Dendrochilum growth habit question

[whalloper]

Hello everyone,

Ive been looking for Dendrochilum info on the web and its hard to come by. I picked up a small one this summer because of the amazing fragrance (Magnum). There are about 5 pseudobulbs in the pot and leaves that did not have a pseudobulb where the spikes arose. Several weeks after it went out of bloom, the non-pseudobulb part (sorry I dont know the name) is rotting away and can be picked off the plant. I picked off 2 out of 5. Is this normal or is something wrong? All the bulbs and leaves appear healthy. Does the bulb form a leaf which encloses the spike or am I way off here?

[digitalgate]

hmmmm. got a picture?

[whalloper]

ok, I just pulled this out of my orchid photos so its by no means a close up. But, the thing furthest left is not a bulb, thats hollow inside and these are what the spikes came out of. There are 5 bulbs on this plant, but many are hidden by the "spike shafts".

[Brooke]

The "spike shafts" will continue to grow and will be the new pbulbs. If you are getting rot then you are probably getting water into the "shaft".

Brooke

[kmarch]

Demdrochilum magnum has a synanthous flowering habit. This means that the inflorescences emerge from the apex of the pseudobulb as the growth is maturing and usually as the leaves are unrolling around it. The leaves will be rolled up like a tube and you can often see the young spikes inside this tube once it gets open enough to look down inside. I agree with Brooke that somehow there is probably water that's getting down inside this tube and causing the rot.

[whalloper]

Yes, I could see some water down inside one that I pulled off. I dont think I was careful enough watering it. I think 2 will be ok. What are the chances it will bloom next year?

[Brooke]

Next years blooms come from this years new pbulbs. I do not know if the Dendro has secondary eyes like a cattleya but if it does you "might" get new growths from them.

Brooke