Dendrobium nobile

[guccisimo85]

Hello!


I received a dendrobium nobile in bloom from someone. On inspection, it appears to have been potted in regular soil The roots are quite pale but reasonably plump (not dried out). There are a few dark ones around the crown, but I think it may just be from the moss they had sitting on top.
I have washed away all the soil and let the roots soak for 15 minutes in water. I am waiting on an order of orchiata bark, so for now I have left it bareroot inside the pot to give it lots of aeration. I am planning to soak it daily. Do you think it warrants a spray down of the roots with hydrogen peroxide as well? Any other recommendations?

Thanks so much!

[DirtyCoconuts]

NO- that will kill all the roots

just wait on the bark and don't stress, those roots are happy to be out of the soil and breathing!

loose bark mix will be great

[Roberta]

Chances are good that it was in a peat mix (promix or something like it), not ordinary soil. Like sphagnum, that can work well for a commercial grower who is growing under controlled conditions, and a disaster for a hobbyist trying to give the plant what it needs. Getting it out and into fresh air was a a good thing! The plant won't mind having its roots exposed for a bit, far better than the drowning that would have been likely.

[ghuylar]

Personally I use hydrogen peroxide on my leaves and roots of orchids and non orchids and have never had an issue with it. Some people on here say that it kills the roots. It's all up to personal experience I would say. Regardless, I wouldn't treat the plant unless you see or suspect pests are present. Hydrogen peroxide is FANTASTIC for killing all pests I've encountered so far, so from my experience I would recommend it if pests are present!

As for your current plant condition, it should be fine waiting for a few days until the bark arrives and probably doesn't need daily soaks, every other day or every few days is sufficient

[Roberta]

I would not suggest peroxide on roots - yes it can damage the tiny hairs. And from the looks of that plant, there's nothing that needs to be treated - actually, those roots look pretty good. (Not broken, don't try to fix it) Remember, these orchids are epiphytes in nature - they have evolved to dry out in air between rainstorms. A little fresh air on the roots will certainly do no harm.

In fact, the healthy appearance of the roots is evidence that the medium wasn't actually soil.

[guccisimo85]

Wonderful! I’m glad you think they look pretty good!

Yes, I suspect it was maybe a mixture of bark and perlite and a lot of the bark had broken down. I was just surprised how much water it was retaining given how infrequently it was being watered. I was hesitant to do anything since it is in bloom but I think a little air on the roots will do it some good overall.

Originally Posted by Roberta

I would not suggest peroxide on roots - yes it can damage the tiny hairs. And from the looks of that plant, there's nothing that needs to be treated - actually, those roots look pretty good. (Not broken, don't try to fix it) Remember, these orchids are epiphytes in nature - they have evolved to dry out in air between rainstorms. A little fresh air on the roots will certainly do no harm.

In fact, the healthy appearance of the roots is evidence that the medium wasn't actually soil.

[COLOR="Silver"]

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by guccisimo85

]One other question - any idea what the dry black spots on the tip of the bottom leaves are? I hope it’s not black rot ... not sure if I should spray it with fungicide while it’s blooming?

If dry, I think certainly no problem. Salts (from hard water and fertilizer) tend to build up at the tips of leaves, and cause that sort of thing. Even if the areas weren't fully dry, you'd want to just watch to make sure that it wasn't spreading. But dry, it's not going anywhere.

One more thing to keep in mind as the plant goes through its normal cycle after blooming, thinking ahead many months... nobile-type Dendrobiums need to dry out a bit during the winter, especially if chilly. Not bone-dry. When I was starting out with orchids I kept hearing "no water from Halloween to Valentine's Day"... Baloney... I killed several plants before figuring out that this was wrong. In nature, they may get little or no rain in winter, but they get heavy dew. They don't get occasional periods of summer-like heat with single-digit humidity that happens where I live. So, I have learned to water less frequently in winter, but don't stop completely. But that little shock - less water (and no fertilizer), cooler nights if possible, will inspire the next spring's flowers. At that time, the plant may lose some leaves, and that's just force of nature. They can bloom even on completely leafless canes. (Nurseries mess with the cycle to get plants to look nice and bloom for sale... in your care it will follow a more normal cycle which does involve "slowing down" in winter, just don't panic when it does)

[guccisimo85]

Thanks Roberta! Music to my ears! It’s definitely dry

Thanks for the tips about winter! I will cut back the water but still keep an eye so that it doesn’t dry out too much.

[DirtyCoconuts]

also, these plants are crazy.
mine all bloom, typically around new years..i have one that just flushed like 24 flowers ????