New dendrobium nobile please help with what to do

[Plantnewbieuk]

Hi there I bought this plant yesterday as I loved the look of it,
I have looked on YouTube for plant care videos and am confused
It seems much more difficult than my normal orchid I have.
I have sat it on my windowsill which is east facing were my other
Orchid does very well.
From what I have seen online the new growth at the front with 2 leaves on will not grow anymore as they stop growing each seperate stem in one season before the winter so I assume this grew last year is this right , or should I treat it as if its still actively growing and water more even though it's winter ? It also has a small new growth in the potting medium do leave that untill spring to try and grow further ? My other orchid is in bark in a clear pot this is in a dry soil in a white plastic pot is that okay for this type of orchid or should I repot it in the spring.
I'm sorry for all the questions but it's very different to my other orchid and I want to ensure I keep it happy.

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

This plant was no doubt grown in a greenhouse, and probably kept somewhat damp, since it has plenty of green leaves. The pros can manipulate the growing season so that they get blooms when they want them. The small growht looks to me like a new one. So I think that you can treat this as being in its "growing season" (spring a little early) and water it normally. Next fall, you can slow down the watering and eliminate fertilizer, but don't try to keep it bone dry. I learned the hard way that "dry winter" is a good way to kill them... In nature, even if it doesn't rain much in winter, humidity is high and there is morning dew most of the time. It can get fairly chilly, and cool+short days tells it the season without severe drying. ("Dry" in habitat is a lot wetter than "Dry" in a house with winter heating or in my back yard with zero rain and 20% humidity) So... take that "dry winter rest" advice that you find on the 'net with a grain of salt. And enjoy this lovely plant, go ahead and water it. (damp, not soggy wet, but that's general good orchid care generally)

If the medium is in good shape (and it looks good in the photo) you could easilly waint another year or two before repotting. Broken-down bark can stay too wet, and needs replacing. But if there are big chunks which is what it looks like, there's plenty of air in the root zone, and that's the goal.


Just a note for the longer term... eventually the older canes may lose leaves. But leafless canes can still rebloom. And they are also reserves for the plant. So don't cut anything that is firm and green. When they shrivel to thin brown little sticks they can be trimmed, but not before.