The Orchid Garden

Orchid in trouble…

Question:

Hello, Do not get too worried yet. Most dendrobiums are deciduous and basically that means the leaves will fall off. It is common for the leaves to fall off during or right after flowering, although the process usually happens later on.

I touched it just now and it came right off. I probably would be less concerned if it was at the bottom of the stalk rather than in the middle. I would think that newer leaves last longer than older leaves. One key is the leaves themselves. When you say they are soft, do you mean they are thin and pliable or are they the same thickness of the other leaves and kind of mushy? The former is normal leaf dropping, the latter is a sign of trouble.

Okay after a closer inspection I would say that the leaf that just dropped was not as thick at all as the other leaves which were fuller. The fallen leaf is shriveled on the bottom like your finger tips get when they’ve been under warm water too long. The edges near the tip have started curling.a bit. This could be a problem and might be why the leaves are falling (though it could be natural causes too.) The mix should be drying out within 3-5 days after watering and should not be grainy.

Ok we already sort of discussed this and the consensus is I should repot. Should I do it right now as in tonight? I’d prefer to wait until I can get a proper pot with holes in the sides that’s the proper size. Your comment about Denbrods liking their roots to be potbound ran counter to the pot I had bought for it which had considerable growing room in it. But I can’t get that pot until Saturday at the earliest. 2. Make sure to fill the bottom third of the pot with plastic peanuts or broken bits of another clay pot to ensure good drainage.

I bought a bag of pebbles. 3. Get a good coarse bark. Again it helps drainage and is good here since these types of orchids need to dry out a bit between waterings.

Looks like the bark I got is all wrong. It’s too fine. I’d never be able to tell when it’s decomposing. ARGH! Overall the plant still looks in great shape, so that is a good sign. The canes are fully swollen, so it definitely has enough water.

I had said there were three stalks but I found a fourth this morning buried in the moss. It’s just appearing and has no leafs. Based on what you say on the roots, I would definitely repot and be a bit skimpy with the water for now (letting those canes wrinkle just a bit between Ok. I’ll try to pick up the right bark and pot for the plant and repot. I hope it will last until Saturday…

Response:

Don’t worry.  Several days won’t make a big difference.  Just let it dry out until Saturday.  One leaf doesn’t make this a major concern.  It’s possible that the one leaf got broken in watering or something.  Relax.  More orchids are killed by too much attention than die through being ignored.  They actually seem to like being ignored, though they do respond to threats also. Give that orchid a good talking to and then ignore it for a few days. Ken Woodward Newton, MA http://kwoodward.net

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Do not get too worried yet. Most dendrobiums are deciduous and basically that means the leaves will fall off. It is common for the leaves to fall off during or right after flowering, although the process usually happens later on. I touched it just now and it came right off. I probably would be less concerned if it was at the bottom of the stalk rather than in the middle. I would think that newer leaves last longer than older leaves. One key is the leaves themselves. When you say they are soft, do you mean they are thin and pliable or are they the same thickness of the other leaves and kind of mushy? The former is normal leaf dropping, the latter is a sign of trouble. Okay after a closer inspection I would say that the leaf that just dropped was not as thick at all as the other leaves which were fuller. The fallen leaf is shriveled on the bottom like your finger tips get when they’ve been under warm water too long. The edges near the tip have started curling.a bit. This could be a problem and might be why the leaves are falling (though it could be natural causes too.) The mix should be drying out within 3-5 days after watering and should not be grainy. Ok we already sort of discussed this and the consensus is I should repot. Should I do it right now as in tonight? I’d prefer to wait until I can get a proper pot with holes in the sides that’s the proper size. Your comment about Denbrods liking their roots to be potbound ran counter to the pot I had bought for it which had considerable growing room in it. But I can’t get that pot until Saturday at the earliest. 2. Make sure to fill the bottom third of the pot with plastic peanuts or broken bits of another clay pot to ensure good drainage. I bought a bag of pebbles. 3. Get a good coarse bark. Again it helps drainage and is good here since these types of orchids need to dry out a bit between waterings. Looks like the bark I got is all wrong. It’s too fine. I’d never be able to tell when it’s decomposing. ARGH! Overall the plant still looks in great shape, so that is a good sign. The canes are fully swollen, so it definitely has enough water. I had said there were three stalks but I found a fourth this morning buried in the moss. It’s just appearing and has no leafs. Based on what you say on the roots, I would definitely repot and be a bit skimpy with the water for now (letting those canes wrinkle just a bit between Ok. I’ll try to pick up the right bark and pot for the plant and repot. I hope it will last until Saturday…

Response:

Ok we already sort of discussed this and the consensus is I should repot. Should I do it right now as in tonight? I’d prefer to wait until I can get a proper pot with holes in the sides that’s the proper size. Your comment about Denbrods liking their roots to be potbound ran counter to the pot I had bought for it which had considerable growing room in it. But I can’t get that pot until Saturday at the earliest.

Hello, Saturday should be fine. A few more days will not be the end of the world- especially since you have stopped watering it. As to the leaf- if it came right off, that is good. All you describe makes me think that this could be just normal leaf loss. And fear not about it not being the bottom or top leaf that fell off first. They do not necessarily fall off in order of placement on the cane. And congrats on the new growth coming out! It makes me think even more that you are doing just fine with the plant. And all the better that you are addressing the repotting issue now just to be safe. Take care, Tom.

Response:

Hi, I was given a Denbrod Blue Charm No 229 a week ago. The plant appeared to be in excellent condition and is in full flower. It has three stalks; the main one with the flowers (purple burgandy flowers on a plant called a Blue Charm? strange name for a plant with flowers that are a different color than the name), a smaller one with four leaves and no flowers and a tiny one with only one leaf (which I missed the first few days because it’s almost buried in the moss that’s covering the mix. Within the last 7 days one of the leaves on the main stalk has turned yellow and started getting soft. The leaf is clearly dying. One of the leafs under it has some yellow on the outer sides and the yellow part is softer than the rest of the leaf. The other leaves on that stalk and the other two are all healthy. I wanted to link to my web space to show some pictures of the plant but my ISP is having problems with FTP tonight apparently and I can’t do it. I am worried. This is my first orchid and although I’ve done some reading on it, I’m not sure what’s the problem with it. It hasn’t been watered since the night it was given to me (it was fed and watered and the person who gave it to me has several orchids and is able to care for them though she is no expert). I checked the mix by poking my finder about an inch down and it’s still damp there so I don’t think it needs water. The mix concerns me somewhat. It is small bark but I feel a lot of grain in the mix which either means it’s a hybrid bark/finer mix or it’s decomposed. At this point I don’t want to pull it out of the pot to check for decomposure unless you think I should do so. Can anyone help with a diagnosis of the problem?

Response:

Hello, It has three stalks; the main one with the flowers (purple burgandy flowers on a plant called a Blue Charm? strange name for a plant with flowers that are a different color than the name)

This is common. The pigment delphidinum (hope I spelled that right) that creates true blue flowers does not exist in orchids. Some Cattleyas have come close, but no orchid is true blue yet. What is likely is that the cross yielded some bluish flowers and thus the name. But each plant will vary enormously when a hybrid is made. Within the last 7 days one of the leaves on the main stalk has turned yellow and started getting soft. The leaf is clearly dying. One of the leafs under it has some yellow on the outer sides and the yellow part is softer than the rest of the leaf.

Do not get too worried yet. Most dendrobiums are deciduous and basically that means the leaves will fall off. It is common for the leaves to fall off during or right after flowering, although the process usually happens later on. One key is the leaves themselves. When you say they are soft, do you mean they are thin and pliable or are they the same thickness of the other leaves and kind of mushy? The former is normal leaf dropping, the latter is a sign of trouble. I checked the mix by poking my finder about an inch down and it’s still damp there so I don’t think it needs water. The mix concerns me somewhat. It is small bark but I feel a lot of grain in the mix which either means it’s a hybrid bark/finer mix or it’s decomposed. At this point I don’t want to pull it out of the pot to check for decomposure unless you think I should do so.

This could be a problem and might be why the leaves are falling (though it could be natural causes too.) The mix should be drying out within 3-5 days after watering and should not be grainy. Rotting mix and dying leaves is something I would attend to right away- even during flowering. I would suggest repotting immediately and when you do, there are three things to remember, 1. Get a pot just barely large enough to fit all the roots. Dendrobiums like to be potbound. Clay is preferable for these plants since they need to dry out a bit between waterings. 2. Make sure to fill the bottom third of the pot with plastic peanuts or broken bits of another clay pot to ensure good drainage. 3. Get a good coarse bark. Again it helps drainage and is good here since these types of orchids need to dry out a bit between waterings. The great thing about Dendrobiums is that you have a very visible sign of whether they need water. Look at the canes themselves. Are they fat and plump or slightly shriveled? The older canes should be slightly wrinkled in appearance. That is a good benchmark. Water when the bark starts to dry out again (not when it is totally dry) and watch the canes. Let them shrivel the least little bit if you are not sure until you find the perfect watering schedule. Overwatering or underwatering can kill any orchid in excess, but most of the time it is better to underwater slightly rather than overwater slightly. Too little can slow new growth, but too much will eventually kill the plant. Hope this helps! Post that pic if you get a chance since it will offer more clues. Tom.

Response:

Here’s the links.. http://www.concentric.net/~Dswalen/Orchid/George1.JPG http://www.concentric.net/~Dswalen/Orchid/George2.JPG I’ll try to respond later to your entire email in greater detail. But I would say that the leaf in question (as you can see it’s in the middle of the stalk and not at the bottom or top) is the same thickness but just gone soft. I did some minor looking at the root system from the top today. One of the roots was hard. The other was rather soft and mushy. I have stuff to repot with here so I can do so.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, It has three stalks; the main one with the flowers (purple burgandy flowers on a plant called a Blue Charm? strange name for a plant with flowers that are a different color than the name) This is common. The pigment delphidinum (hope I spelled that right) that creates true blue flowers does not exist in orchids. Some Cattleyas have come close, but no orchid is true blue yet. What is likely is that the cross yielded some bluish flowers and thus the name. But each plant will vary enormously when a hybrid is made. Within the last 7 days one of the leaves on the main stalk has turned yellow and started getting soft. The leaf is clearly dying. One of the leafs under it has some yellow on the outer sides and the yellow part is softer than the rest of the leaf. Do not get too worried yet. Most dendrobiums are deciduous and basically that means the leaves will fall off. It is common for the leaves to fall off during or right after flowering, although the process usually happens later on. One key is the leaves themselves. When you say they are soft, do you mean they are thin and pliable or are they the same thickness of the other leaves and kind of mushy? The former is normal leaf dropping, the latter is a sign of trouble. I checked the mix by poking my finder about an inch down and it’s still damp there so I don’t think it needs water. The mix concerns me somewhat. It is small bark but I feel a lot of grain in the mix which either means it’s a hybrid bark/finer mix or it’s decomposed. At this point I don’t want to pull it out of the pot to check for decomposure unless you think I should do so. This could be a problem and might be why the leaves are falling (though it could be natural causes too.) The mix should be drying out within 3-5 days after watering and should not be grainy. Rotting mix and dying leaves is something I would attend to right away- even during flowering. I would suggest repotting immediately and when you do, there are three things to remember, 1. Get a pot just barely large enough to fit all the roots. Dendrobiums like to be potbound. Clay is preferable for these plants since they need to dry out a bit between waterings. 2. Make sure to fill the bottom third of the pot with plastic peanuts or broken bits of another clay pot to ensure good drainage. 3. Get a good coarse bark. Again it helps drainage and is good here since these types of orchids need to dry out a bit between waterings. The great thing about Dendrobiums is that you have a very visible sign of whether they need water. Look at the canes themselves. Are they fat and plump or slightly shriveled? The older canes should be slightly wrinkled in appearance. That is a good benchmark. Water when the bark starts to dry out again (not when it is totally dry) and watch the canes. Let them shrivel the least little bit if you are not sure until you find the perfect watering schedule. Overwatering or underwatering can kill any orchid in excess, but most of the time it is better to underwater slightly rather than overwater slightly. Too little can slow new growth, but too much will eventually kill the plant. Hope this helps! Post that pic if you get a chance since it will offer more clues. Tom.

Response:

Here’s the links.. http://www.concentric.net/~Dswalen/Orchid/George1.JPG http://www.concentric.net/~Dswalen/Orchid/George2.JPG I’ll try to respond later to your entire email in greater detail. But I would say that the leaf in question (as you can see it’s in the middle of the stalk and not at the bottom or top) is the same thickness but just gone soft.

Overall the plant still looks in great shape, so that is a good sign. The canes are fully swollen, so it definitely has enough water. Based on what you say on the roots, I would definitely repot and be a bit skimpy with the water for now (letting those canes wrinkle just a bit between waterings) but the overall condition of the plant looks far better than I had feared from your description. Good luck with it! Tom.

Response:

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