Question
QUESTION: Wayne,

This is Theo again=) It seems like dendrobiums are much more difficult to maintain than phals. You mentioned that it was a good idea to "summer it out", do you mean by leaving it outside, exposing it to full sun during the summer time? Should I bring it indoors at night? I'll do whatever I can to lengthen the growth period. I think it started in late March.

Now that I know what to do with the den, how can I bring my recovering phal that I mentioned before back to health? It hasn't flowered in 2 years, but has recently developed a new offshoot or "keiki(?)"(2" long growing out of the leaves of mother plany). I took it out of the pot along with all the peat moss and discovered that ALL ITS ROOTS HAVE ROTTED and that it only has ONE BROWNISH-YELLOW root left dangling from the blackened base. But it does have a tiny new green root coming out of another older offshoot growing out of the mother plant that stopped growing. The leaves themselves seem healthy, especially the new growth, but I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S STILL ALIVE WITHOUT ROOTS!!

I took out the extra peat moss that seemed too clumpy and now the root(s) have air and are well supported too. I don't expect it to flower for at least another year, how can I help it get new roots and speed up the growth?

-Theo

ANSWER: Theo, first to the dendrobium.  When you move it outside, increase exposure to light gradually.  First, place it in a semishaded location where it gets mostly morning sunlight.  After a couple of weeks, place it where it will obtain a couple of hours more of direct sunlight. You can continue this process of gradually increasing the amount of direct sunlight to the dendrobium as long as you see no leaf burn starting. Ideally, After a couple of months the canes should take on a reddish tinge which is optimum light. Moving any orchid outside is always tricky. I leave mine out as long as the temperature is above 50 degrees F.  That is the temperature at which photosynthesis comes to a halt.  In the spring and fall this means the plant may be outside a few days and then need to be brought in during a cold spell. While the plant is in growth, feed it heavily with a balanced fertilizer every watering. As the growth matures, first suspend the feeding and a few weeks later hold off on the watering.  While the plant should be tightly potted in its pot, it should be potted in a mix that allows free drainage.  Avoid tightly compacted moss as a potting mix.  I prefer to grow my dendrobiums in a clay pot because it is porous and permits air movement through the pot walls and provides a heavier base to support top heavy canes.

With regard to the phalaenopsis, I would anchor a couple of twisty ties to the base of the plant and extend them down into the pot.  These serve as anchoring points until the plant develops more roots.  This can best be done by repotting the plant in fresh, wet fir-bark based orchid potting mix. Once you have stabilized the plant in its fresh potting mix and a well drained plastic pot, continue to grow it as you have and the roots will slowly come back.  Water once per week. After a month, you can begin feeding the plant with every watering (1/4 tsp per gallon of water).  Phals can tolerate root loss for short periods of time, but, if unsuccessful in generating new roots, after a few weeks, the plant will go into decline.  You have some positive signs for new root growth so have reason for optimism.  

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QUESTION: Hi Wayne,

Welcome back from your vacation! I wanted to ask you some questions about my dendrobium and phalaenopsis. First with the phals.

I ended up purchasing another small phal at Lowes that had blooms for my office. It's roots are in great condition and leaves are stiff. However, read somewhere that orchids don't do well in a office environment, and sure enough after spending a weekend there the plant was wilting. The blooms and leaves were droopy while the bud yellowed. I revived by submerging it in water for a few minutes and did this every 5 days and placing it on an east facing window at home. It seems healthy now (roots, blooms, and leaves) but the bud has fallen off. I'm afraid the shock of the plant's change of environment and one-time wilting will prevent a new spike from developing after these blooms fade. What can I do to ensure spike development?

The from our last conversation (a month ago) I mentioned my other phal that lost all it's roots and had a smaller plant growing from the crown.  The older, larger leaves all turned yellow and only one is left. The one root it originally had rotted away, along with the bottom blackish stock, so I cut it off. I re-potted the plant into a smaller clay pot w/fir-bark and the smaller plant within what is left of the crown is growing steadily with stiff healthy new green leaves and a few tiny roots which can be seen more and more from inside the crown slowly breaking out. I read that the left over, older yellowing leaves are good actually beneficial since they store nutrients. It seems to be the case here. I've been watering it at least twice a week without fertilizing. I have some organic orchid non-urea fertilizer. When can I use it?

Now for the dendrobium. I have an evergreen type that gets flower spikes from the top of the cane. I followed your directions for taking it outside to receive gradually more direct sunlight. It's growing well, but at one point the leaves turned light green and I felt it was getting too much sun so I brought it back inside. It's on a western window sill getting only late afternoon sun and indirect morning sun reflected off the white apartment bldg across the street. The new cane is now more than half the size of the older cane. Leaves are stiff with more new leaves coming out and what seems to be a very tiny pointed plant growth coming from the new cane's base. I'm wondering how much longer the growing period will last since the new cane isn't that big yet.

I look forward to hearing from you.

-Theo

ANSWER: Theo, with regard to the dendrobium, it sounds like you are doing a good job.  Light grreen leaves suggest that the plant is getting sufficient sun, boosting the chances that you will get flowering next year. My main concern about dendrobiums is that we are sensitive to its growth vs rest periods. When the plant starts growing after a rest and limited watering, it is naturally entering the growth period and can be watered and fed heavily. When the days begin to get shorter and cooler, gradually cut back on the watering until it is nearly eliminated.  That establishes the rest period. If this is not done, the plant will continue to send out new growth and will not have the rest needed for flowering.  This is tricky to time it right. I would force the rest period beginning in September.

With regard to the phals, best flowering comes from large, healthy plants so concentrate on growing the plant well. Flowering a plant when it has still not regained its full strength, could take valuable energy for future growth.  The better you grow the plant now, the more it will reward you when it does flower. You can use the fertilizer with every watering-- just keep it dilute. I have not heard of the idea that older, yellowing leaves provide nutrients for new growth. This may be a take off from the concept that deciduous leaves, when they fall and break down, provide nutrients but the idea that a dead or dying leaf can provide nutrients before it has been broken down is a new idea.  It may be that the new, little plant, got its start while the supporting leaves were somewhat green and is now photosynthesizing on its own creating energy for its own root and leaf growth.  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Wayne,

So some bad news: my Phalaenopsis with the small developing plant has begun to rot. I saw some white fungus in the crown yesterday and the leaves became slightly transparent. Some water may have been trapped in the crown of the larger plant where the smaller plant was growing. Today the leaves seem better, but there are literally no roots left. I think it's the end of it.

I'm a little confused about the Dendrobium. Although I'm happy it's doing well and continuously growing, I read in many Dendrobium care articles that they can bloom once or twice a year. I have the evergreen type and it was previously in it's rest period, now currently in it's growth period and I was hoping that it would send up a spike by September as it did last year when I purchased it in bloom around that time. Are you saying that it won't flower this year? ..Tricky little plants.

Answer
Theo, with regard to the phalaenopsis, place the plant in its pot into a plastic bag or other sealed container. Place in the bottom of the container, a bit of wet, long fibered aphagnum moss.  Seal the bag to retain the humidity.  Do not water.  It sounds as if you are a nuturing person and, like many orchid growers before you, you are loving your plant to death.  Let's see if growing the plant dry, but in a humid atmosphere, will generate some badly needed roots. Place the bag with its plant in a fairly low light area.  Try to forget about it.  While this approah is not foolproof, it can work in a pinch.  Be prepared to wait it out for several months to see if any new growth starts.  Try to avoid opening the bag as this will allow humidity to escape.

With regard to the dendrobium, some dendrobiums may bloom twice a year but that depends upon the type of dendrobium and the conditions.  If a dendrobium has the potential to bloom twice a year, that potential requires conditions few in the continental U.S. can provide.  Hawaiian growers can fully exploit the plant's potential, but most other growers do well to have a plant flower once a year.  Since we don't know where your plant was flowered prior to your receiving it, we can't be certain that you are providing the same conditions. Growing conditions greatly affect a plant's flowering.  Keep your plant warm with lots of light and the goal is to grow the plant, in its current growth paeriod, to the height of its previous cane or (better yet) higher. Each dendrobium, depending upon its parentage may bloom right after finishing its growth cycle or, like one that just finished blooming for me, may bloom at the end of its rest period. Since your dendrobium was in flower in September, the odds are, that it will bloom in September or October again.