How do I save my Dendrobium
 

I bought a dendrobium from an orchid farm near Oceanside that was doing well until very recently. Nothing changed, but it has been starting to die. The root system is in terrible shape, all brown. Some of the canes are shriveling and I have several keikis with early roots. I repoted in bark, separated, keep very humid with a humidifier, and sits in a good window. It has always lived in this window and is a few years old. The window faces East with window sheers. I usually soak water once every week, but it is not improving. I make sure to let it get dry between waterings. My Phale is doing so well, but I fear I am losing my dendrobium. Even worse, I am in the middle of moving. I currently live in the desert near San Bernardino and moving to the coast. Help!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46021227427759093/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46021227427759095/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46021227427759101/

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In case the pictures arent showing, I put pics on Pinterest because I could not see any other way to post them. The link is Sheralyn Milton (fairladyorchid) on Pinterest

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Dendrobiums need different care from some other kinds of orchids, and different kinds of Dendrobiums differ in care. Do you know which kind of Dendrobium it is? I can't get the photos to display.

All Dendrobiums need to stay moist while making new growth from the base, and not dry out. In a hot San Bernardino window you might need to water every other day to keep them moist enough while making new growth. I suspect this is your problem.

I can't see the photos either.
It says the page has not been found but invites the visitors to look at other of your albums.

Ok, I am trying again. It seems I accidentally made the board secret. When I bought the orchid I was not told which kind of Dendrobium.

Can't say if it's dry or not...but the symptoms are there. The problem is that those symptoms are the same if you were overwatering and roots were rot.

Can you find some photos of the flowers in google?

This is what the flower look like. Probably not this color.

I'm not an expert on these dens but, looking at the flower, it seems to be a phal den (Dendrobium Phalaenopsis).
Let's see what others have to say about it.

I remembered I had a picture of the original. They seem different then I thought. I have to admit I have a terrible memory and I have not seen the flowers in quite some time. Thank goodness this was a special day so I had a pic of when they were new!

Ah...it's a dendrobium nobile.
You must water it heavely as you see new growths appearing at the base of the canes. Never let it dry out.
No you have new growths at the base of the canes or just at the middle?

Also a photo of the roots would be great (assuming you use transparent pots). These guys like to be root bound, in small pots.

I don’t have transparent pots. I was not able to find any at the time I repotted and could not order online. I am not at home, but what you see on the top is pretty much what you see beneath. I will try to take more pictures within the hour.

The image of the plant and the keikis is not very well seen.
If you cut the pieces containing keikis (1cm left and right from cane) and wrap them with shpagnum mos and plant (make sure you do not damage those new roots) them in the same pot you will get a plant that in future years will bloom.
However, I think you should do this when you have roots at least 1".

It's badly underwatered, and the first growths died as a result. There is a good chance it will make more growths from the base.

Yamamoto Dendrobiums once had care of nobile type Dens on their Web site. It's not hard once you learn it. Not all orchids should dry out. This kind needs to be wet in summer and dryish in winter.

Edit June 15 2020:
Yamamoto Dendrobiums in Japan hybridizes and produces a great number of these plants. Their Web site formerly had excellent growing information for hobbyists. Unfortunately it is no longer there. You can still look at the varieties they grow, and maybe see one very similar to yours.

I saved the page, and summarized it in a post in this thread:
Uncertain if Dendrobium is still alive

Yamamoto now has a page showing how to force Dendrobium nobile for Christmas flowering in Japan's climate. There is a lot to learn from that page, but it is intended for growers who can artificially heat and cool their greenhouses during off seasons. Note they use coconut husk for growing medium, which many orchidists would say retains too much water for orchids. For many orchids that is correct, but this is a very thirsty orchid.

That is good to know, and I will look up those instructions, thank you!

With some water, I think you may be amazed at how this plant "revives". As long as the shriveled growths are still green, they're alive... and this is the time of year when they put out new growth (and new roots). Water freely. Do go light on the ferilizer - too much nitrogen and you grow keikis (baby plants) instead of flowers. But water, definitely.

I was taught early in my orchid growing "career" that nobile-type Dendrobiums needed to be dry from Halloween to Valentine's Day. Following that advice, I killed several plants - the people who came up with that scheme did not live in southern California where it can be blazing hot and very dry during the winter (In nature they may not get rain but they get dew... not the case in most of southern California, even near the coast) So it might need less water in winter, but still needs some.

Pot looks as if it may be too big for the amount of roots that the plant has. I don't know how badly damaged the root system is or how big it is now, but I would be cautious with the watering schedule. If you water when the potting media goes dry, it will most likely resume a good amount of turgidity on its own. If the growing area you have the plant in is at about 50 - 60% humidity, it will be ok. I would be more concerned about getting the lighting correct right now. But during the beginning of fall, the plant's dormancy would have to be observed. During dormancy, the plant should be watered very sparingly or the plant can rot to death.

You are all wonderful, thank you. I am watering it now and will increase watering. We are getting hot so I will be sure to water every other day.

I appreciate that local climate conditions vary, but it helps to understand the conditions where the plant comes from = decideous mountain forests:

Spring and summer = plenty of rain, but mottled light. They can tolerate high light, if you water enough.

Fall: Much brighter as leaves come off the trees. It is much drier.

Winter: Quite cool and still bright. Virtually no rain.

In 'captivity':
Fertilize (light dose) regularly during spring & summer. STOP on Sept 15.
Significantly reduce watering on Oct 15 (till buds form). If canes start to shrivel, it is OK to water a little.

Modify as needed for local conditions, but do not be surprised if it does not flower if you can't observe the last two instructions.

Yes, that helps a great deal. I think I can pretty easily reconstruct those conditions. Even more so after the move. Thank you!

One important factor in blooming that IS easy to achieve in southern California (outdoors) is a winter chill - they need that. Since we are pretty much frost-free, they can winter outdoors with no problem. When cold, all orchids need to be kept drier. So... water is easy to add when needed, heat is harder to add but isn't needed for these. An "easy" orchid is one that you have the conditions for without a lot of effort, a "hard" one is one for which one has to go to a lot of trouble and expense.... the orchids that go into those two categories vary according to one's location and climate.

With a keiki you have a great chance of having a plant, instead, if the cane base is dry-destroyed, you will wait indefinitely until there is a new growth ...
You can cut the Keiki side and leave the rest of the plant in the pot, it's the same thing, at least you have a chance.

So I have been following directions for more than a month and to no avail. They are growing worse. The canes are shriveling and it is creeping towards the tops. I water every other day by soaking for 10 min. I fertilize every fourth watering or so. They get good strong indirect light all morning. Can I still save them? They were such beautiful nobiles. I know the keikis should have at least 1 in of roots, which they don't but they are definitely healthier than the rest of the plant. Should I chance cutting them to save them? Should I put them all in one pot to keep them tight? There are four good top growths. Absolutely nothing at the base.

I cannot see the photos too clearly right now because I am looking at them on my cell phone and it is difficult to see lots of details, but your Dendrobium seems to have some keikis.

I can tell you that the mother plant itself was planted in far too large of a pot. The pot should only be as big as the living root system.

It was also not necessary to soak the plant for 10 minutes each time you water, that is too much water for it.

What you can do right now is to place the plant in an area with moderate to high humidity and wait for the keikis to grow longer roots and to wait until they are able to be peeled off the mother orchid without much effort.

Place it in an area with moderately bright to bright indirect light.

I hope you are able to recover some keikis on your attempt.

It is possible to put all of the keikis in 1 pot, but it does not mean you can put them in too large of a pot.

I can repot, that is not a problem. Will the Kiki's still grow if the canes below are continually dying? There is not much green cane from the mother plant left. They are getting bright indirect light. How long should I soak for? I love all the advice, but some of it is conflicting and I really want to save whatever part of this plant is possible.

No soaking. That is not necessary.

You may try to peel the keikis off gently if you are able to. If not, then you may try to cut a piece of the cane it was growing on with a sterilized cutting tool.

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If you end up having to cut a small piece of the cane that the keiki was growing on, you can place them on top of some moistened moss. Do not bury the roots.

Wait until the roots on the keikis grow long enough so that you may pot the keikis.

Forgive the continual questions, I want to make sure I understand. No soaking, ok, do I just run water over the bark? How often? I was told before they were dying from lack of moisture. I was originally letting them dry like with my happy Phals but that was not working.
Do I still water every other day? I would love more specifics when you are able. One of the keikis cannot keep a leaf because that cane of the mother is nearly all shriveled.

This is a picture of the struggling keiki off a mother cane. There is only about 2 in of green cane left.

1. Remove all fully dead canes. Save the ones with living keikis on them.

2. Get a tray with drainage holes or a basket with drainage holes large enough to contain the canes you have left.

3. Fill that tray or basket with moistened moss.

4. Lay the canes with the keikis on top of the moss.

If it is a true Dendrobium nobile species, know that the natural orientation of the orchid is that it tends to grow pendulously (downwards) in the wild.

If what you have is a hybrid, then I don't really know what the natural orientation is unless you know its heritage.

5. Do not bury nor cover the roots on the keikis.

6. Place the basket or tray in a warm spot that gets no warmer than 90 F (32.2 C) and no cooler than 65 F (18.3 C).

7. Place them under moderately bright to bright indirect light. A bulb that produces anywhere on the order of 2,000 lumens to 2,500 lumens should be adequate. A Kelvin temperature of 5,200 K to 7,000 K is perfect, (natural sunlight is around 5,200 K, the higher the Kelvin temperature rating of the bulb, the more blue the light is). Adjust the height of the bulb accordingly.

8. Whenever you water, you will either spray the roots on the keikis with a spray bottle or you will go to the bathtub and water them with running water.

Do not soak at all.

9. Wait until the roots have grown to be about 1.5 - 2 inches (3.8 cm - 5 cm) long to pot the keikis up. You may pot the keikis together, but do not use too big of a pot. Only use a pot that is large enough to fit the root mass. If the pot is still too big after attempting to find a pot small enough to fit the root mass as closely as possible while still having enough room for the potting media in there, then fill part of the pot with styrofoam peanuts.

Use medium grade bark for the potting medium.

10. When the keikis are strong enough to be potted, water by drenching the pot and the potting media with water. Let the water run through, do not soak.

That is exactly what I needed, thank you!

Forgot to mention...

Allowing the moss to dry out will not be a problem. Do not let the moss stay too wet for extended periods of time. The whole point of the moss is to provide humidity.