be a fear of overwatering, and I suspect that's the primary reason you're seeing no new roots.

Straight orchiata - and certainly rocks - dry out very rapidly to start with, yet an orchid needs a steady supply of water to grow.

Contrary to lore, orchids do not need to dry out between waterings. What they need is lots of air at the roots and a coarse enough mixture that water does not fill the spaces between media particles when you water it. Orchiata and pebbles are relatively immune to that, unless the pebbles are tiny.

Give this a try - Put a plant in the sink and run a lot of water through it, wetting the medium very thoroughly. If you have a spray nozzle, I'd use that. Wait 15 minutes or so and repeat. That'll "open up" the bark and allow it to absorb more water, so it will provide a better root environment, longer.

If you can get a seedling heat mat, set the plants on it to warm the pots, which can accelerate root growth.

What is the formula of the fertilizer? How much per liter or gallon is a "weaker solution"? Please describe both the feeding and watering techniques (i.e., flooding or trickling), as minerals in the medium can slow root growth as well.

[estación seca]

Yes, the parishii was underwatered when the growth was forming. Dendrobiums are not like hybrid Cattleyas. They need a great deal of water when making new growth. It would be best if they never dried out during this time. With increased watering both should begin making new growths, at which time you can water profusely.

[Orchid-Obsessed]

Thank you.

Weak solution of Schultz: recommended is 7 drops per litre of water. I put 4 drops per litre. If you have a suggestion for another plant food, I’d be thankful for that, and will be hopeful that it’s available in Canada.

While on subject of fertilizer, when flower spikes appear, do I need to change fertilizer with a higher middle number? ( I’m being hopeful that I’ll see some flower spikes this year, if not next. I’m keeping a journal/notes of what everyone suggest for each orchids I have as reference- in addition to the many great advice that I’m finding on the OB. Thanks again everyone.

Watering technique: I have a squirt bottle (like those plastic ketchup bottles) with a curved nozzle and use that to water the plants so I can avoid wetting the leaves and crown. If crown or leaves get wet, I dab with a strip of paper towel wrapped in an wooden stick ( used for manicure). I do this also for my oncidium twinkles, mini phal, and sharry baby, etc. When the pot feels very light, I soak the pot in plastic cup for 5 min, drain, put back in pot at an angle to continue draining. This summer, I find that I need to water everyday- sometimes twice if it’s early afternoon. If not, I spray the roots/root area.

I also have a spray bottle just for watering the roots around noon when they look dry/shrivelled but I may stop that now because I learned that it’s best to water along the outside edge of the pot, rather than the middle.

I’m spraying the canes 3x/day and the roots right now while working from home, SHOULD I stop this?

I use RO water now because distilled hasn’t been available to purchase in 18.9 L since the pandemic.

Minerals: I supplement with Cal-iron-Magnesium which probably was the reason why no new roots. BUT I feed them seaweed solution (1tsp per litre). Should I stop both?

I’ll water the dendrobiums as you’ve recommended, and purchase a heating mat. I’ll be sure they don’t dry out.

Re: the tops of the Parishii - they came in like that with the top/tips cut off.

I will be more diligent in the watering of my dendrobiums until I give them a dry winter rest in November.

I look at pictures of other people’s orchids and I wish mine would get there too. I’ve been reading AOS, st Augustine OS, Fred Clark, etc and watched YouTube and lots of info out there. Too many and some are not good info.

I was starting to get very discouraged...and I’m glad I reached out. So, I’m grateful for everyone’s advice. You all are really our orchid doctors and orchid saviours. Thanks for sharing your time and expertise with us. I’ll continue to read stuff here and take good notes.

[estación seca]

You're fussing too much. Orchids are tough, sturdy plants when conditions are right.

Tap water will be fine for all the plants you have mentioned, unless you have very high levels of dissolved minerals. Don't use a spray bottle to water. Don't water along the edge. When you water, run a large amount of water through the entire pot to soak all the media, then drain dry. When all the medium inside the pot is nearly dry, it is time to water again; not before.

I am surprised you think you need to water more often than every few days. The exposed roots will dry before the roots in the medium. Most orchid roots are not harmed by drying out. The roots inside the pot stay moist longer, and that is what matters. I might guess the Den. kingianum medium inside that pot could take 10-14 days to dry completely. When it begins to grow and make more roots, it will use more water, and the watering interval might decrease. You can use a wooden cooking skewer inserted into the medium to check for interior moistness. Almost nobody needs to water house plant orchids daily. They don't dry out that fast.

Don't worry about keeping water out of crowns. Phals are sometimes bothered by this, but in your lower humidity climate it likely evaporates within an hour, right? If it doesn't, I would just blow the water out of the crown with my lips and lungs. None of your other orchids worries about water in the crown. You could take them into the shower and spray the whole plant to water.

Roots absorb water. Stems and leaves don't. Spraying stems and leaves doesn't help orchids. In high-humidity areas it can promote fungus, but I don't think you need to worry about that.

The roots will grow when the plant is ready to grow. Almost nothing you do will affect that. Some of us use a kelp product to promote root growth, but it won't grow roots until the plant is ready for it.

Dry winter rests aren't what makes most deciduous Dendrobiums flower - cool to cold night temperatures is what does the trick. Most of them in cultivation need some winter water. The two Dendrobiums you showed usually flower in early spring, before they grow. It is unlikely they will flower before spring 2021. The oncidiums typically flower with each new growth, so you may still see those this year. Phals tend to spike in early winter.

Fertilizer is the least important factor in growing orchids. It doesn't help orchids unless other conditions are correct. It is no longer believed changing fertilizers promotes flowering, but fertilizer manufacturers are happy to sell you as many different kinds as possible. People do things differently, but I don't fertilize my orchids unless they are actively making new top growth. I would not fertilize either of those Dendrobiums, or the Oncidiums, until they begin to make a new shoot from the base. Phals tend to be in constant growth during warm weather, so I would fertilize that.