Orchids blooming but short spikes

[Rez]

Hi there,

I have an oncidium and a miltassia. They both bloomed but the spikes were very short compared to when I bought them about 9 months ago. The miltassia's flowers looked dried out and sad to me, but the oncidium blooms themselves look fine.

- Does anyone know why these spikes are coming up so short?

Also, I have a dendrobium that I have had for about 16 months now and still hasn't bloomed. It sent up one huge cane and a smaller cane beside it and hasn't done anything since then. It has a very healthy root system. In one picture you can see something pointy that emerged a few months ago which I thought was going to be flowers, but it never developed into anything.

- Does anyone know what this is? Was it going to be a flower spike? If so, why might it have aborted and what can I do to encourage a new flower spike?

Potential helpful pieces of information:
1. I live in Florida
2. I changed apartments about 4 months ago. In the old place the orchids were in a west facing window, now they are in a south facing window.
3. The dendrobium sent up its new canes while at the old apartment.
4. You will note that the dendrobium leaves look burnt - at the old apartment I had put it outside under a shaded porch hoping that maybe if I could get it in the more natural florida environment and temperature changes it would bloom. Some how it got burnt, even in the shade

Thanks for you help!

[POLKA]

Howdy

First of all what kind of heat do you have now? Natural gas or electric? If the petals / sepals are dry, think thru the heating / drafts / air movement / humidity thing.

If the humidity and drafts are okay, then try having your heating checked for leaks if it is natural gas (sepal wilt is a sensitivity to partially burned gas). It will give you the impression that your humidity is too low. Check that first, and always.

Otherwise, it is probably just slightly goofed up because of the recent move.

Same way about the spike length. Their culture before selling it to you was different. It will eventually get used to you, and bloom correctly for you, most likely on the next blooming cycle -- about 8to 10 months from now.

The Dendrobium typically spikes in fall to bloom in winter, and then again spikes in spring to bloom in summer (well, at least all my grocery store type dendies do) <grin>

I would say that moving this as you did, and when you did caused a delay. The spikes should begin slowly forming after the last leaf is mature at the top of the new growth. Then it will eventually spike, as well as the old canes sprouting new spikes too (if it is happy, it will).

Patience in the new digs is all it need I suppose.

Take care, Hope I helped
Rex

[WhiteRabbit]

I've gotten short spikes on Oncidiums with poor roots ... How do pbulbs look?
Maybe after blooming you can check the roots.

The other looks like a nobile type Den. These like a fair amount of light and a definite rest with little water and no fertilizer starting in the fall.

[Rez]

When you say fall does that pertain to a specific month or weather condition? For example, can my orchid really tell its a certain season if it's in the same indoor conditions year round? Also I live in Florida where the seasons don't really exist...


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[james mickelso]

Oncids, milts, odonts,. Look at the size of the old pbulb. See how large it was? That is because of the conditions they are grown in commercially. See how much smaller yours is? In a commercial setting they are grown very warm with lots of light, high humidity, and lots of air movement. They are fertilized weakly but often. In other words they are forced. We can seldom give them the same environment in our homes. Don't worry. After another season of good care your milt will give you a better inflorescence. Give it good light (bright but not full sun) good water (low in dissolved solids and salts), and a good breeze. Don't worry about the humidity part. Just keep the roots damp but not wet. Learn to gage the weight of the pot to how wet or dry it is. Pick it up every day and in no time you'll know when to water. The den won't bloom for another season. It will want to rest for a while before blooming again. Dens need to store up energy to flower.

[WhiteRabbit]

Dendrobium Nobile Care - Akatsuka Orchid Gardens, Volcano Hawaii

[Rez]

Ok so since it's January I should be doing ... What with the dendrobium? Withhold water from it?

Also- I thought nobile dendrobiums had flowers that come out all along the entire cane? This one originally had a spike coming out of the top.


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[WhiteRabbit]

Ah - den-phal then ... water when media is nearly dry. Fairly bright light.

[Ferns Daddy]

I have 2 noid oncidiums that had short spikes last year and this year the spikes are taller and have more flowers on them, they do better once they get use to your lighting, I keep a fan going all the time for them.

[plumania]

I do not have answers to most of your questions but being a Floridian I can guess a few and share my experience.

A lot depends on where in Florida you live. I live near Ft Lauderdale and weather here is close to Miami. It gets colder as you move north.

Fall season in south Florida is hard to tell from summer. If you see that in general plants around you are not growing as much, yellowing leaves on some, may be it is getting cold and that is all you can say.
But apartment/indoor is a different story due to constant temps. We still get high humidity indoor in summers.

Short spike- recently had similar experience with my Onc. Sharry baby. However, I recall that I repotted it few months back from plastic to clay pot in a new media. P bulbs shrank initially. Took a while to adjust as I kept it in my screened patio. But it made 6 new p bulbs since repotting and new ones are growing nice, so hopefully next year I get a better spike. I will provide it a little more sunlight and expose it to rain as root system is stronger now.
Sunburn- I see it on leaf only. If it is just a leaf or two, do not worry. If it is on cane a bit, still no worry.
Here we can get sunburn even by sitting near window during summer and by couple of minute in full sun, due to UV lights.

Cane size/count- might improve later once plant gets used to the new growing condition. Try exposing to summer warmth and humidity (avoid full/direct sun).

My understanding is that Miltassia and Oncidiums do not do too well in Florida heat and humidity, specially in southern areas.

I grow everything outside, easier than indoor here as most of mine are Cattleyas and Brasssavolas and Encyclias. They are more Florida(south) friendly.

I am trying dendrobiums as well, with mixed results. Still trying to figure out which dendro likes what if I grow outdoors here.


There is a Florida forum (in social groups), many experienced growers. I learn a lot there as they have similar environmental conditions.