HI all. I just bought a book called "The Orchid Specialist" by David
Squire. In it, he says that Den's should be dormant in Winter and water
when growth begins in spring. Won't holding off water for an entire
season kill the roots in a small potted plant? And yet he says to make
sure it has good light for the winter. To me, it doesn't make much
sense. Now, on the internet, I checked the culture given for Den's and
it says to do the opposite. Water weakly, weekly with a non invasive
odor of fish emulsion during the cold season and in the spring, start
feeding a high potash feed to ripen the canes. Who is right?

Dendrobiums are a huge group of plants from many diverse environments. SOME
do require months of little to no water. Others require cold periods and
dry periods for months at a time and others do not. A few want warm moist
and shady all year long. Most require rather bright light. The answer for
your particular plant depends on what kind of dendrobium it is. Does it
have a tag with a name on it?

Even once we know what it is you are growing we will continue to offer
contradictory culture advice based mostly on our own experiences which
seldom line up with anyone else's.




"Tony" <T009 [at] nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:i_R6f.23446$H3.7131 [at] twister.nyc.rr.com...
> HI all. I just bought a book called "The Orchid Specialist" by David
> Squire. In it, he says that Den's should be dormant in Winter and water
> when growth begins in spring. Won't holding off water for an entire season
> kill the roots in a small potted plant? And yet he says to make sure it
> has good light for the winter. To me, it doesn't make much sense. Now, on
> the internet, I checked the culture given for Den's and it says to do the
> opposite. Water weakly, weekly with a non invasive odor of fish emulsion
> during the cold season and in the spring, start feeding a high potash feed
> to ripen the canes. Who is right?

I bought this Den in Loews and on the tag it says Dendrobium
hybirda...thats all. Its showing roots near the top of the cane,
exposed of course, about an inch or so long. I just mist those roots,
for fear of them drying out and rot. i also water weekly.

I am making a lot of assumptions with no real information.

You probably have a type of Dendrob I call "Phalaenopsis type" because the
flowers look a bit like Phal flowers. These are pretty common and litter
the isles of stores like Lowes.

I think misting the roots at all is more likely to kill them from rot,
especially if you are also watering weekly. They like small pots. You
might not want to withhold all water during the winter, but when the plant
has matured a new pseudobulb it will seem to stop growing; it will rest.
During darker winter months in NY, when the light is very low, you will not
need to water very often. Every week may even be too much, but YMMV
depending on lots of other variables in your growing environment, light
levels, air movement, humidity, etc. The roots are very hardy to dry
conditions while it is resting. The pseudobulb is a water storage unit, so
just water enough to keep it from really shriveling up a lot. A little is
okay. Don't fertilize it if it is resting i.e. not actively growing. At
least fertilize it much less than when it is actively growing. Begin
fertilizing and watering regularly when it breaks dormancy and begins new
growth. (It may be in active growth now, I don't know. It doesn't
necessarily know it is in New York in the winter, you know?)

Describe the media it is planted in. The pot size, the number of
pseudobulbs and leaves, etc. Are there any older canes without leaves.
What does the newest cane look like? Is it still growing actively?
Describe your growing area. South window? North window? Artificial
lights? Any fans? On top of the TV near a 60 watt lamp? Any other orchids
or houseplants that you can grow well?

FWIW, survey says: the number one reason this plant will die is from over
watering it. It's roots will rot off.

The number one reason it will grow but fail to bloom is insufficient light.

Everybody else, jump in anytime...



<T009 [at] aol.com> wrote in message
news:1130196223.033207.157710 [at] f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I bought this Den in Loews and on the tag it says Dendrobium
> hybirda...thats all. Its showing roots near the top of the cane,
> exposed of course, about an inch or so long. I just mist those roots,
> for fear of them drying out and rot. i also water weekly.
>

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:28:11 -0400, "Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote:

>I am making a lot of assumptions with no real information.

>
>FWIW, survey says: the number one reason this plant will die is from over
>watering it. It's roots will rot off.
>
>The number one reason it will grow but fail to bloom is insufficient light.
>
>Everybody else, jump in anytime...
>

But Al, your making the same assumptions we would. And you are
doing it so well.

The Den. is most likely of the Phal type. Did the flowers look
like any of these?
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/v/Dendrobium+Alliance/Den drobium/?g2_page=3
Dendrobium phalaenopsis compactum is the second in the top row.

Depending on how much pot you have and how big the plant is - It
may not need water for 6-10 weeks. Or it could in your
conditions of dry house air and maybe a little heat near the
plants need water in 3. I would water very lightly unless you
see fresh growth. IF the last cane is much shorter than the
others and appears to still be growing - don't quit watering yet.
As AL said - the plant may not know it is in NY.

If the roots are at the top of the cane instead of near the pot
you should see a cane above the roots. This type of aerial
growth is a keiki (Hawaiian for baby) it is a secondary way many
orchids have of prorogation. It is not good for a Den to create
lots of keikis.

SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

It was my first purchase. No, none of the pictures were like my Den
when it was in bloom. If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida. Its in a clear, 4"
inch pot, with a kitchen northeast exposure. I don't know what a
pseudobulb looks like, all it has is a cane..only one.. Like I said
the roots are at the top node of this 8" inch cane, with some leaves
protruding on the other side, possibley from those roots. They are
close together. I would gladly submit a image if one can tell me how
this forum would accept it? I read that they like cool atmosphere, so
that is my kitchen..other than when cooking.

T009 [at] aol.com wrote:
> It was my first purchase. No, none of the pictures were like my Den
> when it was in bloom. If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
> say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida. Its in a clear, 4"
> inch pot, with a kitchen northeast exposure. I don't know what a
> pseudobulb looks like, all it has is a cane..only one.. Like I said
> the roots are at the top node of this 8" inch cane, with some leaves
> protruding on the other side, possibley from those roots. They are
> close together. I would gladly submit a image if one can tell me how
> this forum would accept it? I read that they like cool atmosphere, so
> that is my kitchen..other than when cooking.

In many dendrobiums "cane" and "pseudobulb" are synonymous.

J. Del Col

In article <1130249872.177626.66450 [at] o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, T009
[at] aol.com says...
> It was my first purchase. No, none of the pictures were like my Den
> when it was in bloom. If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
> say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida. Its in a clear, 4"
> inch pot, with a kitchen northeast exposure. I don't know what a
> pseudobulb looks like, all it has is a cane..only one.. Like I said
> the roots are at the top node of this 8" inch cane, with some leaves
> protruding on the other side, possibley from those roots. They are
> close together. I would gladly submit a image if one can tell me how
> this forum would accept it? I read that they like cool atmosphere, so
> that is my kitchen..other than when cooking.
>
>
You can post pictures on alt.binaries pictures.orchids or on a website.
If you don't have access to ABPO, send it to someone else (I would
gladly do it) who will post it for you. Keep the photo around 100kb to
keep download time short. If the flower is only a small part of the
picture, crop to that area first if a picture of the plant habit isn't
needed. If you can't crop it yourself, someone else can do it for you
when they post it.
Good luck!
--
--
Reka

This is LIFE! It's not a rehearsal. Don't miss it!
http://www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html

Reka wrote:
> In article <1130249872.177626.66450 [at] o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, T009
> [at] aol.com says...
>
>>It was my first purchase. No, none of the pictures were like my Den
>>when it was in bloom. If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
>>say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida. Its in a clear, 4"
>>inch pot, with a kitchen northeast exposure. I don't know what a
>>pseudobulb looks like, all it has is a cane..only one.. Like I said
>>the roots are at the top node of this 8" inch cane, with some leaves
>>protruding on the other side, possibley from those roots. They are
>>close together. I would gladly submit a image if one can tell me how
>>this forum would accept it? I read that they like cool atmosphere, so
>>that is my kitchen..other than when cooking.
>>
>>
>
> You can post pictures on alt.binaries pictures.orchids or on a website.
> If you don't have access to ABPO, send it to someone else (I would
> gladly do it) who will post it for you. Keep the photo around 100kb to
> keep download time short. If the flower is only a small part of the
> picture, crop to that area first if a picture of the plant habit isn't
> needed. If you can't crop it yourself, someone else can do it for you
> when they post it.
> Good luck!
I have a picture that i included in the picture section of orchids. Its
the best i can do with the limited camera function...but its clear
enough that one can see the small roots and a couple of leafs protruding
from those roots, I believe. Is that a Kieki? Sorry if I spelled it wrong.

<T009 [at] aol.com> wrote in message
news:1130249872.177626.66450 [at] o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
> say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida.

I think people here are assuming that the label actually says "Dendrobium
hybrid" -- or is misspelled and should say that, which is like a dog labeled
"mutt", and which would not tell you anything beyond that it is a dendrobium
and most likely a very common one (hence the guess that it is likely a
Dendrobium Phalaenopsis.

BUT the label could possibly be right or close to right -- this is less
likely to be available in a common store like Lowes though:

If the label had a space between hybrid and a, there are two Dendrobium
hybrids in the rhs orchid register:
Dendrobium hybrid a = Dendrobium teretifolium x Dendrobium beckleri

Dendrobium hybrid A = Dendrobium discolor x Dendrobium tangerinum

There is even one site that specifically talks of a dendrobium x hybrida,
however I am suspicious that other websites don't mention this. A rare
Australian dendrobium?

http://www.tesselaar.net.au/growingguides/australian-native- dendrob.asp

If you got this orchid in a regular store though, it is most likely not one
of those. There are no regulations that require vendors to clearly and
correctly label orchids, and many are mislabeled or insufficiently labeled.

Best,
Joanna

J Fortuna wrote:
> <T009 [at] aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1130249872.177626.66450 [at] o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> > If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
> > say so on the tag? It just says Dendrobium hybrida.
>


> > There is even one site that specifically talks of a dendrobium x hybrida,
> however I am suspicious that other websites don't mention this. A rare
> Australian dendrobium?



"Hybrida" is simply a old way of saying something is a hybrid, perhaps
one of unknown parentage.

There are natural orchids "species" which are now understood to be wild
hybrids of unknown genetic makeup. They might correctly be described
as
--Dendrobium x hybrida--.

J. Del Col

T009 [at] aol.com wrote:
> It was my first purchase. No, none of the pictures were like my Den
> when it was in bloom. If it were of the DEN/Phal genus, why wouldn't it
> say so on the tag?

Two reasons.
1. There is no DEN/Phal genus. There is genus Dendrobium with a
section Phalaenanthe. Tags usually only indicate Genus and species, or
Genus and hybrid grex, not section. While your plant may be a hybrid
of species within section Phalaenanthe, it is just as likely that it
mixes in species from section Spathulata which have very similar
cultural requirements. It is common shorthand to call them
phalaenopsis-type Dendrobiums, but it is not usual to label them that.

2. The big box stores like Lowes don't care about even minimally
accurate labeling. Most of the orchids are marketed as "disposable"
decorations, and the stores expect that customers will probably trash
them and buy another when they finish blooming. The box stores can be
a cheap source of plants when you are getting started, but as you are
discovering, their poor labeling makes it more difficult to get good
cultural information.