Need help! I bought a dendrobium this am (plus another question) - Orchid Board

gardengirl13 · #1 09-30-2012, 01:30 PM

Silly me, I always look at tags to see what I'm buying and today I fell in love. I saw the main tag that reads "dendrobium orchid hybrid" This store normally has good tags. I have no clue how to care for this one. I thought I could look up the name when I got home like I have all my other orchids and learn the care needs.

I will post photos when I get a chance, but it's in bloom, and is white and purple, kind of lavender. The older petals seem darker then the new. He's only got one spike with blooms and buds, and is about 20" tall with the flowers. The leaves seem slightly pale and some yellowed slightly. I normally never buy orchids unless they look very healthy, but this was the only one that still had buds and I liked the color. I've never grown a den. before either.

I see that most want bright light and low water but high humidity. They also seem to want small containers, which isn't an issue since I just re-potted some other orchids into larger pots.

Any suggestions?

Also I have a Brdsm. Guilded Urchin "ontario" that I got two years ago. I've divided last spring when he had a very nice shoot with roots. Well both plants are doing very well, but the old one won't flower (the cutting is growing but still too small to flower)? I gave it a bloom booster a few times over the last few months, but still nothing! It has lots of new leaf growth though. Any suggestions?

WhiteRabbit · #2 10-01-2012, 12:23 AM

I'm guessing it's a Phalaenanthe section Den (Den-phal) ? Photo would help ...

If so, media should remain lightly moist during growing season (spring-summer) - can be grown slightly drier in winter. If you keep the roots happy, I don't think you need to worry about humidity much. Moderately bright light (sunny east or west facing window)

Re: your divisions - how big are the divisions? Divided this past spring, or spring last year? Are there mature new growths? Many Oncidium alliance only spike when the new growth is fully mature.
Has this bloomed since you got it?

gardengirl13 · #3 10-01-2012, 08:21 PM

I'll get the den photos up tomorrow. Today he seems shocked by the move from the store to here. He's petals are shriveling a bit! I've never had an orchid do this before. I assume it'll be ok right?

Right now he's on the west side of a south facing window. Sounds weird, ok, he gets morning and mid day light from fall to early spring, then morning only in spring and summer. I put a bowl of water next to him until I can get something that won't leak (the tray I had leaked on me, luckily I caught it before it got all over my cookbooks!) I normally re-pot as soon as I get home since the local orchids seem to be very root bound and slightly rotting. Even while flowering I do this very carefully. They all do very well after, aside from one, which decided to drop it's flowers only 3 weeks after getting him. He was in full bloom so maybe it was just time. But then he rotted. Not the roots, the leaves? So I have no clue what happened.

As for the non-blooming orchid. I got him over two years ago. He was stunning! Bloomed for like 2 months and was in full bloom when I got him. It was this spring I trimmed the shoot off and tried to grow a second plant. That plant is doing well, still small, but the roots are going nuts and there seems to be some small leaf growth. I don't expect much for a couple years on this one. But the original plant has never re-boomed. It looks healthy, the roots are nice and white and pale green, the leaves are happy and growing like crazy. I got some bat guanno from someone here and tried it, I've tried the bloom booster and nothing. I can't get it to bloom again! He keeps growing though. I thought maybe too much N since that can cause leaf growth but not blooms. But eve cutting back I can't get any. My 3 phal. have all re-bloomed this year. I've only had the lady slipper for a few months so I won't know if it'll re-bloom until next year I assume.

Any other fert. or care that'll help it bloom? I tried moving it to a brighter spot but nothing changed.

gardengirl13 · #4 10-02-2012, 12:07 PM

OK I tried to post a couple photos of the new den, but it was denied. So I put a link to them in my signature. Please check there. I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to do the image code. Maybe because I'm "new" it won't allow it? They're linked from photobucket, so I assumed it was ok.

WhiteRabbit · #5 10-02-2012, 09:05 PM

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ng-photos.html
There is a five post requirement before posting photos via links I believe, but I think you can upload directly to your posts using the 'attach' button. But - your sig link works

Yes, thats a Den-phal. Moderately bright light, potting media should be kept light moist, but can dry slightly in winter.

On the Brassidium - how long has it been in the brighter light, and are there recently matured pbulbs?
Usually if an orchid is growing well, but not blooming, it probably needs an increase in light - but it needs the brighter light while the new growths are developing, and then when they are mature, you will hopefully get blooms.

gardengirl13 · #6 10-03-2012, 09:20 AM

Well I had tried brighter light for a month or so and nothing changed so I was being neglectful and moved him back. He's now in the south facing window with the new den and his offshoot (which the cutting has been in the south window the whole time.) I looked closer today and he's looking sad. The little fat bottom parts of the leaves (I'm assuming these are the pbulbs?) are looking darker and shriveled. And one of his small new leaves just turned yellow in the last couple days. I'm hoping moving him to the window will help all this. There is a thickening where the new leaves are that looks like it may form new pbulbs (I have to look this up to make sure this is right.)

The new den is in the south window as I said, but should he be there or in the east facing window? The south window doesn't get a whole lot of sun in the summer, and when it does, it's fast moving. But in the winter it does get a decent amount. He's on the west side so will only get am sun and bright light the rest of the day. Currently the brassidium is on the east side, so he'll get the warm pm sun. But it's been raining here for over a week with no sun, with almost a week of rain in the forecast!

I did move the orchids into bigger pots this spring/summer. Was this not a good idea? The older white phal seems fine, that guy is a strong grower, he only gave me a small spike with 3-4 flowers, but at this point even that small amount made me happy. The smaller phal I had to cut a few roots off and his "root ball" if you call it that with orchids, is VERY small. He does have a few roots growing in the air and are very healthy. I just worry as you can see! He didn't get a bigger pot, just new bark and moss. But as I'm learning more here, I'm seeing that maybe bigger pots are only ok, and not ideal. Do you think the brassidium needs a smaller pot? He was in a glazed pot with no holes, so I thought holes would help give him more air. But the pot size went from 4" to 6" his leaves fill it out nicely though.

gardengirl13 · #7 10-03-2012, 09:32 AM

ok yesterday I posted a bit and am now over 5 posts. I saw in a photo questions thread about doing this. I was mostly a lurker before, although I swear I posted a few times???

Anyway here are the photos (people can still go look at my sig link though as there are a bunch more photos there)

yeah it works!!!

Vanda lover · #8 10-03-2012, 01:19 PM

That's a beautiful den. It sounds like you have already received good advice on the care of den. I have mine in s/h in lava rock and so far it is happy. I got in in the spring. As for the brassidium, it may yet bloom. they tend to bloom winter or spring. If it has had good light [I find they need a lot] and a drop in temperature at night, it should bloom. Don't bother with bloom formulas. They have been proven to be pretty useless.