What is the diffrenc in care for Dendrobium compaired to Phalaenopsis?

[I am the duke of dork]

all and can i say what a brilliant forum you have here!
Anyway to the point. after keeping two Phalaenopsis for about 6 months I saw an amazing Dendrobium in a shop for £12 with five flower spikes on it all at different stages and my brain just went "MINE!". so how dose the care differ from Phalaenopsis to Dendrobium?

Thank you!

[tucker85]

It's like night and day actually. Phals grow continuously with no resting period. They require good light but no direct sunlight and they like to be moist all the time. Some growers do let them dry out but not for very long. Dendrobiums have a growing season during the summer and they rest during the winter. They need water and fertilizer during the growth period and much less of both during the winter. They like to dry completely between watering and can be left dry for fairly long periods during the winter. They like very strong light but some protection from the sun in the middle of the day. I have seen Dendrobiums grown in full sun. Some Dendrobiums get very large and need quite a bit of space. Good luck.

[I am the duke of dork]

Wow thanks . As i got then Den literally yesterday do they only flowerer in there rest period? or has this plant had a change in cycles? thank you!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

They usually flower just before dormancy. But this is a general statement...

[RosieC]

Although... most of the Dens you find in your standard garden centers or supermarkets in the UK are the Den Phal type... and care of those is actually pretty similar to care of Phals.

Dendrobiums are a really wide ranging genus and we probably need to know more specifically which type it is. A picture would help if you can post one.

You talk about flower spikes... is this a bit like phals spikes with several flowers/buds on each spike, sticking up from near the top of the canes? If so then it does sound like a Den Phal type.

This type does not need a winter rest as such. They can be cared for like Phals except for the fact they like higher light. I keep my phals in an east window and my Den Phals in a west window and also put them outside in the summer to get even higher light.

Oh and welcome to Orchid Board

[stefpix]

I agree, most likely a generic hard caneDendrobium you grow it like a Phalaenopsis. They come from warm / humid tropical places. Just needs and can take more light than a Phalaenopsis and seems more rugged and forgiving. You can put them outside in full sun in the summer. Better adjust it gradually.
No rest needed, unless it is a Dendrobium nobile which you can tell from having flowers along the cane rather than a flower stem at the apex of the cane

[I am the duke of dork]

Thank you i will try and put up some pics tomorrow as my camera is not very good at night or under light bulbs. I believe it is a Den x Phal as the flower spikes are coming out from the end of the canes Thanks again!

[RosieC]

Just a note. A Den Phal type is not a Dendrobium crossed with a Phal, I don't believe such a cross is possible.

Confusingly there is a species of Dendrobium which used to be called Dendrobium phalaenopsis (note the lower case p which is always used for species names, hybrid names start with an upper case). This has since been re-named Dendrobium bigibbum (which was the name originally used in Australia and that part of the world, but has now become the accepted name here).

Large genuses are often split into sub-genus, tribe and even sub-tribe and one of those levels (not sure which) is still called Dendrobium phalaenthe. This is a sub-group of Dendrobium which is all similar to the Dendrobium phalaenopsis/bigibbum species.

It's confusing I know (taken me a long while to get my head arround it) but basically what we refer to as a 'Den Phal' type is a hybrid whose parent spieces are mostly (or entirely) in the phalaenthe section of the Dendrobium genus.

They have no relation to the genus Phalaenopsis, but as we've said above care is similar.

Hope I've clarified this, rather than making it even more confusing

[Paul Mc]

My dendrobium flowers twice a year sometimes. It blooms around early spring and late fall. I don't know much about my dendrobium though in regards to type. I do let it get a lot drier in the winter months, mainly because I tend to forget about watering that one as it is not in a window I am around a lot. However, I do keep it fairly moist with little to no drying out from spring until fall.

Best of luck!

[I am the duke of dork]

Ah ok thanks. Sorry about the mistake with me believing that it was a cross between a Den and a Phal and you have not made it more confusing my grasp on the order of plants/animals is quite good but alas my camera has broken and they are arguing about the warranty so i may have not photos of my plant for wile yet

And just because i could -