The Orchid Garden

New Dendrobium

Question:

Andrea, I don’t see any serious flaws in your culture method.  Sometimes orchids that are mass produced for a holiday receive less than perfect treatment.  Your plant may just be in shock from transport, or being improperly handled by middle-men.  These types of Dendrobiums are usually hardy, however, and should recover though the blooms may not. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I recently received a Dendrobium orchid (that is all the Better Homes and Gardens tag says) for a gift.  It had nine buds, but one turned yellow and has just fallen off and it looks like another bud is about to do the same.  I have the orchid in front of a window, so it is getting plenty of light, but not direct sun.  The temperature in my apartment is around 70 and the potting medium it came in looks like different types of bark.  I water it about once a week, and have fertilized it once with 20-20-20 since I got it about two weeks ago.  I do not let it sit in water. Since this is the first orchid I have every had, I am not sure what I am doing wrong and why the buds are turning yellow and falling off.   I hope you can help me. Thank you.

Response:

How long have you had it? It may be going through a readjustment period. Stay away from 20-20-20: it probably contains urea, which can’t be used by the orchid-it will build up as salts and damage the roots. Check your humidity. 70 indoors is high, and drying. Keep it away from fruits and flowers also- sometimes the ethylene they produce is damaging. Take care, Eric Muehlbauer

Response:

I recently received a Dendrobium orchid (that is all the Better Homes and Gardens tag says) as a Valentine’s Day gift.  It had nine buds, but one turned yellow and has just fallen off, and it looks like another one is about to do the same.  I have the orchid in front of a window so it is getting plenty of light, but not direct sun.  The temperature is around 70 in my apartment, and it came in a potting medium of what looks like a mixture of different barks. I water it about once a week, and have fertilized it once with 20-20-20 since I got it about two weeks ago. Since I have never had an orchid before, I am not sure what I am doing wrong and why the buds are turning yellow and falling off.  Do you know? Thank you.

Response:

I recently received a Dendrobium orchid (that is all the Better Homes and Gardens tag says) for a gift.  It had nine buds, but one turned yellow and has just fallen off and it looks like another bud is about to do the same.  I have the orchid in front of a window, so it is getting plenty of light, but not direct sun.  The temperature in my apartment is around 70 and the potting medium it came in looks like different types of bark.  I water it about once a week, and have fertilized it once with 20-20-20 since I got it about two weeks ago.  I do not let it sit in water. Since this is the first orchid I have every had, I am not sure what I am doing wrong and why the buds are turning yellow and falling off.   I hope you can help me. Thank you.

Response:

Filed under: Dendrobium Orchid

Related Posts