What to do with dendrobium pseudobulbs, when they shrivel and their leaves fall ?
Daria IVASHKO
This question cannot be answered unequivocally.. There are many species among dendrobiums, requiring a moderately cold dormant period for setting buds. In nature, such orchids, before flowering, completely shed their foliage and even partially shrink pseudobulbs. With room content, it is impossible to copy natural conditions, and more often only partial exposure of shoots occurs. So it is more correct to call these pseudobulbs not old, but mature, and, cutting them off, bloom you will not wait.
EVERY pseudobulb of dendrobium viable from 2 to 5 years old (it happens, more). It is a reservoir for the accumulation of water and nutrients. By removing them, we deprive the plant of nutrition. Due to reserves, young growths are also formed.
WHEN IT IS BETTER NOT TO HURRY
Blossom on fully or partially bare shoots: dendrobium noble (Dendrobium nobile), D. Loddigesa (D. loddigesii), D. only (D. only), D. Paris (D parishii), D. leafless (D. aphyllum) other.
But D. two-humped (D. bi-dibbum, syn. D. phalaenopsis) - orchid of warm content and blooms on leafy pseudobulbs several times. However, with a gross violation of agricultural technology, its shoots are also able to become bare and wrinkle.. In this case, take your time to cut the faded, check the plant for root rot.
WHEN TO REMOVE PSEUDOBULBS
In nature, the orchid itself regulates the number of pseudobulbs.. Shoots that have outlived their life give up nutrients to new ones and gradually dry out. But in indoor conditions there are cases, when you really need to delete them. The pseudobulb has rotted. Cut the whole or damaged part to healthy tissue. The wounds are smeared with brilliant green and sprinkled with activated carbon. Correct agricultural techniques. Pseudobulba has outlived its term. Can, sure, wait, so that she herself disappeared. But usually it spoils the appearance of the plant., therefore remove it for aesthetic reasons.
Growth.
Some hybrid forms of dendrobiums form many thin and weak pseudobulbs, unable to provide quality flowering. for example, this is observed in Dendrobium Stardust, which is often sold in stores as a single flowering shoot. (In nature, a plant with one pseudo-bulb never blooms., it's unnatural). With subsequent development, the orchid forms new frail shoots with a bunch of children along the entire length and single flowers. The number of such pseudobulbs needs to be regulated, cutting out the weak and in time removing children on the strong. Until, until only large and strong shoots remain.
OLD overgrown dendrobium specimens are not recommended to thin out, it is better to separate and plant the de-lenki in different pots.
© Author: Tatiana SOLOVEY, chairman of the Croton club, teacher of the course "Phytodesign and agricultural technology of indoor plants", r. Novosibirsk Author's photo
