Ha, Ha! No shooting from me, but I was pretty sure that my dh's favorite orchid was a 'goner.'

To answer your questions about its medium... it's the same one that came with he plant a few years ago, a mixture of bark and some kind fine moss. My dh is watching the football playoffs, and so I took down the plant and pulled it out of its pot. Pretty easy. The poor thing has no roots. Don't know how those tiny green leaves managed to sprout.

Any suggestions on growing dendrobium crosses? I'll continue to do some research. Thanks,

Movie

Your best source of information would be from a successful grower that has similar climate. My whole collection would die with my culture in CT. Join a local orchid society. They are all affiliated with The American Orchid Society. Google them to find a local orchid group. By far the best way to improve your plants.

There is a big group of orchids that could be rated as difficult, these are those that come from Tropical Mist Forests at various altitudes. Your Dendrobium belongs in that group.

Perhaps look for cultivation notes written for orchid growers in the USA.

I searched the Database of orchids exhibited at a local orchid society and found 2 Den. lawseii out of about 23,000 records going back about 16 years.

If you are serious about growing orchids, you need to learn about them. Your plants will not survive under your conditions. They might linger for a while, but you will not have healthy plants. Forget flowers.

Please Google those plants and learn the conditions they require. They are over-watered, poor air flow and heaven knows what else.

I do not want to be harsh, but you or your dh need to learn about these plants to really enjoy the beauty they can give and how to keep them alive and flower.

Join an Orchid Society Group in your area. It is fun, you meet people living with your growing conditions. It's cheap, maybe $20.00 bucks a year. In return, you learn about your plants, you make friends, you get free plants and learn how to grow beautiful orchids.

They are easy to grow if you know what they require. What you are doing is not going to do it.

Jane

Thanks, all, for your comments and especially about joining an orchid society here in CT.

As we think about where we purchased the Den. lawseii and the conditions in their greenhouse, that plant was grown in a greenhouse with constant misting... so much so that the air inside was damp.... which certainly confirms your comments, anthurm2015.

Molie,

I can't tell enough about your growing conditions inside to comment, but I think the plant is salvageable. I see a little shoot of green in the 1st picture. If it were me, I would un-pot, remove anything dead and then use a much smaller pot when repotting. Dends generally like fairly bright light, free draining media and a tight pot. Be sure to get it outside late spring.

Good luck,

Bob

Not sure where you live in Connecticut but here's a few links thanks to Google. Please consider it. You'll make good friends, enjoy the speakers and get plants at a discount or free. Its always a fun evening and you learn so much. You also meet people in your neighborhood who suffer from the same addiction.

Another plus, you can get your supplies at a great discount. There are vendors who sell their wares at the Club meetings.

You don't need to be a member to attend a meeting. You can go and see what you think before joining. Guests are always welcome at all Orchid Society meetings anywhere in the US.

BTW, my daughter lives in Ct.

Nutmec State Orchid Society

Connecticut Orchid Society

Jane

Den lawessi has a beautiful bloom and I've tried at least twice to grow it without any luck. Arthur's comment regarding the plant being displayed only twice in 16 years makes me feel a bit better about my failure. Your other plants look like they are doing really well. I believe one of the most important things we finally learn about growing orchids is to choose the plants that can/will flourish under our individual growing conditions. The research comes best thru a local OS. Are you tiring about being advised to join an OS? LOL. This forum is great, but there are restrictions to how much help we can offer you.

Good luck with this plant. If you can turn it around and bloom it, we'll all be applauding you!

Not many mist forests in Texas! The other desirable Dendrobium that mostly dies in cultivation is Den. cuthbertsonii. Again a mist forest orchid.

Of course, if a vendor has one for sale, said vendor will tell you it is easy.

Bob, when I took the plant out there wasn't much root growth and so I dumped it. We've actually had that plant for about 3 years and it's never flourished. It had been out on the covered deck for several warm seasons and always produced just a few green leaves here and there... which reinforces the fact that we do have to learn more about growing orchids.

Jane, I appreciate the links to the two CT orchid societies. The one in Cheshire is closest to us here along the shoreline.

Thanks, Shelia and no, I'm not tired of hearing folks tell us to join an orchid society! Also... obviously... after what I told Bob about the Den., there'll be no applause for me. You are correct about finding plants that will grow under (our) unique conditions. While that room gets a great deal of light from the skylights and high window, it does have a gas fireplace at one end... but also a ceiling flan that constantly rotates air around the room. Because it's kind of dry in there, we run a humidifier in the winter months. About 6 orchids are blooming or ready, including one keiki that we potted last year. The one thing I really dislike is the fact most orchids are above eye level.