Help with Dendrobium kingianum

[prc11]

I have a nicely sized plant of Dendrobium kingianum and I have read that it needs a winter rest period. Right now it is under lights and has just finished its growth period. However, I was hoping to grow it outside this summer and was wondering if I can give it a winter rest and still grow it outside come June. Also, how do I give it a winter rest, I have some sort of an idea, but it is still a little blurry.

[gnathaniel]

Hi prc, there's a lot of confusing information out there about this species, but what I've been able to glean is that cool nights (some people say as low as 40-50 F) for a month or two is probably the most important element of the blooming cycle. Along with that you should reduce but not totally eliminate water and probably eliminate fertilizer altogether.

Depending on your springtime weather you might be able to just put this one outside once night temps are consistently above freezing. I had one doing fine outside last fall in sub-freezing night temps (low 30s) for a few weeks until I got cocky and left it out on an upper-20s night and it froze solid.

--Nat

[Becca]

Hi! I'm on my second season with my Den. kingianum and this year I have been rewarded with about 5 spikes with around 4 or 5 blooms on each spike. It's a site to see! I'll try and take pictures to share. But this is what I did with mine last year. In the fall around October when the weather starts to cool I put it outside and let mother nature do her thing. If we don't get much rain I will water it every few days by soaking it. I leave it outside until the temps get to freezing at night, which is usually in late November if not early November. Sometimes I will put it in the garage for a night if I think there will be a hard frost. Then when it is to cold (below freezing) I put it in the garage on a shelf next to a north facing window and I left it there all winter and did not water it or anything. Then in early February I noticed the spikes barely starting to form, so I waited another week and then brought it indoors and put it with the rest of my intermediate growing orchids that I grow under T5 lights and started watering it again.

This is just what has worked for me so far, maybe it will help you out some. It really is a pretty hardy orchid. Good luck!

[WhiteRabbit]

I agree it seems to be cool temps more than a watering rest needed to initiate spikes. My kingi has been outside since spring, started spikes early fall. Still waiting for it to bloom, but there's a ton of spikes with lots of buds I do water it less now, than in summer, but still don't allow it to dry.