new Den owner

[trisha_olen]

Hi! I'm looking for some guidance on how to care for my newly acquired Dendrobiums. I purchased two Dens last week and don't really know how to care for them. I have about a dozen Phals and thought it was time to try something new- and the price was right The label on one says "DEN BOM JO" and the other says "D. Big Pink". They look like they are growing into a chunk of wood and I'm not sure if I should re-pot them or not. They both look perfectly healthy (but that is from my inexperienced pov) and the DEN BOM JO still has flowers, while the Big Pink does not. Any suggestions are welcomed!
1. Both plants
2 & 3. D. Big Pink
4. Den Bom Jo

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hi Trisha,

Looks like your dendrobium orchids are still growing in the grower's plug. It is time to repot. The material around the roots is breaking down and will eventually cause your orchids roots to rot.

Dendrobiums will need much more light than your phals. They have p-bulbs so they store water and will need to completely dry out between watering - unlike your phals that like to be a tiny bit damp all the time.

If you need advice on repotting, I have a video here in the forum that takes a dendrobium keiki and pots it up in an orchid bark mix. You can find it also on the RVO Orchid Care Pages.

Cheers,
BD

[Cjcorner]

That plug stuff is left behind quite often. It is what often causes a perfectly healthy looking plant to suddenly rot...that stuff sits down there and acts like a little time bomb. I find it mostly with dendrobiums.

[trisha_olen]

Thanks for the input, Bruce and Connie! I'm having a hard time finding the video though. Do you think you could add a link for me Bruce?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Sure. Here is a link to the dendrobium care page: RVO Dendrobium Orchid Care

Here is the video about repotting a dendrobium keiki:



See other orchid videos on OrchidTalk's Youtube Channel

Cheers,
BD

[trisha_olen]

Thanks Bruce! That was very helpful. I suppose the only question I have left would be- What's the best way to remove the plug from the roots without harming them?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Thanks Bruce! That was very helpful. I suppose the only question I have left would be- What's the best way to remove the plug from the roots without harming them?

Soak it for a good ten minutes in a bowl of water. Then take some sissors or a box cutter and cut away the plug. The roots should be flexible enough to keep them from being too damaged if you are careful. Just make sure to give the roots a good long soak to get them flexible and then gently remove the old plug. Good luck to you!!

Cheers,
BD

[trisha_olen]

Thanks again! This'll be my project for tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes and put up a pic or two when I'm finished.

[trisha_olen]

WOW!! Well that job is done but holy cow! What a pain! Why on earth do they come like that? It was a painstaking process and I'm sure I broke/damaged a fair amount of the healthy roots just trying to remove everything. Does anyone know what kind of wood they use for the plug? Well hopefully they will like the repotting and continue to do well. I repotted into an all purpose mix (med fir bark, charcoal, stalite and sponge rock) with added coconut husk chips.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Sounds like your dendrobium orchids will be much happier now.

Cheers,
BD