Are my dendrobiums supposed to be growing so tall?

[ThePizzaMonster]

I've had these dendrobiums for about a year now and recently they started growing what I thought were spikes but in reality it was just more leaves. In the space of a couple of weeks they grew to maybe double the size and new shoots grew even taller than the old shoots.

Is it in response to more light or what is going on? They haven't bloomed so far.

I realize some leaves are sunburnt and I already moved them to a shadier spot.

[Roberta]

Sure. Some can become quite large, if their needs are met. That looks like a very healthy plant. You have found the maximum (or a bit more than the maximum) light that this can tolerate. It's spring, peak growing season for a lot of plants.

[SouthPark]

Certainly - dendrobriums can grow fairly tall. It's all relative though. If the latest growth are much taller than old ones, then it's likely the new conditions provided to it allowed it to grow in that way.

[KingKong]

Dendrobiums can range from miniature to enormous so your question is like how fast can a car fly?

The answer to that depends on how far you can fling it with a catapult of course.

If it is a Dendrobium Nobile Hybrib then it is still on the small side for it to be able to flower.

As to light - yes light is what makes plants grow, the more it gets without getting sunburn the more it will grow..

Dendrobium Nobiles can handle a decent amount of light.

[Roberta]

This one doesn't look like a nobile-type. I am thinking more like one of the Australian Dens, in the D. kingianum group based on the shape of the pseudobulbs. Just within the group, there's a big range of sizes. If that is what it is, you may end up with more growth and less flowers because of the warm winters. But depending on the source, it may just be waiting to mature more to bloom.

[ThePizzaMonster]

I'm kind of new to orchids and for some plants to grow tall quickly means it's not getting enough sunlight so I was a bit confused. Thanks for the responses.

I didn't explain myself right, they seem to have grown tall after they got sunburnt and I moved them to a shadier spot so that's what threw me off.

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:08 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

This one doesn't look like a nobile-type. I am thinking more like one of the Australian Dens, in the D. kingianum group based on the shape of the pseudobulbs. Just within the group, there's a big range of sizes. If that is what it is, you may end up with more growth and less flowers because of the warm winters. But depending on the source, it may just be waiting to mature more to bloom.

Honestly, I wouldn't be mad if it didn't bloom. I like just how bushy it looks. I'll update if I do get blooms.

[Fairorchids]

This is not a Den. kingianum type (the leaves are wrong, tips are rounded, not pointed). I can't place it, it appears that the lower part of each cane is fairly bulbous, but with a thinner top.

It appears that each cane segment on the new growths is longer than the segments on the older canes, so it is probably in too low light now.

[lizj]

Originally Posted by ThePizzaMonster

I've had these dendrobiums for about a year now and recently they started growing what I thought were spikes but in reality it was just more leaves. In the space of a couple of weeks they grew to maybe double the size and new shoots grew even taller than the old shoots.

Is it in response to more light or what is going on? They haven't bloomed so far.

I realize some leaves are sunburnt and I already moved them to a shadier spot.

Perhaps the latouria group?

[SouthPark]

lizj ------ I have seen aussie dendrobiums in the wild --- getting blasted by the most intense sun. And some of their leaves are scorched, but not all of them. They just endure the condition, and push through, without dying. It's sort of like part of what some orchids in the wild endure, and built to withstand the conditions.

My outdoor growing dendrobium gets some leaves scorched too - sometimes. No problem at all for them.

Sun-hardening is important though. Not good to just take a unconditioned plant and put outside with full sun all of a sudden heheh.

[Roberta]

ThePizzaMonster... do you have a name tag on your Dendrobium? We have been tossing around which group of this huge (and varied) genus it belongs to...conclusion that it is not nobile-type, and not the Aussie D. kingianum group, suggestion for the latouria group... with a name we could tell you more about it, and make some more educated guesses about its cultural needs.