need help reviving this - Orchid Board

soprillo · #1 11-04-2009, 10:35 AM

It was neglected, bought from Lowe's so I assume it's a dendrobium, and I'm wondering what the next step is. The 2 things that stick out are yellow cane stalks and brown spots on the leaves.

thanks!
Dan

Sandy4453 · #2 11-04-2009, 10:55 AM

All is not lost, in fact, your Dendrobium looks ok. The first thing I would do and immediately, is to re-pot this and get rid of the spaghnum it's in. That is spagh., right? Straight bark with some sponge-rock and charcoal or any quick drying medium will work well with this. Or, you can mount it with a little spaghnum till the roots start adhering to the mount. If you pot it, keep it on the dry side and a smaller pot would probably be advised, even if you have to (gently) get all the roots in the pot. Dend. easily grow roots so if you lose a few older ones, not a big deal.

Good luck with this!

Judi · #3 11-04-2009, 07:16 PM

I agree with Sandy, and a repot is in order. Don't forget to check the roots and trim off any dead ones. Also, the pot looks a little big to me. You might consider using a smaller one--especially if there are a lot of dead roots; and make sure the pot has adequate drainage holes. I personally like the plastic ones with slotted sides. This way I can keep an eye on the roots. If the plant is top heavy, I still have to slip the plastic pot in a larger ceramic or clay pot to keep the plant from topling over. Good luck!

soprillo · #4 11-05-2009, 11:36 AM

OK thanks. Will the yellow stalks turn green again or should I remove them?

Judi · #5 11-05-2009, 09:48 PM

From my limited experience with dens, the yellow stalks wil not turn green again. But, unless they are diseased, I would leave them until they are totally dead. Even if they are not green, they can still supply some nutrients to the plant until they are shrivelled and dead. At that time I would cut the stalk and dust the cut with household cinnamon (the real stuff, not what you get at the dollar store).

nancy · #6 11-06-2009, 02:45 PM

Hi Dan -
Sandy won't say it but I will - sphagnum = satan!
If it were mine, I'd snap off the last 2 (brown) canes before repotting, and put it in a chunky bark mix in the absolute smallest pot it will fit into. Otherwise, you may wait a couple of years for the foliage to fill a bigger pot before it decides to bloom.
These hybrid dendrobiums can grow like weeds once you get them into a state of contentment.
Regards - Nancy