Why Your Chain Orchid Won't Flower — and What Brown Leaf Tips Mean

Chain orchids – formerly Dendrochilum, now Coelogyne – are generally easy to keep alive. The two questions growers ask most are why a healthy-looking plant won’t flower, and why its leaf tips are turning brown. Both usually have simple causes.

How chain orchids flower

In most of the former Dendrochilum, the flower spike develops with the new growth: as a new shoot unfurls, the spike emerges from it. That means flowering depends almost entirely on how well the plant grows each season. A plant that makes strong new growths flowers; one that makes weak growths, or none, doesn’t.

Why a chain orchid won’t flower

Not enough light

The most common cause. Chain orchids kept in deep shade grow dark green, soft leaves and few or no spikes. Move the plant to bright filtered light, gradually over a couple of weeks. Leaves should be light to mid-green.

Weak new growths

If new growths are smaller than the previous year’s, the plant is going backwards. Look at the roots, the medium and the water: a broken-down mix, root loss or a long dry period will all produce weak growths that don’t flower.

Over-division

Chain orchids flower from established clumps. Dividing a plant into single pseudobulbs, or very small pieces, often costs several years of flowering while it rebuilds. Divide only when necessary, and into clumps of several pseudobulbs.

Damage to emerging growths

Because the spike forms with the new growth, a broken or rotted new shoot often means a lost spike. Take care when repotting in spring, and avoid leaving water sitting in the centre of new growths overnight.

Immaturity

A small plant may simply not be big enough yet. Grow it on well and it will flower as it builds up.

For a broader look at this problem across orchids, see why some orchids grow well but never flower.

What brown leaf tips mean

Natural ageing

In some species, notably Coelogyne wenzelii, older leaves commonly develop brown tips with age. If only the oldest leaves are affected and the plant is otherwise growing well, this is normal.

Salt build-up

Hard tap water and over-feeding leave salts in the medium, which concentrate at leaf tips. Typically the browning is sharp-edged and appears on newer leaves too. Switch to rainwater where possible, feed more weakly and flush the pot with plain water monthly.

Dry air

Fine, grassy leaves lose water quickly. In dry air, especially indoors or in hot, windy weather, tips dry and brown. Raise humidity and keep air moving rather than still; an analog hygrometer near the plants shows how dry it really gets.

Root problems

If browning spreads down the leaves and new growths are weak, check the roots. Rotted roots can’t supply the leaves, and the tips are the first place it shows.

Tidying brown tips

Brown tips won’t recover, but you can trim them with clean, sharp orchid snips, cutting just into the brown so you don’t open fresh tissue. See pruning and cutting orchids for tool hygiene.

For full culture, see the Coelogyne & Dendrochilum Orchid Care Guide. You can also browse our current Coelogyne and chain orchids.