only one leaf left

[hipooja]

Hi All,

I have a this orchid (den emma white?) purchased Feb 2008. Here are my observations and details.

1. All leaves turned yellow and fell off. There is only one left.
2. The orchid gets about 5-6 hours of sun, its kept near a window (I live in Singapore)
3. I water it sparingly, maybe once in 2-3 days and little water just enough to maybe keep it moist.
4. Used to spray feritilizer on the leaves once a week [when it had leaves ]

Please look at the pics and advise on what needs to be done for reviving it.

Hopeful,
Pooja

[jerrymeola]

You have been starving you Den for water. Lack of water will cause leaf drop.

YOu said "I water it sparingly, maybe once in 2-3 days and little water just enough to maybe keep it moist."

Compare the plant to a human actively thirsty from sports or other hard activity. You can take some water on your finger and wipe your lip. It feels good but does not satisfy your body long term. Eventually without other water your body would die.

When you water an orchid your should soak it long and hard. Then leave it to dry to the level necessary for the family of orchids.

Root rot and other watering problems does not come from the length of time or quantity of water you use each time but the frequency of watering that prevents the roots from drying properly. You need to let the water stay in contact with the roots so the roots can absorb the water and transport it to the plant.

When you "water sparingly" the water dries before the water is transported to the plant and effectively you did not water the plant at all.

This is the cause of your leaf drop and the badly shriveled canes on your Den.

[amersault]

hi & welcome to Geeks!

Jerry is right - this plant has been too deprived of water. what medium are you using? i see charcoal and.... (sand)? apart from lack of hydration, your mix also seems to be contributing to the dryness.

i think this plant can still be saved. w/ gradual and continual hydration it may throw a new keiki (baby plant) either from the base or further up the cane.

changing the potting mix and your watering habit will help this.

[digitalgate]

ditto on the water. I believe you over did the goat dung and too little water.
one lesson on watering in Singapore.
there is a big difference between watering with a watering can and spraying with a sprayer.
i started watering using sprayer and killed all the plant. later i followed friends who
watered with watering can and end up with too much water. so how much is enough?
In a HDB flat environment, water dried up very fast and humidity is low for the plant to
survive. It might be too much water for our recent rainy season. watering on monday
and thursday is good even during rainy days . Afternoon showers is the recent trend, so
make use of it. water in the morning and dont do anything else.

the other mistake, you use goat dung when your plant is dying. Only add fertilizer when
plant is actively growing. it is not a miracle cure.

[digitalgate]

fungicides is good if your plant is exposed to the element. with the plant in the common
corridor , it is difficult to get fungus problem. So you dont have to spray fungicides
regularly like i do.

[hipooja]

ok. i think we followed "when in doubt, dont water" a bit too seriously. will try out what you guys are suggesting. thanks a ton. hope we are able to revive it.

cheers,
pooja.

[fred]

welcome to the forum hipooja
this link will also help you
AOS | Dendrobium