Help: Vandas and Dendrobiums never flowered and one not well

[Lilandra]

Mom said she fed it a month ago. She put slow release in them (?).
She hasn't been feeding them as regularly as she used to (every two weeks) with pink orchid food (no name yet...).

She waters them every morning when we have water, otherwise every other day or every two days.

She treats all of them (the problem ones and these) the same way.

[Lilandra]

i found this

Deciduous Dendrobiums are peculiar-looking plants, becoming dry and shriveled bamboo-like canes each year after the leaves drop off. Amazingly, and lovelier by contrast, the flowers bud and bloom from the nodes (joints) of these dry canes.

here Dendrobium Orchid Care

mom thinks they're probably deciduous..

so maybe...as you say, more sun, less water...but what else?

[thakshila smith]

Ross nice explanation. Thanks for it.Even we get the same problem .they bloom very rarely here as well.
I think what is lack with lilandra is repotting too.If that plant had been sitting in the same pot for 5 years that needs repotting too.
First I talked about some shelter .Here in tropics we provide 50 % sheler for them. thanks.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

First:

Your Vanda not only needs more light, it needs more water. It's got thin roots. Thin roots mean it's not getting enough moisture. Not enough moisture also means droopy leaves.

I grow my Vandas in diatomite. Diatomite is a bit tricky to use, but once you figure it out, it does wonders. It is a highly porous rock and retains a lot of moisture. The medium doesn't get waterlogged like moss does, allowing your Vanda's roots to breathe. It doesn't compact or decompose so you can keep growing in the same material for years, no need for changing media. And you save time and water by using it instead of spraying or soaking the plant for 1/2 an hour. If you're growing indoors, watering once a week is good enough with diatomite. If you grow outdoors (only grow outdoors if it doesn't go below 60 degrees F), watering everyday during the warmer months will be no problem.

Vandas typically are intermediate to warm growing unless it's Vanda coerulea or Vanda coerulescens which can tolerate near freezing temperatures. Many of them grow in bright indirect sun, only a few grow in full sun. To be safe yours should be grown in bright indirect sun for half the day.

Vandas are also heavy feeders. Fertilize once every two weeks with a fertilizer that doesn't contain urea.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Second:

Your Dendrobiums look like they're alive to me. I think you just ended up with plants that go deciduous and need a rest period in order to bloom.

Deciduous Dendrobiums have canes or pseudobulbs that eventually go leafless. Usually that's right around mid fall to early winter. When this happens, do not water or fertilize. Continue watering and fertilizing in spring.

Just because the canes or pseudobulbs go deciduous doesn't mean they all look shriveled up and dead. Older canes or pseudobulbs do, new ones look the same, just leafless.

Shriveled canes or pseudobulbs may still be alive, don't remove them unless you know for sure they're dead as a doorknob.

I would grow your Dendrobium intermediate to warm, just in case, since you have no ID on them. They typically grow in moderate to bright indirect light. Only a few can tolerate full sun. Again to be safe grow in bright indirect sun for half the day.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Third:

The Dendrobium in your third pic are still babies. Of course they're not going to bloom. Blooming size is roughly 5" to 6".

Fourth:

Dendrobiums generally like to be grown very potbound. I grow a 1' tall Dendrobium odiosum in a 2" pot.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I highly recommend taking pictures of the flowers once they bloom. Then I'd try to ID them as best as possible. It's not going to be 100% correct, people are going to be in the ballpark and they can only tell you the parentage, not the cultivar name.

[trinimom]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions and helpful words....would work on them soon, like this weekend, as suggested.....
TriniMom

[Lilandra]

1) So we should move the vanda? Someone said about not moving them immediately because it might burn?

2) Dendrobiums: we don't have winter/fall etc so what do we do? if it's leafless don't water until leaves start growing?

3) mom tells me i made a mistake and posted the wrong picture (the babies). argh! she knows they're babies. silly me!

and once they bloom of course i'll take pictures! :-)

thank you very much
mom and i will try doing things to them this weekend.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

1. Move Vanda to brighter location a slowly.

2. Make sure Vanda gets enough water.

3. I just thought about this. But if you live in a tropical climate, if you're feeling brave enough, try growing your orchids on trees.

4. Find out when the leave drop, don't water or fertilize for three or four months or when you start seeing new babies come out. Then log the dates in a logbook. This is so you know for the future when your plants will go dormant in your growing conditions.

BTW: Once leaves drop on a cane they don't grow back on the same cane. You'll get new growth, (babies).