I have a Den. laevifolium, nicely crowded in a 1 1/2" pot, which got off to a
rocky start when my GH overheated 2 years ago, but is now leafing out
beautifully. Question: Is it time to dry it out and stop fertilizing, and if
so, how completely and for how long?

Tom
Walnut Creek, CA
Nikon D70

Good question, Tom. I've been wondering the same. Mine is in a 2" pot and
has filled the pot over the summer. Lots of leaves and new growths at this
writing. I'll await the same answer!
Garland


"tbell" <nobody [at] home.net> wrote in message
news:0001HW.BFC1BD2E00010C45F04075B0 [at] news-europe.giganews.com...
>I have a Den. laevifolium, nicely crowded in a 1 1/2" pot, which got off to
>a
> rocky start when my GH overheated 2 years ago, but is now leafing out
> beautifully. Question: Is it time to dry it out and stop fertilizing, and
> if
> so, how completely and for how long?
>
> Tom
> Walnut Creek, CA
> Nikon D70
>

Tom, Garland, let me quote from one of my bibles - "Dendrobium and its
Relatives" by Lavarack, Harris & Stocker. All three are highly experienced &
qualified, & their work involves them in the orchids of the region from which D
laevifolium comes.

"... occurs in several islands to the east of New Guinea ... It grows from about
300 m to 2300 m altitude, in damp moss forests where it often occurs low down on
tree trunks ... While this species can be grown in warm conditions, cool to
intermediate temperatures are preferable. It can be grown on a slab, but a pot
of well-drained mixture is best, as the plants must not be allowed to dry out.
Year round heavy watering and shaded conditions with high humidity are
necessary."

It does *not* need to be dried out, & (depending on how cold your winters are)
do no more than reduce fertilising& watering in the colder months.

I have a plant that I was growing successfully in sphagnum in a saucer. Since
nearly all my collection is in bark & this was watered in summer with the rest,
it was *sodden*. And it did fine. Kept the sphagnum at least damp through the
winter. I've worried about that, & recently repotted into bark in the saucer.
Not sure if I did the right thing.

Forgive me for climbing on to a hobby horse for a moment: Dendrobes come from
such an incredible range of environments (hot wet steamy jungles, Aussie monsoon
areas with hot *dry* weather for 9 months - no winter, up to China, into the
Himalayan foothills, evergreen forests, deciduous forests) that the old mantra
of "water in the growing season, dry out in the resting period" can well be
disastrous for a plant, depending on where it comes from. You *must* know a
species' natural environment, and at least get somewhere near that. They are
adaptable to a degree - I have tropical phalaenanthes growing within metres of
temperate dendrocorynes, with the only considerations I can modify being light &
watering. But you still need to be aware of their preferred environment. Use a
library - you only need to look it up once for each species.

Complex hybrids? Ask someone who grows them, or guess from their constituent
species.

Here endeth the sermon for today :-)

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:

>I have a Den. laevifolium, nicely crowded in a 1 1/2" pot, which got off to a
>rocky start when my GH overheated 2 years ago, but is now leafing out
>beautifully. Question: Is it time to dry it out and stop fertilizing, and if
>so, how completely and for how long?
>
>Tom
>Walnut Creek, CA
>Nikon D70
Dave Gillingham
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
To email me remove the .private from my email address.

Thanks Dave. I'm pretty much giving the plant the conditions you describe.
It is growing wonderfully. I'll just be patient for a while and see what
happens.
Garland


"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:6ifqp1thv14um5v4tttco4j4fnqcbv5q71 [at] 4ax.com...
> Tom, Garland, let me quote from one of my bibles - "Dendrobium and its
> Relatives" by Lavarack, Harris & Stocker. All three are highly
> experienced &
> qualified, & their work involves them in the orchids of the region from
> which D
> laevifolium comes.
>
> "... occurs in several islands to the east of New Guinea ... It grows from
> about
> 300 m to 2300 m altitude, in damp moss forests where it often occurs low
> down on
> tree trunks ... While this species can be grown in warm conditions, cool
> to
> intermediate temperatures are preferable. It can be grown on a slab, but
> a pot
> of well-drained mixture is best, as the plants must not be allowed to dry
> out.
> Year round heavy watering and shaded conditions with high humidity are
> necessary."
>
> It does *not* need to be dried out, & (depending on how cold your winters
> are)
> do no more than reduce fertilising& watering in the colder months.
>
> I have a plant that I was growing successfully in sphagnum in a saucer.
> Since
> nearly all my collection is in bark & this was watered in summer with the
> rest,
> it was *sodden*. And it did fine. Kept the sphagnum at least damp through
> the
> winter. I've worried about that, & recently repotted into bark in the
> saucer.
> Not sure if I did the right thing.
>
> Forgive me for climbing on to a hobby horse for a moment: Dendrobes come
> from
> such an incredible range of environments (hot wet steamy jungles, Aussie
> monsoon
> areas with hot *dry* weather for 9 months - no winter, up to China, into
> the
> Himalayan foothills, evergreen forests, deciduous forests) that the old
> mantra
> of "water in the growing season, dry out in the resting period" can well
> be
> disastrous for a plant, depending on where it comes from. You *must* know
> a
> species' natural environment, and at least get somewhere near that. They
> are
> adaptable to a degree - I have tropical phalaenanthes growing within
> metres of
> temperate dendrocorynes, with the only considerations I can modify being
> light &
> watering. But you still need to be aware of their preferred environment.
> Use a
> library - you only need to look it up once for each species.
>
> Complex hybrids? Ask someone who grows them, or guess from their
> constituent
> species.
>
> Here endeth the sermon for today :-)
>
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:
>
>>I have a Den. laevifolium, nicely crowded in a 1 1/2" pot, which got off
>>to a
>>rocky start when my GH overheated 2 years ago, but is now leafing out
>>beautifully. Question: Is it time to dry it out and stop fertilizing, and
>>if
>>so, how completely and for how long?
>>
>>Tom
>>Walnut Creek, CA
>>Nikon D70
> Dave Gillingham
> ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
> To email me remove the .private from my email address.

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 01:32:52 -0800, Dave Gillingham wrote
(in article <6ifqp1thv14um5v4tttco4j4fnqcbv5q71 [at] 4ax.com>):

> Tom, Garland, let me quote from one of my bibles - "Dendrobium and its
> Relatives" by Lavarack, Harris & Stocker. All three are highly experienced &
> qualified, & their work involves them in the orchids of the region from which

> D
> laevifolium comes.
>
> "... occurs in several islands to the east of New Guinea ... It grows from
> about
> 300 m to 2300 m altitude, in damp moss forests where it often occurs low down

> on
> tree trunks ... While this species can be grown in warm conditions, cool to
> intermediate temperatures are preferable. It can be grown on a slab, but a
> pot
> of well-drained mixture is best, as the plants must not be allowed to dry
out.
> Year round heavy watering and shaded conditions with high humidity are
> necessary."
>
> It does *not* need to be dried out, & (depending on how cold your winters
are)
> do no more than reduce fertilising& watering in the colder months.
>
> I have a plant that I was growing successfully in sphagnum in a saucer.
Since
> nearly all my collection is in bark & this was watered in summer with the
> rest,
> it was *sodden*. And it did fine. Kept the sphagnum at least damp through
the
> winter. I've worried about that, & recently repotted into bark in the
> saucer.
> Not sure if I did the right thing.
>
> Forgive me for climbing on to a hobby horse for a moment: Dendrobes come
from
> such an incredible range of environments (hot wet steamy jungles, Aussie
> monsoon
> areas with hot *dry* weather for 9 months - no winter, up to China, into the
> Himalayan foothills, evergreen forests, deciduous forests) that the old
mantra
> of "water in the growing season, dry out in the resting period" can well be
> disastrous for a plant, depending on where it comes from. You *must* know a
> species' natural environment, and at least get somewhere near that. They are
> adaptable to a degree - I have tropical phalaenanthes growing within metres
of
> temperate dendrocorynes, with the only considerations I can modify being
> light &
> watering. But you still need to be aware of their preferred environment.
> Use a
> library - you only need to look it up once for each species.
>
> Complex hybrids? Ask someone who grows them, or guess from their constituent
> species.
>
> Here endeth the sermon for today :-)
>
> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:

Thank you, Dave. That was a much better than average sermon!

Tom
Walnut Creek, CA
Nikon D70

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 15:05:31 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:

>On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 01:32:52 -0800, Dave Gillingham wrote
>(in article <6ifqp1thv14um5v4tttco4j4fnqcbv5q71 [at] 4ax.com>):
>
>> Tom, Garland, let me quote from one of my bibles - "Dendrobium and its
>> Relatives" by Lavarack, Harris & Stocker. All three are highly experienced &
>> qualified, & their work involves them in the orchids of the region from which
>
>> D
>> laevifolium comes.
>>
>> "... occurs in several islands to the east of New Guinea ... It grows from
>> about
>> 300 m to 2300 m altitude, in damp moss forests where it often occurs low down
>
>> on
>> tree trunks ... While this species can be grown in warm conditions, cool to
>> intermediate temperatures are preferable. It can be grown on a slab, but a
>> pot
>> of well-drained mixture is best, as the plants must not be allowed to dry
>out.
>> Year round heavy watering and shaded conditions with high humidity are
>> necessary."
>>
>> It does *not* need to be dried out, & (depending on how cold your winters
>are)
>> do no more than reduce fertilising& watering in the colder months.
>>
>> I have a plant that I was growing successfully in sphagnum in a saucer.
>Since
>> nearly all my collection is in bark & this was watered in summer with the
>> rest,
>> it was *sodden*. And it did fine. Kept the sphagnum at least damp through
>the
>> winter. I've worried about that, & recently repotted into bark in the
>> saucer.
>> Not sure if I did the right thing.
>>
>> Forgive me for climbing on to a hobby horse for a moment: Dendrobes come
>from
>> such an incredible range of environments (hot wet steamy jungles, Aussie
>> monsoon
>> areas with hot *dry* weather for 9 months - no winter, up to China, into the
>> Himalayan foothills, evergreen forests, deciduous forests) that the old
>mantra
>> of "water in the growing season, dry out in the resting period" can well be
>> disastrous for a plant, depending on where it comes from. You *must* know a
>> species' natural environment, and at least get somewhere near that. They are
>> adaptable to a degree - I have tropical phalaenanthes growing within metres
>of
>> temperate dendrocorynes, with the only considerations I can modify being
>> light &
>> watering. But you still need to be aware of their preferred environment.
>> Use a
>> library - you only need to look it up once for each species.
>>
>> Complex hybrids? Ask someone who grows them, or guess from their constituent
>> species.
>>
>> Here endeth the sermon for today :-)
>>
>> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:
>
>Thank you, Dave. That was a much better than average sermon!
>
>Tom
>Walnut Creek, CA
>Nikon D70


And closing the file is so much easier than getting up & walking out of the
church :-)
Dave Gillingham
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
To email me remove the .private from my email address.

>>>
>>> Here endeth the sermon for today :-)
>>>
>>> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:
>>
>> Thank you, Dave. That was a much better than average sermon!
>>
>> Tom
>> Walnut Creek, CA
>> Nikon D70
>
>
> And closing the file is so much easier than getting up & walking out of the
> church :-)
> Dave Gillingham
>
LOL =-)

Tom
Walnut Creek, CA
Nikon D70

"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:iftsp1t5icv14v74edt09hfhj2m6iqljgc [at] 4ax.com...
> On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 15:05:31 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:
>
> >On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 01:32:52 -0800, Dave Gillingham wrote
> >(in article <6ifqp1thv14um5v4tttco4j4fnqcbv5q71 [at] 4ax.com>):
> >
> >> Tom, Garland, let me quote from one of my bibles - "Dendrobium and its
> >> Relatives" by Lavarack, Harris & Stocker. All three are highly
experienced &
> >> qualified, & their work involves them in the orchids of the region from
which
> >
> >> D
> >> laevifolium comes.
> >>
> >> "... occurs in several islands to the east of New Guinea ... It grows
from
> >> about
> >> 300 m to 2300 m altitude, in damp moss forests where it often occurs
low down
> >
> >> on
> >> tree trunks ... While this species can be grown in warm conditions,
cool to
> >> intermediate temperatures are preferable. It can be grown on a slab,
but a
> >> pot
> >> of well-drained mixture is best, as the plants must not be allowed to
dry
> >out.
> >> Year round heavy watering and shaded conditions with high humidity are
> >> necessary."
> >>
> >> It does *not* need to be dried out, & (depending on how cold your
winters
> >are)
> >> do no more than reduce fertilising& watering in the colder months.
> >>
> >> I have a plant that I was growing successfully in sphagnum in a saucer.
> >Since
> >> nearly all my collection is in bark & this was watered in summer with
the
> >> rest,
> >> it was *sodden*. And it did fine. Kept the sphagnum at least damp
through
> >the
> >> winter. I've worried about that, & recently repotted into bark in the
> >> saucer.
> >> Not sure if I did the right thing.
> >>
> >> Forgive me for climbing on to a hobby horse for a moment: Dendrobes
come
> >from
> >> such an incredible range of environments (hot wet steamy jungles,
Aussie
> >> monsoon
> >> areas with hot *dry* weather for 9 months - no winter, up to China,
into the
> >> Himalayan foothills, evergreen forests, deciduous forests) that the old
> >mantra
> >> of "water in the growing season, dry out in the resting period" can
well be
> >> disastrous for a plant, depending on where it comes from. You *must*
know a
> >> species' natural environment, and at least get somewhere near that.
They are
> >> adaptable to a degree - I have tropical phalaenanthes growing within
metres
> >of
> >> temperate dendrocorynes, with the only considerations I can modify
being
> >> light &
> >> watering. But you still need to be aware of their preferred
environment.
> >> Use a
> >> library - you only need to look it up once for each species.
> >>
> >> Complex hybrids? Ask someone who grows them, or guess from their
constituent
> >> species.
> >>
> >> Here endeth the sermon for today :-)
> >>
> >> On Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:34 -0800, tbell <nobody [at] home.net> wrote:
> >
> >Thank you, Dave. That was a much better than average sermon!
> >
> >Tom
> >Walnut Creek, CA
> >Nikon D70
>
>
> And closing the file is so much easier than getting up & walking out of
the
> church :-)
> Dave Gillingham
> ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
----
> To email me remove the .private from my email address.

Dave,did you find out what the dendrobium is ref den chrysotoxum or is it?
Thanks Keith

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:56:22 GMT, "keith ;-\)"
<keith.kent3 [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com> wrote:
[big snip]
>
>Dave,did you find out what the dendrobium is ref den chrysotoxum or is it?
>Thanks Keith
>

Keith, thanks for the interest. One of the members of our society, who is
involved with orchids in the herbarium & has a special interest in the
Dendrobes, suggested D. gibsonii. That's from Section Dendrobium, which
surprises me a little having read up on it after last Tuesday's meeting. My
plant's inflorescence started life in a sheath some 50 mm (2 inches) or more
long. In my admittedly very limited experience, plants from that section all
form individual buds rather than the inflorescence bursting from a sheath. But
I did mention the sheath to him, & his knowledge is certainly far superior to
mine.
Dave Gillingham
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
To email me remove the .private from my email address.

"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:lmd2q1p1k4og5m19p56utc1lllmqhln8tf [at] 4ax.com...
> On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:56:22 GMT, "keith ;-\)"
> <keith.kent3 [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com> wrote:
> [big snip]
> >
> >Dave,did you find out what the dendrobium is ref den chrysotoxum or is
it?
> >Thanks Keith
> >
>
> Keith, thanks for the interest. One of the members of our society, who is
> involved with orchids in the herbarium & has a special interest in the
> Dendrobes, suggested D. gibsonii. That's from Section Dendrobium, which
> surprises me a little having read up on it after last Tuesday's meeting.
My
> plant's inflorescence started life in a sheath some 50 mm (2 inches) or
more
> long. In my admittedly very limited experience, plants from that section
all
> form individual buds rather than the inflorescence bursting from a sheath.
But
> I did mention the sheath to him, & his knowledge is certainly far superior
to
> mine.
> Dave Gillingham
> ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
----
> To email me remove the .private from my email address.
Hi Dave, have you seen my post to you on ABPO?
I suggested it looked like den fimbriatum var oculatum?
Thanks Keith

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:06:56 GMT, "keith ;-\)" < [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com> wrote:

>
>"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
>news:lmd2q1p1k4og5m19p56utc1lllmqhln8tf [at] 4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:56:22 GMT, "keith ;-\)"
>> <keith.kent3 [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com> wrote:
>> [big snip]
>> >
>> >Dave,did you find out what the dendrobium is ref den chrysotoxum or is
>it?
>> >Thanks Keith
>> >
>>
>> Keith, thanks for the interest. One of the members of our society, who is
>> involved with orchids in the herbarium & has a special interest in the
>> Dendrobes, suggested D. gibsonii. That's from Section Dendrobium, which
>> surprises me a little having read up on it after last Tuesday's meeting.
>My
>> plant's inflorescence started life in a sheath some 50 mm (2 inches) or
>more
>> long. In my admittedly very limited experience, plants from that section
>all
>> form individual buds rather than the inflorescence bursting from a sheath.
>But
>> I did mention the sheath to him, & his knowledge is certainly far superior
>to
>> mine.
>> Dave Gillingham
>> ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
>----
>> To email me remove the .private from my email address.
>Hi Dave, have you seen my post to you on ABPO?
>I suggested it looked like den fimbriatum var oculatum?
>Thanks Keith
>
Keith, same reservation since it also is from Section Dendrobium - how does the
inflorescence on fimbriatum var occulatum initiate? Do the buds form from the
start on a raceme, or is there a sheath formed from which the buds emerge after
several weeks?
Dave Gillingham
------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
To email me remove the .private from my email address.

"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:mbf4q1dte9b0ftp5hk8nogppbr062016ou [at] 4ax.com...
> On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:06:56 GMT, "keith ;-\)" < [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com>
wrote:
>
> >
> >"Dave Gillingham" <dewg [at] private.optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> >news:lmd2q1p1k4og5m19p56utc1lllmqhln8tf [at] 4ax.com...
> >> On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 20:56:22 GMT, "keith ;-\)"
> >> <keith.kent3 [at] REMOVETHISntlworld.com> wrote:
> >> [big snip]
> >> >
> >> >Dave,did you find out what the dendrobium is ref den chrysotoxum or is
> >it?
> >> >Thanks Keith
> >> >
> >>
> >> Keith, thanks for the interest. One of the members of our society, who
is
> >> involved with orchids in the herbarium & has a special interest in the
> >> Dendrobes, suggested D. gibsonii. That's from Section Dendrobium,
which
> >> surprises me a little having read up on it after last Tuesday's
meeting.
> >My
> >> plant's inflorescence started life in a sheath some 50 mm (2 inches) or
> >more
> >> long. In my admittedly very limited experience, plants from that
section
> >all
> >> form individual buds rather than the inflorescence bursting from a
sheath.
> >But
> >> I did mention the sheath to him, & his knowledge is certainly far
superior
> >to
> >> mine.
> >> Dave Gillingham
>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------
-
> >----
> >> To email me remove the .private from my email address.
> >Hi Dave, have you seen my post to you on ABPO?
> >I suggested it looked like den fimbriatum var oculatum?
> >Thanks Keith
> >
> Keith, same reservation since it also is from Section Dendrobium - how
does the
> inflorescence on fimbriatum var occulatum initiate? Do the buds form from
the
> start on a raceme, or is there a sheath formed from which the buds emerge
after
> several weeks?
> Dave Gillingham
> ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
----
> To email me remove the .private from my email address.

Dave,Im not totally sure,mine at the moment has 1/4 inch nodes which I
assume the buds will emerge to form the inflorescence.
Cheers Keith