The Orchid Garden

Dendrobium?

Question:

        I repotted all of mine when I put them into the greenhouse, because I needed to get rid of the mealybugs. It worked! Finally I’m not seeing new pests every week. However I used pots that were somewhat too large, didn’t have enough smaller sizes. Now most of them are putting out new roots. I’m wondering, will it be best if I repot them again into appropriate size pots before they attach themselves, or shall I leave well enough alone?         I know they like to be root bound, and it will be quite a while before that will happen in these 4" pots.         You more experienced growers have been so generous with your knowledge, I salute and thank you all. sandra

Response:

However I used pots that were somewhat too large, didn’t have enough smaller sizes. Now most of them are putting out new roots. I’m wondering, will it be best if I repot them again

good idea, yes, Alynne South Fla.  Zone 10

Response:

        I repotted all of mine when I put them into the greenhouse, because I needed to get rid of the mealybugs. It worked! Finally I’m not seeing new pests every week. However I used pots that were somewhat too large, didn’t have enough smaller sizes. Now most of them are putting out new roots. I’m wondering, will it be best if I repot them again into appropriate size pots before they attach themselves, or shall I leave well enough alone?         I know they like to be root bound, and it will be quite a while before that will happen in these 4" pots.         You more experienced growers have been so generous with your knowledge, I salute and thank you all. sandra

       Sandra, sometimes if all I have is a pot that is too big, I just put a very small pot upside down inside the large pot then plant away.   Theresa

Response:

Pagem, Do you have a south window the plant can sit in? I’m guessing that your Den needs a lot more hours of light than it’s getting. -Rod- This is my first time in a newsgroup and I’ve been reading your articles to get the hang of this.  I truly am a beginner to orchids and I feel like I am killing my poor little den before it gets started.

Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Pagem, Do you have a south window the plant can sit in? I’m guessing that your Den needs a lot more hours of light than it’s getting. -Rod- This is my first time in a newsgroup and I’ve been reading your articles to get the hang of this.  I truly am a beginner to orchids and I feel like I am killing my poor little den before it gets started. Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg

I was having a similar problem with my dendrobium (nearly two years without blooms). I put it out on my deck this summer (zone 6), and it bloomed like crazy! It had 2 hours of direct sunlight each morning. I thought that would be too much, but obviously it loved it. I’m sorry, but it had no identifier tag when I purchased it. My next quandary is how long to leave it outside? The nights have been getting down to 50-55 degrees. I have my phals out there now too- I heard somewhere that the cool weather might stimulate blooms…? Thanks Erin

Response:

My next quandary is how long to leave it outside? The nights have been getting down to 50-55 degrees. I have my phals out there now too- I heard somewhere that the cool weather might stimulate blooms…? Thanks Erin

Erin, Since Phal season is coming up, the cool temps are probably a good thing yeah. But keep a close eye on those temps. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with them outside in temps under 50. Feel the leaves daily. Watch for any change in the turgidity of the leaves. Bring them in if they show any signs of softening. -Rod- Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg

Response:

Pagem3 –  You wrote you have owned the plant 2 years (come November). When you purchased it in bloom, it continued for 3 months. SO: 1/ it skipped a year. I agree with Jim.. probably not enough                 light. The change in conditions from a growers greenhouse to       home windowsill care could be enough to have put it off blooming       last year.     2/ This years bloom on a Den. might not be visible this far in                  advance of a November bloom.     3/ The new growth – is yet undefined. Is it from the top of        the plant or from the base? Could it be early signs of a        bloom spike or could it be early signs of a new growth        (cane)? We need more information.  If you have given it sufficient light this year it could still bloom. The time to be concerned about this years lack of blooms is New Years. You need to give it sufficient time to be blooming and even be late starting to bloom.  Remember this plant only blooms once a year normally. …. Actually do you have a name for this Dendrobium? There are some that have very specific requirements to initiate blooming. SuE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time in a newsgroup and I’ve been reading your articles to get the hang of this.  I truly am a beginner to orchids and I feel like I am killing my poor little den before it gets started. I’ve had one for almost 2 years (this November) and it was flowering beautifully for 3 months. Spent a lot of time surfing the net and reading in the library about what to do with it when it stops blooming.  Very confusing information. I have it in a east window which is covered with sheers so the sunlight comes through in the morning.  It is resting on a humidity tray with just enough water to keep it damp (not touching the pot). I was feeding it very litely once a week with 20-20-20.  It has a new large spike but no flowers.  It has never flowered again!  I tried cutting out the fertilizer, I tried putting it out in springtime to make the air temperature cooler, I tried watering it every week and a half to 2 weeks (I couldn’t stand that!)  so that it thought it was starving – but none of that worked.  Can anyone suggest something else? – De-pot and check roots. – Repot if necessary. – More light. ?’s : Is it a new spike, or a new cane growth? What time of year did it last flower? "feeding it very litely" means regular amount of water with half-strength fertilizer? Or what? Other: I would keep feeding regularly. I’ve switched all my fertilizer over to Dyna-Gro ( http://www.dyna-gro.com/ ) and have had stronger and happier looking plants as a result (well, combined with good advice and a reduction in my own mistakes…) I run it about half strength and feed weekly. Dendrobiums generally need a pretty good dose of light to make them happy. Right now, mine is at the top of my outdoor rack (under shade cloth) and getting almost half a day.  If you are using an east facing window, you might try a little less filtration on the sun’s rays, especially if you have treated glass of some kind or another. Keep us informed… — Jim — jmedgar3(at)earthlink(dot)net Orchid Pix & such: http://home.earthlink.net/~jmedgar3/OrchidMain.html

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time in a newsgroup and I’ve been reading your articles to get the hang of this.  I truly am a beginner to orchids and I feel like I am killing my poor little den before it gets started. I’ve had one for almost 2 years (this November) and it was flowering beautifully for 3 months. Spent a lot of time surfing the net and reading in the library about what to do with it when it stops blooming.  Very confusing information. I have it in a east window which is covered with sheers so the sunlight comes through in the morning.  It is resting on a humidity tray with just enough water to keep it damp (not touching the pot). I was feeding it very litely once a week with 20-20-20.  It has a new large spike but no flowers.  It has never flowered again!  I tried cutting out the fertilizer, I tried putting it out in springtime to make the air temperature cooler, I tried watering it every week and a half to 2 weeks (I couldn’t stand that!)  so that it thought it was starving – but none of that worked.  Can anyone suggest something else?

- De-pot and check roots. – Repot if necessary. – More light. ?’s : Is it a new spike, or a new cane growth? What time of year did it last flower? "feeding it very litely" means regular amount of water with half-strength fertilizer? Or what? Other: I would keep feeding regularly. I’ve switched all my fertilizer over to Dyna-Gro ( http://www.dyna-gro.com/ ) and have had stronger and happier looking plants as a result (well, combined with good advice and a reduction in my own mistakes…) I run it about half strength and feed weekly. Dendrobiums generally need a pretty good dose of light to make them happy. Right now, mine is at the top of my outdoor rack (under shade cloth) and getting almost half a day.  If you are using an east facing window, you might try a little less filtration on the sun’s rays, especially if you have treated glass of some kind or another. Keep us informed… — Jim — jmedgar3(at)earthlink(dot)net Orchid Pix & such: http://home.earthlink.net/~jmedgar3/OrchidMain.html

Response:

This is my first time in a newsgroup and I’ve been reading your articles to get the hang of this.  I truly am a beginner to orchids and I feel like I am killing my poor little den before it gets started. I’ve had one for almost 2 years (this November) and it was flowering beautifully for 3 months. Spent a lot of time surfing the net and reading in the library about what to do with it when it stops blooming.  Very confusing information. I have it in a east window which is covered with sheers so the sunlight comes through in the morning.  It is resting on a humidity tray with just enough water to keep it damp (not touching the pot). I was feeding it very litely once a week with 20-20-20.  It has a new large spike but no flowers.  It has never flowered again!  I tried cutting out the fertilizer, I tried putting it out in springtime to make the air temperature cooler, I tried watering it every week and a half to 2 weeks (I couldn’t stand that!)  so that it thought it was starving – but none of that worked.  Can anyone suggest something else? pagem3

Response:

Filed under: Dendrobium Orchid

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