Mine is never completely leafless. Right now it only has leaves on the newest canes and is putting out buds and blooms. It normally starts putting on new growth in the fall before the last leaves have dropped.

It can take an orchid with rotten roots a long time to show the problem, but when they do, they might die rapidly. There's no telling when your plant began having problems.

This plant should be in vigorous, active, leafy growth during warm weather. It should not be dropping leaves until much later in the season. So, something has been wrong with your plant for a while.

It's highly unnatural to grow epiphytes in pots. Roots stay too wet for too long, or they're too dry and you don't see it. Many epiphytic orchids are tough, easy-to-grow plants that do just fine in pots. Others, however, are so touchy they are much easier to manage on mounts. I am finding I really struggle with Dendrobiums in pots. They are much easier on mounts for me.

I may try one on a mount at some point. If this one doesn't make it, I'll see if they guy has another one.

Why not mount that one? Give it a good soak in kelpmax and mount it with a small pad of sphagnum. What do you have to lose?

I might do that. I was considering replacing the media with LFS, but if I'm going to do that, why not mount it. I don't have anything handy to mount it to, though. I'd have to prepare something. I've never done that before, but I think I can figure it out.

You have woods........

Ha! Yeah, I do have woods and I could easily lop off a branch and use it.

However, never having done it or looked into it, I don't know the dos and don'ts. Do you use greenwood or dead wood? If you use dead wood, how would you treat for pests? Microwave it? Does the type of wood matter. Something like oak is going to have a lot of tannic acid unless you soak it for a long time with water changes. Does that make a difference?

Oak is fine, although I might not use it for rupiculpus Laelia and other lime lovers. Andy's sells a lot of theirs on cedar branches.

Don't give up hope; I have Den. lamyaiae just now throwing new growth; they've been just hanging out (literally) since mid March... I received them bare root and mounted them on tree fern; I watched the roots take over their mounts, but no new growth...once the roots reached "critical mass", new growth...


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That's funny, my dendrobium lamyaiae (related to unicum) is also just now starting new growth... but it had been leafless for probably 9 months lol close to a year maybe...

I've cursed about den species (specifically those that can go leafless or semi-leafless), they literally have their own time clock depending on their particular genetics or apparently who they're with or where they're going...

Unicum is a good example. For some they bloom almost immediately in early spring right out of dormancy, for others it never goes dormant and flowers in summer, yet other's it's blooming now...??? I've seen them with leaves, with no leaves... I've even grown one before years ago that never lost leaves and would flower in early summer and grew roots and stems all year...

My current one, an obvious 2 stem/pbs division with a new growth and not great roots, planted in sphag mind you, received in spring at some point with buds that blasted... I had to depot (just a few ok roots)and tied to a branch when new growth got to about an inch... new roots formed and I watered and watered and it was doing well, then snails ate all the new roots. that new growth has stayed looking about the same for about 2 month, not changing whatsoever, and no new roots to replace the eaten roots. I just spray it down every once in a while... since it doesn't have roots it's really just to attempt to keep it hydrated really... it's in a big glass bowl outside in my balcony (in shade), hanging off side so at least the humidity can be kept somewhat stable...

so anyway that's my thoughts- it's set back for sure but can take time to recover but can actually stay alive without leaves or roots for quite a while and may regrow at some point...

If you mount, wouldn't mess with finding a branch. (friend and I were just talking about molds and other fungus growing like nuts on different wood mounts) If there's somewhere to get a piece of cork, I'd just get something already prepped and ready for domestic use. If you're not sure where to get a piece, try online or try local pet stores that sell reptiles. They tend to have pieces lying around for herp environments.

If you don't mount, maybe cut all bad growth off, powder cinnamon or whatever you do to disinfect and bag with reasonably damp sphag until new growth starts. When roots start, pot in very open miss and don't water frequently whatsoever...