Need Help with my new*Dendrobium Wave King Akebono

[Dr. Dave 4u]

I bought this Dendrobium Wave King Akebono and the seller told me it is not unusual for it to drop its leaves in the winter.*

First question is how does it look to you?
Next, do I water it at all in this state? Is this some sort of dormant state?-If no, than how wet does this want to be in its current state?-and if yes, When do I start to water it and how much?

When its growing in the summer does this orchid like to stay moist like in moss or dry out between waterings like in bark?

Thanks!

[estación seca]

That's a Dendrobium nobile hybrid. They have a particular seasonal growth pattern that needs to be respected in order to flower in the spring.

A Japanese company called Yamamoto hybridizes a lot of these. They formerly had a Hawaii division that had growing information in English on the Web site. It is gone now, but you can see an archived version on the Wayback Machine:

Yamamoto Dendrobiums: Caring

Yamamoto Dendrobiums: Hints

Briefly, they can be grown and flowered with full sets of leaves. It is neither necessary nor helpful to withhold water in winter to the point they drop leaves. Avoiding fertilizer after later summer, and cool winter nights, are what promotes flowering. Withholding water through the winter kills them.

[Dr. Dave 4u]

Wow...you have been a huge help
All your knowledge !! thanks for taking the time!

I kind of had a feeling light watering was ok so I didn't let them dry out and die, but then after learning of catasetum's dormant period I got worried!

I read Yamamoto's site and that was very helpful!

Thanks again!

[Roberta]

Early in my "orchid career" I was given the advice for the Den nobile hybrids to give no water from Halloween to Valentine's Day. Following that advice, I killed several before I figured out that was a bad idea. Your instincts are far better than mine were! In nature they may not get rain in the winter, but they get high humidity and dew... neither of which happens in a house with the heater blasting, or my climate with sometimes hot days and very low humidity. So they do need that light watering. (You can increase the watering, and start fertilizing, once you see new growth but even then, keep the fertilizer very light or you're likely to grow keikis instead of flowers). Also note that these bloom on the older canes with or without leaves, often for several years on the same canes. So don't cut old canes until they are totally shriveled and brown and indisputably dead.