Remove sponge in center of mini phal?

[dbarron]

Yep, Roberta, but it's still the hardest material to remove I've ever dealt with (but yes a hammer was my friend).
I actually need to work on a dendrobium this morning and I'm considering a clay orchid pot *lol*...so I guess I am not completely anti-clay.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by dbarron

Yep, Roberta, but it's still the hardest material to remove I've ever dealt with (but yes a hammer was my friend).
I actually need to work on a dendrobium this morning and I'm considering a clay orchid pot *lol*...so I guess I am not completely anti-clay.

there are times when clay is still a good choice - it "breathes" unlike plastic (root cooling for Pleurothallids), and is heavy which is good for tall, top-heavy plants. And when it's time to repot, whacking feels good...

[Denizf]

Originally Posted by dbarron

Yep, Roberta, but it's still the hardest material to remove I've ever dealt with (but yes a hammer was my friend).
I actually need to work on a dendrobium this morning and I'm considering a clay orchid pot *lol*...so I guess I am not completely anti-clay.

I got my first dendrobium nobile recently! I have no idea what to do with it haha. Done what reading I can find and will be perusing the boards here.
I'm zone 4b, but I was planning on moving it outside for the summer and into the warmer Fall, since what reading I could find said they should appreciate some direct sun and then the cooler night time temps into early Fall.

[rbarata]

I got my first dendrobium nobile recently! I have no idea what to do with it...

Plenty of water and warm temps as soon as new growths start to rise.
Little water, plenty of light and temps around 12ºC in winter.
And before you ask here in panic, it's a deciduous plant and blooms mostly from older pbulbs (or like some like to call it, canes)

[Roberta]

It can go a lot colder than 12 deg C... bring it in before frost, though. But based on my experience, the cool-down is a lot more important than "dry" for blooming. In the house during the winter, with very low humidity, do give some water once a week or so no matter what you read about "dry rest". I learned the hard way... Once you bring it in for the winter, if you can find a cool spot (like next to a window) that's great. In nature, these experience a period of little or no rainfall in winter, but there's still dew so not completely dry. With little rain, there's little cloud cover, so it's very bright, brighter than summer. (In summer, filtered sun)

[Denizf]

I found a link to Yamamoto orchids pages on dendrobiums through the dendro forum here and they had some very solid info. I’ll have to wait another month before we’re past frost at night. The joys of living in Northern Ontario.
Thank you for your tips! I look forward to learning about a new plant species.
It’s done blooming now so it’s a crazy looking stick but it was lovely for a while.