Don't mind the bandage, I cut the tip of my thumb off today making dinner. HAHAHA!

Dendrobium No. 2

Dendrobium No. 2 ( Looks like it has a very tiny new shoot starting..?)

Dendrobium No. 3

Dendrobium No. 3

I would probably just let them soak for a few minutes and then just wash of the dirt. I wouldn't say that all of them look bad. I think they're really old plants though- that's a guess but I wouldn't really cut off much or any of them. Also the last one looks almost dead.

Number 3 looks like a gonner, although you can never tell, you might get a keiki (baby plant). The other two look fine and should grow. Repot in some bark and soak well. Then do not water again until the bark is almost dry. Give them good light and warmth and they should recover.

Where do you live. Information about your location, growing conditions, light etc. are very important to get help.

Jane

Thanks for your time!
Jane I live in Western Wa State. These orchids have been near an East window for about 4 months. Prior to that they were in the North window by the kitchen sink. We keep the heat at 69. If its very cold we use the wood stove. That bumps it into high 70's. We also have a Dehumidifier keeping the house at around 40%. I provide water for humidity in other ways around the orchids though.

They need roots. I use maxi-crop. It is Norwegian seaweed juice that is a root stimulator. That would be a big help. It is usable on all and any plants. I use it on my orchids and my veggie garden.

A little more sun wouldn't hurt. Maybe a slightly shaded southwest or west window for a Dendrobium. Move it there slowly so it can acclimate if you do go with a much brighter window than it was in previously.

Good luck,

Bob

Bob,
I had been thinking about moving them to the Southeast corner area.... I did that this morning (after reading your comment) as it's a dreary dark typical Wa day and wouldn't be a brightness shock. Our house unfortunately has only 1 window on the west side of the house not available for plants...
Well I think all I have to do now is wait. Thanks! :)

Dendrobiums need good light and warmth. Unless you can greatly increase light, I doubt they will survive. You should put them outside in summer and only bring them in when the weather turns cold.

They like to grow on the dry side. Water, then don't water again until they are dry. But the only chance you have to get them to grow and flower is increasing the light.

A southeast window would be good. If your days are mostly grey, you could put a lamp with a CFL over them. A floor lamp works.

There are orchids which might do better in your growing conditions.

I was able to flower them when I lived in NY by using a floor lamp with CFL's during winter months then moving them outdoors in spring/summer.

Do not overwater! They like to grow fairly dry especially during the winter.

Good luck,
Jane

Hard to say without name tags, but they look like warm growing Hard Cane Dendrobiums. Easy in Florida, Hawaii, Tropical SE Asia and even here (in Summer) Need slightly more light than a Phalaenopsis.
I'll swap a few hours of today's steam bath for some WA coolness. The UV is 13 the Temp is 29C and the humidity is 50%. Yuk. Seriously, if you have Central heating perhaps some under lights culture is needed.

Researching lights now.... I assume those coiled up looking LED lights don't work the same way?

Bout some 2700K CFL bulbs for dendrobiums. Now I wait.

You could have bought the cheapest CFL's to get them through winter. Nothing fancy. Here's what I used for years:
{{gwi:144485}}

Jane, they were the cheap ones. I think 3$ for a pack of 4!! Yay!

Wow, better than I got. They'll do the trick.

Buy a cheap octopus lamp from Home Depot/Lowes and stick the bulbs in. That's what I did. Had a bunch of them and got my dends and Cattelyas to bloom in the grey/dark days of winter. I even got Plumerias to bloom indoors with those lamps.

Jane

Update!! So I threw out the third dendrobium but here is the new growth on the first two! I moved them to a southeast corner window and misted the top layer of bark twice a day.

Thanks Bill!

Hi Raptor I am also in Western Wa but fairly new to dendrobiums. I have mine in the south window with no obstructions and I put an octopus style floor lamp with CFLs on mine to supplement on grey days.

I don't have any mature canes since the original but I will follow Bills advice!

Good luck!