Dendrobium Canaliculatum / Carronii care needs?

[HantsomeOrchids]

Hello!
Im new to flowers and have been looking for my second orchid. Problem is, im obnoxiously picky.
I saw Cana on a UK sellers page and saw the other relative mentioned elsewhere. They look stunning imo, I love the long oncidium-like canes of tiny flowers that dwarf the plant itself, but im wondering if I will be able to grow it well! Perhaps just an oncidium is better 😅

My summers indoors are ~30 / 22 c and winters 20 / 16 c and is usually ~65% humidity inside. The site said it enjoyed most of that range, but beyond that ive struggled to find much information: How fast does it grow? Does it need special care, how much drought can it withstand, how easy is it to flower, etc! 😭 i dont wanna buy then kill it. I saw that dendros and plants with pseudobulbs are supposed to be drought tolerant.

Ive also been told mini orchids go seed to seed fast, which would definitely encourage me to go invest in a little fume box and glassware and attempt it 😅
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Dendrobium canaliculatum is regarded as difficult to grow by many people. It requires distinct weather changes through the seasons that are not easy to reproduce in a home. I would suggest you begin with a different orchid. Its near relative Dendrobium kingianum is very easy to grow, but it needs a cooling period in winter to flower, along with lots of winter light - much cooler than most people keep their homes.

Dendrobiums easy to grow in typical home conditions include the Latouria section, with plants like Den. atroviolaceum, and hybrids like Mini Chip and Micro Chip.

[HantsomeOrchids]

Aaah, thanks so much. Ill check out the Kingianum. Every one I love I encounter is either not sold by anyone here or is extra difficult to grow... back to searching!

[Louis_W]

If this is your intro to orchids I might suggest a hybrid. Hybrids have "hybrid vigor" and often loose some sensitivity that their parent species have. The result is often a relatively fast plant that is much easier to grow in a range of conditions.

Orchids are mind bogglingly diverse and interesting. In order to narrow it down, I also suggest imagining a ven diagram of "conditions I am able to provide" and "orchids available to me". Try something in the sweet spot. Getting a pretty cool orchid flourish and bloom is way better than watching an incredible one languish and die. Just a suggestion...

I'm very picky too. I selected the species that would do best in my less-than- ideal condition and became their biggest fan afterwards.

[HantsomeOrchids]

Thanks for the advice, you are probably right regarding going for "easy + supply". I can search for hours for something great and then find it nowhere IRL 😭 Might take a trip up to one of the giant garden centers around london.

[Roberta]

Perhaps, experiment on some attractive hybrids that you can find a a garden center. Work on learning some of the fine points of creating environments in your home that do the job. (Orchids can tolerate conditions well outside their ideal conditions, and sometimes even thrive.) If there is an orchid society near you, get involved... you'll gain "local knowledge", what works for people who have conditions similar to yours, that is incredibly valuable. And in the spring, there may be an orchid show near you. (If you are in or near London, for certain! Check out the RHS for what is happening and where) Shows are a great place to get unusual things, and give an opportunity to talk to the vendor, to learn more about what a particular plant wants. (When just starting out in orchids... a friend had given me one... I attended a show. I was so blown away by the incredible variety that I didn't buy anything. The last time THAT happened. )