Den/Dockrillia cucumerinum culture

[SaraJean]

Time to pick some brains around here for culture tips and mounting suggestions for my little cucemerinum

This is one of the most frustrating orchids that I grow. It’s also one of my favorites. These seem to grow pretty awesome 10 1/2 months out of the year. Late August and September is when I have issues. I’ve lost three others during that time and this one has come close to dying. Late August though September is when we have the worst humidity (90-100%), the most rain (daily/all day), and, barring any hurricanes, horribly stagnant air (like living in the middle of the swamp. who knew lol). The little cucumbers start to yellow and just fall off rapidly. The pieces climbing off the mount are doing the best. I don’t know if ripping it off the mount and just tying a wire around it might be my best bet? Or tying it to a little square of hardware cloth? Or is there some sort of mount that dries quicker than cork or doesn’t have as many pockets that trap water? I am also putting together a growing area indoors with some LEDs where it could go, but then I really don’t know what to do with it. Pot it? Mount it?

Could this Den also keep rotting from being stressed with hot nights that part of the year? If anyone thinks that might be the case, then growing this indoors under lights might be my best bet.

Is anyone successful with this one and have some culture tips?


First pic is in Feb of 2019. I had it for about 2 years at this point and had remounted the 3 largest pieces in October of ‘18 after half of it rotted. It established itself quickly and declined again in September.
Second pic is current, same plant, and I feel like I’m beating my head against the wall. again.

[SaraJean]

Going to bump this thread up and hopefully someone can give a little guidance. I’ve got about 2 1/2 months before this thing starts crashing again

[Roberta]

Thank you! I went to take a closer look at mine, found some scale starting on older growths... sprayed! The best - and newest growth is also growing away from the mount. Which may be a clue... best bet may be to not remount it, but let it run free. Those free-hanging roots are the ones best oriented for drying out quickly after a drenching, and that drying very likely is critical.

[estación seca]

Here's what I've been told by better growers than I.

It grows on the undersides of rough-barked tree branches hanging over seasonal streams. The streams may dry up in winter. Winters are quite cool, with very low humidity, but not freezing. Summers are hot and wet.

It is a shade plant, not a high-light plant. Remember, on the undersides of branches under the canopy. Other Docks need more light, but not this one.

Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids told our society to mount Dockrillias on flat, not vertical mounts. They are supposed to grow far more vigourously this way, and the best flowering is from branch tips hanging off the mount. He also said this of Epidendrum porpax. Don't use moss on the mount. It stays too wet. Find something rough, like an oak branch or cedar plank.

Your photo screams sunburn to me.

[Roberta]

Interesting about Doc. cucumerinum... will give that a try. I have found that Epi porpax definitely does better that way (I drape it over an upside-down basket). The horizontal approach also works well for Mediocalcar decoratum

[SaraJean]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Here's what I've been told by better growers than I.

It grows on the undersides of rough-barked tree branches hanging over seasonal streams. The streams may dry up in winter. Winters are quite cool, with very low humidity, but not freezing. Summers are hot and wet.

It is a shade plant, not a high-light plant. Remember, on the undersides of branches under the canopy. Other Docks need more light, but not this one.

Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids told our society to mount Dockrillias on flat, not vertical mounts. They are supposed to grow far more vigourously this way, and the best flowering is from branch tips hanging off the mount. He also said this of Epidendrum porpax. Don't use moss on the mount. It stays too wet. Find something rough, like an oak branch or cedar plank.

Your photo screams sunburn to me.

I don’t think it was sunburn just from the pattern it would start to go bad. The first day, a little area right at the base of where the cucumber meets the rhizome would start to look yellow and the next day it would fall off. Then the cucumber next to it (which was fine the previous day) would do the same thing and it would just keep marching along till it stopped, and over the winter the old rhizome section dies back. BUT! That doesn’t mean I’m not growing it too bright. Now that you mention that, I’m wondering if I’ve been stressing it out with a combo of the temps and light, and after a few months of that it just gives out. Ive been a watching where the sun hits it over the past few days (it does live under the shade cloth, though) and timing it. I don’t keep this as bright as my wassellii or linguiforme, but it’s close.

Down to the shade this one goes

---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Thank you! I went to take a closer look at mine, found some scale starting on older growths... sprayed! The best - and newest growth is also growing away from the mount. Which may be a clue... best bet may be to not remount it, but let it run free. Those free-hanging roots are the ones best oriented for drying out quickly after a drenching, and that drying very likely is critical.

Yikes! I’m glad you caught it! It does look like it just wants to run free, doesn’t it? I think I was mainly concerned about this mount causing problems but the whole section that’s still on the cork is dead and dry, so I can probably just leave it. Thanks!

[SouthPark]

Just speculating here SJ ----- I reckon it's not a case of 'wanting' to 'run free' as such ....... but just surviving out there in those regions - where it is able to grow.

Regarding the dead roots in the media section ------ could probably make a note about their state later.

Eg. make a note about whether those roots are wet most of the time during those couple of months. If they are wet most of the time, and if they appear to change colour to grey etc and have some rotting appearance, then something can definitely be done about that. Probably just running out of oxygen - eg. too wet most of the time, or for too long.

Some air-movement could possibly help too, as you mentioned 'stagnant air'.

[SaraJean]

Thought I would check in

Originally Posted by SouthPark

but just surviving out there in those regions - where it is able to grow.

well, wherever this one grows, however it grows, it certainly doesn’t want to grow for me

Here we go again! Right on time, this one is heading down hill. I’m about ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat with this species. I kept it shadier. Our weather hasn’t been as hot this year. I made sure it was dry by nightfall as much as I could and kept it out of any extreme rain (like when we have days and days of non stop rain). I had moved it under the balcony area that has a ceiling fan that was going on med-low speed 24/7 for some gentle air movement to hopefully combat the stagnant humid air. Now it’s rotting from the ends of the free hanging pieces which is the opposite of last year when I was concerned about the part of the orchid touching the mount staying to wet. Still the same pattern though, where the base turns yellow are moves it’s way up. I’m not sure what to do with this fussy mess. I might actually treat it with a prober fungicide or something, but I really hate doing that since I haven’t the first clue what is causing this to happen. Might even be bacterial for all I know

[Roberta]

I wonder if it wants cooler nights or less humidity (neither of which you have any control over) Mine gets pretty bright light, the leaves are more of a dull, dark green but the plant seems fairly healthy (I have had old growths dry up but the newer ones have flowered and there are some nice new roots) And the big difference between my house and yours is that summer nights are a lot cooler (a really "hot" night is mid-70's F, and those don't last for more than a few days) and it is a lot drier - mine is mounted, gets watered once a day so it's dry in a couple of hours ("high" humidity is 60% mid day, usually lower than that) It might do better for you indoors with A/C.

[estación seca]

I don't know what are its summer night temperatures in habitat. I don't think humidity is the problem because it's pretty much wet all summer.