Leaves Yellow and Falling off

[smith581]

I received an orchid as a gift last Valentine's Day and I know NOTHING about growing them. I took it to a local florist and the florist said he thought that it was a Dendrobium and gave me tips on watering and basic care.

Since the first blooms fell off I never got it to rebloom but the plant was in perfect health... until about a week ago when the leaves began turning yellow and falling off. It has lost almost all of its leaves! There is new growth sprouting up from the bottom that appears to be green but the leaf is still too small to tell.

Someone help! This was a very special gift and I just wonder if there is any hope of saving my beloved plant. I've attached some pictures for clarity.
Thanks so much.

[mayres]

I'm sure you will get lots of other comments from the den experts, but loosing lots of leaves is very common for many types of dendrobiums. If it has been doing well up until now this particular hybrid might just naturally loose most of its leaves prior to the new growth shooting up. The new growth starting up from the media is a good sign that it is still alive and growing. Did you give it lots and lots of light during entire period from when you got it until winter? They can take all the light you can give them except for a few mid day hours in the middle of the summer. Assuming you gave it enough light and otherwise watered and fertilized it appropriately I would have expected it to probably be blooming/spiking about now - most of my dends are show this kind of activity. You might note how you took care of it in regards to lighting, watering, fertilizer, etc. and then others will give you some good quality suggestions for getting it to flourish and reflower. Good luck. mike

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

It is possible this is normal leaf loss, but then again, these leaves look just a little odd to me. It is difficult to say just looking at these pictures. You might want to read my comments on looking for mites in this thread.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...=mites+reddish
You may also want to read this if you have not found it already.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html

Please tell us what the florist told you as to it's care. We won't be able to make a judgement or offer advice until we know the facts.

[smith581]

He did not give me any great detail, basically just to keep it in bright sunlight most of the time, water it about once weekly, less in the winter and to let it dry almost completely out in between waterings. He also suggested a mostly bark medium and to fertilize with a Nitrogen fertilizer about once a month unless the plant is blooming and then not at all.

I followed this advice and like I said, the orchid did wonderful for a year up until about 10 days ago. It lost another leaf today

Thanks everyone, for your help!!

[Ellen]

Why is the orchid in a pitcher? Is there water standing in the bottom of the pitcher? If so, it could be that the roots are rotting.

i agree get it out of the pitcher they don't like wet bottoms, i'm not a dend. fan but mine do best when they are left undisturbed, with high light ( outdoors in full sun in the summer)i'm in pa. usa, allowed to dry between waterings, decent air movement, avg humidity. weak fertilizer when active growth is seen. good luck with it.

[arleneg]

I'm a Den. Fan.

Your plant looks like a Den by looking at the canes. However, the leaves are different, not typical shape for a cane Den.

At any rate, correct me if I'm wrong. Is the tip of the new growth a little brownish? If I'm seeing it correctly, then I suggest checking the roots (for root rot, pests, etc.) and repotting.

If root rot, remove rotten/dead roots and treat the remaining roots with Physan 20. (visit http://www.physan.com for more info.) Then repot the plant in a bark and perlite mix (a ready orchid mix is fine, too) in a plastic pot with airholes at bottom.

Hope that helps.

[smith581]

Thanks everyone, so much for all of your help and input! The orchid came in this pitcher as a gift. It is actually planted in a small plastic pot with airholes in the bottom, like you suggested. I've taken it out of the pitcher in case there was any moisture left in it... I never let water remain after each watering, though in the bottom of the pot. I'm going to repot it this evening, removing the "sick" roots. I'll let you know how it goes!
As for the new growth yes the tip was a little brownish. It has grown more since, though with only a pretty green color. Hopefully my Den will make it!

[smith581]

Okay so the new growth now has a little leaf coming through the center that is a perfect green color. Maybe my orchid will make it after all, I'll keep everyone posted and again thanks for your help.

I'd always heard people say that orchids are addicting... and didn't understand but I ordered and received in the mail today a beautiful Phalaenopsis. Does anyone have growing tips for this particular species?

[jerrymeola]

Phals are an indoor orchid taking rather low light levels. About half the light required for your Dendrobium. They will do well within a few feet of a window, but this varies on where you live. As we move away from the equator the sun is lower in the sky and the light levels are less.

You can measure the light exactly with a camera and convert the amounts.

Measuring light levels with an SLR camera

[patticake]

As a former designer for 10years, at a very reputable florist, I can tell you that that is not where you want to get your advice from. This website is great, however!
Florists order in cut orchid for arrangements and corsages. They also order in plants for sale, but are not very often experts in growing orchids! I used to answer questions on plant care in areas that I knew. Some florists like to think they know it all- good luck-

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

To tell someone to do something relative to blooming is a real catch22. You get blooms AFTER you get the culture right. Here is the rule of thumb I have come up with, and it works on almost all Dens. Wet while growing or blooming, then very dry between waterings at all other times. So, since your plant is in growth, go ahead and water just before it gets dry. But don't forget the part about being very dry when it is not growing or blooming. When dormant, I like to let them get dry, then wait a few days to a week or more, then water thoroughly. For nobiles, which your plant is not, the dry period becomes 3 or 4 weeks.

Phals should get close to dry, but not completely. They are not seasonal like Dens, and should be treated the same all year. Indirect light only.

[tizzycat]

Smith581, apologies if you have already done this, but can you update your profile so that we know where you are, as conditions can vary around the globe.

Oh, and Welcome. You came to the right place.

[jet]

Cynthia, Prescott, AZ, I'm new to Orchid Geeks, and I'm a Newbie to orchid growing. I've been reading your posts re Dendrobiums leaves turning yellow and dropping off and I have a "what next" question. When I purchased my Den, it had three canes with blooms on shoots (not the right term I suspect) coming out of the top. When the tallest cane lost it's leaves I thought it was dead, so I cut it off at pot level. When the next tallest cane lost its leaves I left it standing. The third cane's leaves are now turning yellow. A tip of a new cane has been poking out of the soil for quite some time, but does not appear to be growing. Besides letting the soil get very dry between watering, what do I do next? I live in the Sacramento area.

Thank you in advance -- I've already learned a great deal from your postings!

[fred]

hi jet
welcome to the forum
please feel free to go to the introduction section and introduce yourself to the orchidgeeks
also can you please update your Profile with your Location as this will help us with giving you advice as we have members from all over the world with different growing conditions.

[jet]

Thank you, Fred. It is great to have a forum to turn to for advice on how to keep these beautiful plants growing and blooming!

[patlee]

Hi Smith581, Welcome to the wonderful world of Phalaenopsis The vast majority of what I grow are these orchids. Some people have a difficult time with them. My problem is getting Paphiopedilums to bloom--but this forum will provide answers to all your growing concerns.

The other source you want to check out is American Orchid Society and look for their cultural sheets on Phals.

Hope you enjoy it here as much as the rest of us do...

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Jet, cutting off canes is a mistake. They are a resource for the newer growths, and for Dendrobiums, reblooming on leafless canes is common. Some time in the future, you will remove these really old canes, but you will do it with the basal portion still attached, and these bases (rhizomes) have dormant eyes, so can often be used to produce new plants.

If you are sure the new growth at the base is stalled, not growing at all, treat as dormant. But if you see it start to enlarge, start watering frequently again. I don't think watering changes are all that critical, but you will have a very much healthier plant if you get it right most of the time.

[arleneg]

jet,

When I read you cut off the leafless cane, I was like . Now that you know what not to do, your Den. should grow into specimen size.

[jet]

Thanks Cynthia and Arlene...as soon as I had snipped the cane I knew I had made a mistake and needed to get some serious guidance with this plant.

The new growth does appear stalled, so, just to be clear, I should let the soil get very dry between waterings as the plant is dormant, is that correct? Will the plant signal a growth period when it is ready for more water? I know these are extremely basic questions -- I really am new to this.

~jet

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Sure, let it get dry, but you may want to water only a few days after it gets dry. There is some leeway on the length of time dry, so you might want to let it be on the short side.

This length of time that is best for each Den can some times be determined by trial and error, or a clear lack of vigor can give clues of a need for a change.

[11Orchid126]

Dendrobiums don't like a lot of nitrogen. You might be better off with a low nitrogen formula.

[jet]

Thank you, Cynthia! ~jet