Question
QUESTION: My first orchid was given to me by my grandmother who has since passed away.  I am unsure of the genus and species.  It is a small orchid with dendrobium type leaves 6 inches long and gets single orange flowers with yellowish centers that stay very close to the leaves (not on a long stem), never has multiple blooms.  My mother almost killed it over the summer with pesticides and it was outside recovering getting misted everyday by an automated misting system.  It has 4 new leaf shoots but all the old leaves are dying/dead.  I don't think the root system is very strong on this plant right now.  I have it under 2 - 55 watt power compact flourescents 12 hrs a day and I have been watering every 5 days but I'm afraid it still might be drying out too much because the new growth tips are getting brown edges on them I just put a small fountain near all my orchids to raise humidity.  Just want to know if there is anything I'm missing that could help me save this orchid.  I know if these new shoots don't make it it's a gonner.  Oh, it is planted in orchid bark.  All other orchids in the small space are doing very well with new growth among all of them and one is about to flower.

ANSWER: Hello John,

I hope I am able to help you revive your grandmother's orchid plant.  It has been through quite a bit of trauma already, hopefully it is not beyond saving.  

With the condition it is in, it probably would be a good idea to repot it into fresh orchid mix and while doing this you can check the health of the roots.  Before starting, get the orchid mix and maybe a new pot the same size as the one it is in now.  Once you are ready, unpot it and remove as much of the old mix from the roots (it helps to wet the root ball while doing this).  Hopefully most of the roots are alive and well but if there are any soft mushy ones remove them.  Place a little orchid mix in the pot then lower the roots into it, try to keep it centered in the pot.  Put some mix around the roots then position the bottom of the growths just below the pot rim and continue filling the pot with mix.  Once full, gently compress the mix to secure the roots and add more as needed to fill the pot.  

Brown edeges on the newer leaves?  Is it along the edge or is it more on the leaf tips?  If only on the leaf tips that could be an indication that there may be an excess of salt within the pot.  Salt can be from the water or from feeding too much fertilizer or both.  

If it is a dendrobium orchid, it could be one of the evergreen or deciduous types.  Knowing what type it is becomes important regarding watering during the year.  Evergreen types should never become totally dry but kept slightly moist through winter.  Deciduous types should be kept on the dry side through winter with an occasional light watering if the growths begin to shrivel.  If the flowers grew on a stem growing from near the top of the growths it probably is an evergreen type but if the flowers grew on short stems along the side of the growths it probably is deciduous.  

Dendrobiums do not require lots of fertilizer so go easy on them.  Use about 1/4 the amount suggested on the fertilizer container.  

Lastly, it is best to do any watering or misting in the mornings.  

Hope this helps save it.  Good luck.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


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QUESTION: Here's some pictures if it helps any... I'm afraid to re-pot it because of the stress, but I'm also unsure of whether or not there are any good roots on it at all.

<img src="http://members.cox.net/johnsaquatics/orchid1.jpg">
<img src="http://members.cox.net/johnsaquatics/orchid2.jpg">
<img src="http://members.cox.net/johnsaquatics/orchid3.jpg">

ANSWER: Hi again John,

Thanks for the photos, they really helped!  From the photos, my guess is that it is either a cattleya or laelia orchid rather than a dendrobium.  

From the looks of the pseudobulbs in the photos, it is really stressed out.  One possible cause for the stress is that there are not many live pseudobulbs left and probably not many live roots either.  I would suggest removing it from the pot, remove the dead brown growths and any rotten roots then repot it into a smaller pot (one that will barely hold the remaining live roots).  It also appears that there are several new growths started, they should start to grow roots once they are over 2 inches tall.  Look for a small green nub to appear near the base of the growths, as they grow longer the root will be a grey to greyish white color.  The green tip indicates that it is in a growth cycle, when it stops growing the tip will become the same color as the root.  By the way, the mix in the photos looks like a pretty good one for catts, I suggest using more of the same to repot with.  

If there are no live roots left after removing the dead rotten ones, you can try placing a little moistened mix in a ziploc bag along with what is left of the plant then close it and put it in a warm shady place.  Open the bag once a week to check for new root growth and once the new roots are over 2 inches long you can put it in a small pot until it outgrows it.  

By the way, cattleyas and laelias potting mixes should be allowed to become almost dry between waterings.  Temperature range between 60F to 85F but allowed to drop down to 55F in early fall to initiate the bloom cycle (yours is probably several years from blooming).  A little air movement definitely helps along with 50% humidity.  While in active growth (remember the green root tips?), feed it lightly with some orchid fertilizer.  

Hope this helps save it.  Good luck.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.


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QUESTION: So I went to re-pot the plant and there were no living roots.  I placed the one stem with green growth on it in a plastic bag with a little bit of moist potting soil.  Should I place the ziplock in zero light or just less light.  Also, does the stem of the plant need to be surrounded by the soil or just laying next to/on the potting soil?  Thanks again for your help... This plant used to be so big and beautiful I just hope one day it will be again, now it is just one tiny little stalk I had to scrap 80% of the plant that was just dried out and dead.

Answer
Hi John,

Sorry to hear it was worse than feared.  Just lay it in the bag with the moist soil then close it.  Keep it where it will be warm with some bright shade.  Hopefully, it will slowly start to grow some new roots on the new pseudobulb growths.  Do not be too concerned if the one remaining stem begins to slowly shrivel, what is happening is the new growths are using what little nutrients it has to keep them alive and growing.  Once they have roots over 2 inches long you can put it into a small pot with some orchid potting media, leave the old stem on until the growths are well established and growing.  

I hope this helps save your grandmothers orchid.  Just be patient as it probably will be at least 3 to 4 years and possibly 5 years before it will be large enough to produce blooms.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.