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Dendrobium w/black and yellow spots

Discussion in 'Issues, Disease and Pests' started by NKOrchid, Oct 15, 2016.

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  1. NKOrchid

    NKOrchid New Member

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    Hello,

    I have an issue with a Dendrobium NOID that I bought about one month ago. I've never owned a Dendrobium before, so I wanted to give it a go. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that it had some black and yellow spots on the leaves and in my opinion they have definitely spread during the time I've had it. It also has an odd "hole" in one of the canes and in between the canes there's some sort of webbing, but I don't know if that's just from usual spiders or if it's yet another thing that's wrong with this poor plant.

    I'd love it if you could tell me something about what's wrong with it and what to do about it. I've tried to Google to see what other people have posted and I've looked at tons of pictures, but I can't really find anything that looks the same as this.

    The spots are both yellow and black. The yellow spots are not very visible and they don't cover many of the leaves. The black ones however are kind of sunken into the leaf itself and they cover many of the leaves. Some only has one spot, others have more and one has a whole cluster of them. There are also some black spots on the canes and the webbing seems to be close to the potting media.

    I've uploaded a bunch of pictures that I hope will help determine what the issue(s) is with this plant. Thanks for reading!

    NKOrchid
     

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  2. KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    First, welcome to the Forum.

    I hope others will chime in about the spots because I don't know much about diseases. However, the first 2 photos that show the potting medium has me a bit concerned. In those photos it looks like the plant is in a terrestrial mix or some kind of medium that is too dense. It should be growing in a fast draining medium, such as bark chips, that allows air to get to the roots and water to drain fast. If the medium is as dense as it looks in the photos it will be the source of health issues and ultimately the death of the plant. That being said, the whole-plant photo shows a beautiful plant and the spike looks very nice, too.
     
  3. NKOrchid

    NKOrchid New Member

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    Thanks!

    Yes, I kind of figured about the potting medium. The thing is that when I bought it it was flowering. A few days ago I cut off the stem, but then noticed the new flower spike. I thought it best not to re-pot it while it's flowering/growing flower spikes. However, it could be that the medium is so dense it's best to re-pot it as fast as possible. I've had it for a month though and it seems to be doing fine. What do you think? Re-pot now or wait til it has flowered?

    Do you have any clue about the spots? I think the spots and possible webbing from spider mites are the biggest issue, so I'm kind of eager to fix it, so I wont have to see this plant die.

    Thanks for your advice!
     
  4. Dave The Scientist

    Dave The Scientist Active Member

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    Repot now. Don't wait. If it was just in old bark or moss that needed to be replaced, I'd probably say wait but if you wait on potting soil, you're likely to end up with a plant with absolutely no roots.
     
  5. NKOrchid

    NKOrchid New Member

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    I will definitely repot as soon as possible. I'm waiting for some medium sized bark to arrive. It should be here within the next 1 - 3 days. I'm gonna repot it in a mix of medium sized bark and a bit of leca. Does that sound ok?
    Thanks for your advce!
     
  6. Dave The Scientist

    Dave The Scientist Active Member

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    That sounds great. FYI dens do best in small pots relative to plants size. You could put it back in its present pot after cleaning out the soil for the mix you described.
     
  7. NKOrchid

    NKOrchid New Member

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    Okay, I'll do that. :) Thanks!
     
    acendana114 likes this.