Sedirea japonica and Dendrobium kingianum - Orchid Board

razka3 · #1 03-07-2008, 02:20 PM

Just came in the mail. Would love to mount the Sedirea. Would hate for it to drop buds because of the change though - would it be safe, or wait?

I love how the kingianum has a cane that is blooming which is on top of another cane - craziness.

Ross · #2 03-07-2008, 02:25 PM

Wish I had some words of wisdom on the Sedira. I have 2 plants - one mounted and one in a pot. The one in the pot is way stronger and larger than the mounted one. The mounted on is doing fine and has put out 3 spikes. 1st spike blasted after it got to 2-3 inches. Put out second spike and that blasted. Put out third spike that seems to be doing OK except I noticed this morning the end of it has blasted. Only two buds developing. I suspect one of two things: sunlight falling on the end of the spike or too much breeze. I have it under a fan (which I cannot move) and that could be the culprit - not enough humidity. I do know for certain the Angraecoids all need high humidity and good air movement. Every one I have placed near or in front of a fan blasted the spike. Hope this helps. It's not the question you asked, but it may help in your decision.

razka3 · #3 03-07-2008, 02:50 PM

Alright, so they need high humidity, and a breeze, but not too much of a breeze... i think I can manage that. I setup my fogger in the little grow area, and it gets the humidity up to 70%, which is a vast improvement over the 35% without it. I've got a little 4" fan running 24/7 in there on low setting to move around some air and cool the 430w hps. I figured the humidity in your orchidarium has to be at least 60% yes?

I read that thread where you acquired the Sedirea already mounted, it seemed like it was dying to start with, so you must be doing something right if it's still alive and trying to bloom!

As for the possibility of light hurting the spike, are you saying that with your experience they don't seem to like a lot of light? That correlates with what I've read about them, to keep them a minimum of 4 feet from any high intensity light.

Might be a good contender for S/H...

shakkai · #4 03-07-2008, 03:25 PM

I have recently moved my Sedirea back into a pot. Even with humidity at 70-95%, and mounted on absorbent tree fern fibre, I struggled to give it as much moisture as it wanted. It got water every morning, but with the air circulation and those thick roots sucking in the water, it was dry by mid-day and really could have done with another watering. I'm usually at work at mid-day, so two waterings a day was out of the question. Mine seems happier in a pot.

razka3 · #5 03-07-2008, 03:35 PM

Yeah after reading a bit more about it I am leaning towards S/H. Ross has me scared now though, don't want to have bud blast from a transplant!

Thanks for your input shakkai.

calvin_orchidL · #6 03-07-2008, 03:37 PM

My sedirea in a pot flowers regularly each year - Actually I have a bit of an opposite result regarding light - I find that they can take a lot more light (esp in the winter) than is expected. The leaves of mine regularly curl towards the light, and I have them 6" away from CFLs. Last winter I had them right up against an unobstructed south-facing bay window where they got a good 4 hours of early morning direct sun! They were a bit happier then I think possibly because of the cooler temps, but I'm not sure! I tried repotting one of them once while in spike and it aborted...not sure if my repotting was faulty, or whether their naturally sulky when responding to repots.

I'd wait w/ the sedirea

enjoy the blooms..they smell great in the mornings. And beautiful kingianum too! I'm still figuring that one out.

Ross · #7 03-07-2008, 03:55 PM

Both of mine are in a south facing bay window with supplemental lighting. By high light I mean full sun. Only the end of the spike exposed to the sun is blasting. The part behind the mount is OK for now. That's why I think sun may be a factor in my case. Also, I agree with shakkai that in a pot it seems to respond better. Same species, same window, one mounted, one not. The potted one is hands-down the better performer. For me, S/H is a non-issue. I don't see the point and I haven't had any success myself - not to badmouth the process of growing, just it's not for me. These guys need to dry out the roots between waterings. Constant water will certainly lead to rot (I think.) Just my

shakkai · #8 03-07-2008, 04:53 PM

Hey, Ross, congrats on your additional flower!! 5000 posts!! :0

Ross is right about them needing to dry between waterings - happens automatically when grow mounted (for the most part) but something to keep an eye on for ones that are potted. I used a little two inch clay pot when I took mine off the mount. I still water it every morning, and it dries out before night. (In effect, its on the same schedule as my mounted plants are....)

razka3 · #9 03-07-2008, 05:16 PM

Thanks Calvin for your input - I'm waiting on my light meter and will slowly move the sedirea up to what it can handle, right now it's shaded some and high humidity. There is actually some good information on the kingianum on the forums... I can't recall the specific one though. They need a really cold (high 30's F) period in the winter before they will bloom.

razka3 · #10 03-07-2008, 05:20 PM

shakkai - sounds more complicated than I first thought. Requires a lot of water, high humidity, high light, but likes to dry out every day.

I think it's in a 3" plastic pot now, with some kind of perlite/bark mix that seems to be brand new. Guess I'll leave it in there until done flowering, maybe I will come up with another solution by then!

I like how they are often mounted at the asian orchid shows.. on big mounts of sphag or whatever it is they are using, looks kind of neat with the roots running down the sides.