What causes Dendrobium to drop leaves? The latest analysis is here

Dendrobium is a perennial herbaceous plant of the orchid family, so many plant enthusiasts also call it Dendrobium orchid. No matter what it is called, its application value has always been so powerful, not only with strong medicinal value, but also with good health-preserving and wellness benefits. So, this is a plant that can both be used as medicine to treat illness and be taken orally for wellness. Since people have come to understand it more and more, its application value has also been brought into full play.

Although its application value seems very high, and its vitality is also relatively tenacious, its requirements for the growing environment are very strict, especially in a potted environment, where we cannot be careless at all. Even so, in actual cultivation, it is still found that some plant enthusiasts cannot grow it well, especially when it is prone to dropping leaves. What is going on here?

Potted Dendrobium can not only also be used as medicine or for wellness, but it also has good ornamental value. Especially when it blooms, potted Dendrobium is even more exquisitely beautiful. But when it drops leaves, apart from some varieties during the winter dormancy season, abnormal leaf drop at other times necessarily means the plant has a problem in its growth. The reasons are mainly the following aspects:

1. Leaf drop due to drought

Dendrobium relatively prefers a humid growing environment. Although it is also relatively drought-tolerant, it prefers moisture even more, and this includes both humidity in the pot and air humidity. Therefore, in order to avoid root rot caused by watering, and also to create a humid air environment for it, watering should usually combine watering with misting.

If the environment is too dry and causes it to suffer drought, over time it will continuously drop leaves. Therefore, except when water needs to be controlled during autumn and winter when temperatures are lower, there is no need to frequently control water in other seasons, otherwise it will suffer drought. At that time, it will not only drop a large number of leaves, but also produce quite a few yellow leaves.

2. Leaf drop due to root rot

The root system of Dendrobium is mostly fleshy roots, which are drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. So when we water excessively and cause water to accumulate in the pot, it tends to rot its roots relatively easily. When the plant suffers root rot, it will also show a large amount of leaf drop and yellow leaves. In severe cases, even its stems may become yellow, withered, and dried up.

When Dendrobium suffers root rot, it should be taken out of the pot and have its roots trimmed as soon as possible, and after disinfection and air-drying the roots, it should be replanted. At the same time, the withered and yellow branches and leaves produced by the plant also need to be cut off to avoid wasting nutrients in vain, and this can also reduce the burden on the roots, which is very important for the plant to re-establish itself after repotting.

3. Normal leaf drop

Dendrobium often drops leaves. Besides the factor of possibly improper care, it may also be a manifestation of the plant's normal metabolism. Because Dendrobium is not cold-tolerant, when temperatures are lower in autumn and winter, especially when the care environment is below 15°c for a long time in winter, the plant will go dormant, thereby dropping a large number of leaves.

Not only that, the leaves on the middle and lower parts of some old branches of the plant will also gradually turn yellow and fall off. This is usually a normal phenomenon, determined by its growth habits. Generally, if we keep the care environment above 15°c, situations such as yellow leaves and leaf drop in Dendrobium can be alleviated. And after temperatures warm up again next spring, it will return to normal growth and send out new branches and leaves again.