Question
QUESTION:  Hi Jim, this is a question related to a DENDROBIUM ORCHID (NOT VERY BIG)which has had its leaves turn brown, then dry out and now, fall off. The plant had a flower spike which did not bloom (open) and shortly after, all its leaves died. I don't think that i over watered or made any cardinal mistakes but it is my first dendrobium ( i am not sure of the species) and i would like to save it. The cane is still green and appears to be healthy but what about the leaves????

I have re-potted it (into a small pot) and am waiting to see what takes place. Any advice would be appreciated.        
sincerely, jeremy pytel.
ANSWER: Hi Jeremy,

To begin, there are basically two types of dendrobiums, evergreen and deciduous.  Evergreen types usually produce spikes from the top or near the top of the growths while deciduous types produce flowers on short stems along leafless growths.  Since you said it had a spike, it sounds like yours is an evergreen type.  

Evergreen types prefer temperatures between 50 to 85 F, humidity above 50%, light air movement around them and do not like to have their roots go completely dry between waterings.  Deciduous types like about the same conditions but need to be kept on the dry side in winter.  

If the flower buds never opened and the leaves all died shortly after the spike aborted, something happened a week or two before this all happened.  Was it exposed to sudden cold or hot temperatures of more than 15F?  If it was, it might have been the shock from the sudden change that caused this.  Another possibility is if you have it placed in front of or near a heater vent or radiator and the continual cycling of the heater confused it and therefore it aborted the spike.  

Although the cane appears to be healthy, be on the look out for any shriveling of the cane.  If it starts to shrivel, that could indicate a problem with the roots.  

Hope this has helped.  If you have other questions or would like more information about the above, write back and I'll try to answer them.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.

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

QUESTION: Hi Jim, thanks for your prompt answer.
Just one more thing; if the cane continues to live, will the leaves grow back/new ones appear or something along these lines?
sincerely/jp

ps; yes, it did live near a radiator on the window sill for a period of time. I take it that this is not a good option for any orchid.  

Answer
Hi Jeremy,

I'm afraid there will not be new leaves growing on the now leafless cane unless they grow from the top as the cane grows taller, if it does grow.  As long as there is no apparent problem with the cane, leave it alone for now.  Dendrobiums use the canes to store extra water and nutrients.  The more likely scenario would be a new cane growth appearing from near the base of this one.  The new cane should grow to be as large or larger than the old cane, that will tell you it is growing happily.  But, if the new cane is shorter that could indicate a problem with either the roots, light exposure, temperature, humidity and watering.  

Dendrobiums do not require a lot of fertilizer in order to grow, so only use 1/4 the amount recommended on the fertilizer container.  Feed it too much fertilizer and it may produce keikis (baby in Hawaiian) rather than blooms.  Having a keikis or two is no problem, in fact, once a keiki has roots over 2 inches long you can remove it and put it in a pot of its own.  This is a cheap way to increase the number of orchids you have.  (grin)  

While most orchids enjoy living under temperatures we humans do, it is best to not place them too close to the heat source.  Speaking of heat, in early fall try to expose it to temperatures near 55 F for several weeks, that should initiate the bloom cycle and a spike will appear in a month or so.  

Hope this helped.  Good luck.

Jim