Den. Kingianum repotting

[Deeplydeepali]

Hi everyone, my name's Deepali. I recently impulse bought a Dendrobium Kingianum because it was so cheap. I bought it in an adorable clay pot with moss, which I think it may have lived in for its whole life, but I want to transfer it to a clear pot so I can observe its roots as I'm quite new to orchids. I've been told and researched that it's winter rest will be coming up soon, so should I hold off on repotting it? And when it is time to repot, does anyone have suggestions? I was planning to repot it with smooth stones at the bottom and then kiwi bark and perlite.

Oh, I should add that I live in Northern California and right now our weather is cold, wet, and humid.

[fishmom]

Welcome, Deepali!

If that kingianum were mine, I would repot it immediately. If we are lucky enough to have much rain this winter, that moss will keep the roots cold and wet, not a good combination for a kingie. (I am assuming that you are keeping the plant outdoors.) Your bark/perlite combo should be fine.

In addition, repotting will let you check on the condition of the roots at this time. No telling how long the moss has been in the pot. And bark is usually much easier for a home grower to manage. I would recommend using a bamboo skewer in the pot to help you monitor the moisture of the medium. If you stick it in now, you may find that the roots are staying pretty wet in the center of the pot--not the best. After repotting, the skewer will help you know when to water, after the medium dries out a bit. I rest mine during January and February, although they get a bit of water during that time.

[bil]

Moss has its uses, but never I feel as a sole medium except in a few specialist cases.
My personal taste would be to pot it in a shallow pot and use fine bark that has been sieved to remove all dust and fine bark fragments.

[cbuchman]

Agree with all the above. Remember that Den. kingianum is a lithiphyte (grows on rocks) so good drainage is important. I have a HUGE one that is growing in bark in a 12" slatted basket. Just be careful to not over pot it. Although we talk about a winter rest, that doesn't mean to withhold water. Frankly, I water mine pretty much the same year round and let the lower humidity in Winter keep it a little drier.

You will love this addition to your collection! They bloom freely on new an old growth and are pleasantly fragrant. I'd say good choice!

[Tindomul]

Welcome to the Orchid Board. Glad you joined and I too would re-pot as soon as possible.

[AJW]

Agree re pot now and ditch the moss it can cause problems with root development over the winter

[Deeplydeepali]

Since its beginning to be quite cold, I've decided to keep the King inside till spring. Ok, I will repot! Thank you for all the advice. I needed that assurance. I'm very glad I joined orchidboard!

[Tindomul]

We are glad you joined too. Every new person adds to the board.

[Cym Ladye]

I grow all my kingianums outside all year in the SF Bay Area with my Cymbidiums with no problems. (4"pots to 2 gallon short) Just do not fuss over them. They are really tough and do not like indoors if it can be helped. Find a spot outdoors where they will be protected from freeze and you should be fine after repotting it. Bark and perlite a good combo for this species. Good luck.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Dendrobium kingianum can withstand cooler temperatures just fine. The lowest temperature I'd be comfortable allowing them to experience is around 36 F at night, no lower. It is much safer to keep them at around 45 F on the low end.

Yes, I can also confirm Dendrobium kingianum to be a lithophyte in the wild. There are several photos of them growing in the wild as such. They grow well in straight up granite. I have some of mine potted in granite. This orchid is also called the Pink Rock Orchid. It is native to Australia. My mother colony is grown in a product called Aussie Gold, (the product is no longer in production because the company went out of business), which predominantly contains a rock called diatomite, (the other ingredient is coconut coir). They can also be grown in medium to large grade bark chips. For the purposes of keeping them low maintenance, I decided to grow several of mine as lithophytes in either granite or diatomite.

They do experience a winter rest, but it is a rather light one. As was mentioned, they do appreciate some water during the winter, just not a whole lot of it.

These are very easy to bloom; no special tricks required.

The flowers are fragrant and smell like honey water.

Dendrobium kingianum are bee pollinated, therefore, you might actually see some honey bees visit them during the spring. You might even eventually see some seed pods developing as a result of this.

This is actually a fairly good beginners Dendrobium to get.