Den leaf problem

[tyger_lilli]

I have a no-id den that I thought had been doing really well. The new cane has a whole lot of new, fat roots, but I just noticed that two of the leaves are drying out. Weirder still is that there are green spots on the dried out leaves. The newest leaf, which isn't entirely unfolded yet, looks fine. It's the two second youngest that have this problem. Is this natural or do I have some sort of infection?

~Laura

[katrina]

Hi Laura!!
I'm no expert on dens but I do know that some naturally lose their leaves. I have a couple that did it right after blooming in Jan/Feb. They lost their leaves and then about a month or so (after resting a bit) new shoots/growth started popping. I also have a couple that lost some of their leaves (naturally or not?) but are now putting out new shoots.

I'm sorry....I wish I could be more help. Not to worry though... I'm sure someone with more expertise will be along shortly.

Kat ~

[11Orchid126]

This is the time of year that dens do their best growing, and don't normally lose their leaves until the late fall or early winter. It looks a bit like sunburn to me. What kind of light are you giving the plant?

[kid a]

Another thing to watch for is ( I it could be but might not be) are there any little bugs on the underside of the leaves? I there aren't then you can rule that out.

[tyger_lilli]

I took the den out of the sun, but it's continuing to get worse. I haven't seen any clear signs of bugs, but there is this dark splotch on the cane. It feels firm and hasn't changed size since I noticed it a few weeks ago. Almost all the leaves are on that cane are yellow now. Is there anything I can do to save the rest of the plant?

~Laura

[brookn]

Hi it looks like it may have gotten too much sun on those leaves, new growth is more tender than old growth. The brown spot may be a bit of bacterial infection brought on by the sunburn. The yellow leaf above it, it looks like you could peel it, and it forms a kind of sheath on the cane? I would peel it down and see if the spot goes through underneath it to the cane, peel it carefully. Also you can pour some peroxide down into the roots, it may have gotten too much water. Dends like a lot of water, but like to dry out a bit before the next watering. I hope that makes sense. The cane itself looks fine. I am concerned that you might have mites, but some cinnamon spray once a week should take care of that. I would also cut the leaves that are yellow just below the yellow part (into the good part of the leaf) just to be on the safe side, and dust with cinnamon or spray with cinnamon spray. It's not even close to dying yet, just the sniffles . Good luck!

[fred]

just a thought another thing as that is a new cane it could also be to much water that has gone into the base of the leaves.

I would recommend a very light mist with a pressure water pump on young new growths