Den superbum Advice needed - Orchid Board

Randy · #1 12-23-2005, 11:25 AM

I've had a den superbum for a 4 years now and only gotten keiki's. I'd like to figure out what I am doing wrong.

I did mess up when I first got it and it took a year to recover. It was purchased in September and I pulled it out of the pot to check the roots. As do many plants it had a degree of rotten roots, so off the came. I decided to mount the plant at that time as well. It's on a rather large piece of locust wood (it weighs about 5 pounds). I had no idea that it was about to go to sleep for the winter until after I did all of that. However, the next year it was a good Den and grew lots of roots. Not only did the wrap around the wood, but have gone up and down the stick and even dug into the wood.

All summer it's outside. It get's lots of bright light & morning sun until about 11 AM; unless it rains it get's watered every morning with a diluted solution of fertilizer (dyna-grow mixture of grow, bloom, mag-pro and a tiny bit of KLN). I have it in one of those dispensers like you would use for miracle grow. It is mixed so it should come out between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp. Everything is watered/fed the same way.

It comes in sometime in September and goes without water/fertilizer all winter. However it does get over spray (water mist only) when I'm misting nearby plants. My friend Ron from the OS I belong to says to leave these Dens needing dry rest Desert DRY until they flower. He does great that way. I'm not sure if mine gets too much water or what. Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!
Randy