HELP PLEASE WITH DIFFERENT DENDROBIUMS - WINTER REST

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Still also not sure if it will do good here in Miami. I did read that it likes winter temperature colder. Our average winter day temperatures for december/january are around 74, and night ones around 63, it goes up and down, with every cold front, there might be just few nights when it gets under 50, but my balcony is on the 5th floor. That's probably my only issue with many of my orchids, that I can't provide that winter cold time, or the day/night temperature drop:-( I would love some orchid lover from Miami to contact me and give some ideas and advises how to provide best possible conditions and what orchids are the best for our climate zone:-) So far my success is pretty much classic phalaenopses blooming every year, oncidiums, bulbophyllums, and dendrobium dockrillia. All my other orchids I either did get with buds/spikes or without, and the only time when they bloomed was the time I did receive them, but no after that. So all my other dendrobiums, cattleyas, epidendrum, scaphyglottis, dendrochilum, ascofinatea. even vanda, brasia and brassavola never bloomed again:-(((

---------- Post added at 11:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 PM ----------

Thanks so much, so it seems like there is only one cane? I will definitely appreciate pictures to see the plant, the color is just amazing! Thanks so much

[Aurimar]

Here are some pics

[Aurimar]

The pictures don't show it well but it actually has 3 canes, one new which is the bright green one and 2 older ones. One of them is very short but has new growth on it, that is the one with my hand behind it. When it blooms I will definitely post the pictures. I live in Iowa but I keep all my orchids inside because I hate bugs so much I am afraid they will get in my pots lol. As soon as I received this orchid I repotted it in medium bark but it has not affected the growth as much as I can tell so far. For what I have read it is normal for the leaves to fall off when in spike. I wish for the price I paid it would have been a bit bigger but I still think it is beautiful. I hope I don't kill it

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Yes, I do agree, usually this is the size I buy around $20 from the seller on ebay, he is in hawaii, I have nearly all my dendrobiums from him, and he ships them in amazing condition, even spikes/buds always made it safe! I am not sure if I can list it here, but his user name is kawamotoorchids, check his auctions. I just received 3 gorgeous orchids from him this friday, you can check also my album. It is expensive piece you purchased, but it really looks amazing when blooming. And yes, the leaves are actually suppose to fall, and than it blooms. The way I understand it now with these Dendrobiums, they do grow a lot during growing season, summer, than in fall they start to loose leaves, you should stop watering around october, that's what brings them to buds early in spring when you start watering again, so no leaves is normal and fine, actually means healthy:-) Send me definitely pics when blooms open, I would love to see it, and best of luck with this piece. Do you have any other dendrobiums similar to this one?

[Aurimar]

Unfortunately I only have one dendrobium since I have recently started collecting orchids. I own 8 orchids at the moment but did my best to try different varieties to see how they did in my environment. I have a vanda, 3 phals (one of them a phal violacea), an encyclia cordillera, a zygopetalum, the dendrobium we spoke about and a phrag calurum (pink lady slipper). All of them have new growths but the only one ready to bloom soon is the dendrobium. Sad face I'm real impatient and want flowers everywhere lol.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

I hear you. I have probably over 40 pieces for sure, my balcony looks like a jungle, as you can see from my pics in the album:-) I have at least one or few blooming at all times through out the year, but there are many, that I am able to keep alive and thriving with new growths but not blooming. It did not bother me before so much, but with years and orchid collection growing, I am trying my best to MAKE THEM BLOOM:-) So, good luck to you and hope your collection will grow and bloom!

[MandaneWiser]

This is a confusing topic for me also.. I love Dendrobiums though.. I have a few that need the winter rest and I water sparingly every 2-3 weeks and a little mist here and there.. My winter orchid room is kept pretty humid though.. By the way.. Love your little set up.. I work and navigate in a small space too!! They're hanging from the patio ceiling..up the walls.. on hooks.. love it...

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Thanks, I know right, some people wrote that you should totally withhold watering otherwise you see canes extremely shrives than water little bit, some people are writing to water every 2-3 weeks, some people are writing to stop in October, some November, some even December. I guess I will go with my guts this year, I mean, I did never give my orchids winter rest, so that was already wrong, this year I will try and will see if they will bloom. The best would be someone from Florida to join here and give some advises for my climate zone:-) Thanks, balcony is not small, but there are over 40 orchids now, I had to do many things, had my friend to create custom steps in one corner to put orchids, than hang the net on one side for orchids that needs shade the whole day, and than chains all around for orchids that needs more sun. Also did have custom bamboo railing made around the whole balcony. It was long process and pretty costly but this is the best I could do. I do not really have space in my apartment to have orchids inside, and do not even want to, my balcony is my orchid garden, so I am trying to do my best for all of them to be happy there, even with our weather:-)

[Brooke]

I have the anosum and wasselii but not the other two. The anosum does want a dry winter rest for several months but also wants bright light over the winter. I grow in a g/h and give it a little moisture once a week when it is sunny. It blooms every spring.

The wasselii I let dry out but not for long periods of time. It is mounted so it gets water on a sunny day but no fertilizer.

My Dendro filiforme I grow sitting in water except during the winter when the sun doesn't appear for a long time. Then I pull it out of the saucer until I get several days of sun again.

I also have the vic-reg and it does dry out a little in the winter but it never goes totally dry. It does prefer to grow cooler than many other Dens. I think it would be your summer temps that could be the problem. If you know the weather in SanFrancisco the growers there grow it outside year round.

I hope you get info for the other two Dens.

Brooke

[TOMMYMIAMI]

thanks so much Brooke
So you say with Aanosmum still moistre litle bit when it is sunny during winter, which it is here in Florida, right?
Regarding wasselii, that one grows like crazy and blooms multiple spikes all the time, i had already 6 spikes in last month, so no problem with that one.
Interesting about Filiforme, so do I understand it right, you are keeping it in WATER all the time except winter? I know it should not dry out but I did not know it need so much water??? Does it bloom for you every year when you do it this way? Thanks so much for the tips, I just won another 6 pieces from Hawaii, so excited to get new babies next week:-)