Tricky watering - Dendrobium

[Stefan Petersen]

Dear orchid friends.

I need your help with suggestions to watering this lovely dendrobium which is inherited from my dear grandmother, and which you guys previously have helped me out with

Several of the bulbs are growing horizontally, and recently one of the bulbs started growing downwards. That has become a problem when I try to water it, I always water it from below by putting it in a bucket with water.

But if I do that, the down-growing bulb and the leaves would be underwater. I know that Phalenopsis must not get water in between the leaves and you need to suck the water up if water should fall down between the leaves of a Phalenopsis. Is that also the case with a dendrobium?

It is not possible to water it from above. The plant grows like a tight bush. I have attached a photo of it from above, so you can see it’s difficult to water it from above.

How would you guys water this dear plant?

Would you guys sacrifice that one bulb and still water from underneath?