Big Orchid = Mature Orchid?

[dianecty]

Hi! I just saw my large mini dend Kultana Fancy on Ebay. The seller says that 2.5" is was already mature. And so now my 9" dend is supposedly mature but it hasn't flowered because it needs cold weather to form flowers, is that right?

Do I need to water it sparsely now to make it form flowers or should I wait until fall to do that?

[Jerry Delaney]

At this time, I would not recommend trying to force it to bloom "out of season". For now, I would just grow it on and let it make some new canes and gather energy for the next blooming season. You might check out the URL below. Yamamoto is considered to be one if not the best info source on nobile Dendrobiums.

General Care

[quiltergal]

I agree with Jerry. It's a little late in the season for booms. My nobile finished up last month. If you've been fertilizing those "nubbins" as Dorothy likes to call them they may very well turn into Keikis. It's hard to say without a pic.

Height of canes is not always a good indicator of maturity. When I think of mature nobile Dens I think of pots filled with lots of canes, not just 2-3. Most nobiles put out a single new cane per growing season. So lots of canes = lots of years. So in some instances yes age does determine maturity. Den. Kultana Fancy is supposed to be miniature. At 9" I'm wondering if maybe the tags got switched on yours, and you really have something else. I guess we'll know when it blooms!