Den Frosty Dawn question

[Judi]

I have just acquired a Den Frosty Dawn ‘Wings of Gold’, I love it, and I noticed the flowers are even fragrant! I want to make sure I give it the conditions it needs, so I have a few questions:

From what I was able to find out, the growing conditions for this den are pretty much the same as for my other dens. But the leaves are thin in comparison to my other dens; does that make a difference in terms of the amount of light and water it should get?

Some of the canes almost look shriveled; the newer one is more plump than the older and flowering one. Is this den dehydrated or is it the way it normally grows?

How tall do the canes get and does it keep flowering as it grows or is it a seasonal bloomer?

[WhiteRabbit]

This is a nobile type - needs the autumn / winter rest in order to bloom. Older canes may be somewhat shriveled from the greatly reduced water during the rest period.

I don't grow this one, but know that there are members who do - hopefully some of them may chime in

[Judi]

Thanks Sonya, I had a feeling it was the noble type but the lady at the nursery assured me it wasn't. Also the fact that it is in bloom now is confusing me. I can't really let it rest if it is flowering. Do I just water it normally for this winter?

The tag actually says D. FROSTY DAWN 'WINGS OF GOLD' but I am assuming the tag was incorrect and should have said Den. I may be wrong here but I couldn't find D Frosty Dawn.

I was trying to do some more research and came across Den. Formosum, now my den doesn't exactly look like that but it does have like a peach fuzz on the flower sheaths and canes like the Den. Formosum, see attached pic.

Another different thing is that each leaf tip has like a dimple on it, I tried to get a picture of that as well. So I know it is different from my other phal type dens, but I am still confused as to just exactly what it is! Any other suggestions with the added info of fuzzy canes and flower sheaths and a dimple at the tip of each leaf?

[stefpix]

warm growing. I think hybrid from PNG species

[vjo]

The D. Stands for Dendrobium.

[rcb]

D. Frosty Dawn is not a nobile type. The lady you bought it from was correct. It has 3 species in its background, formosum, cruentum and scabrilingue.

And as vjo mentioned D. is the correct abbreviation for Dendrobium, not Den. So they had it tagged correctly as well. - well other than using all caps.

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by rcb

D. Frosty Dawn is not a nobile type. The lady you bought it from was correct. It has 3 species in its background, formosum, cruentum and scabrilingue.

And as vjo mentioned D. is the correct abbreviation for Dendrobium, not Den. So they had it tagged correctly as well. - well other than using all caps.

Correct. D. nobile types are deciduous, and require cool/dry rest period to initiate buds. This hybrid is the FORMOSAE (or Nigrohirsutae type). Culture is given as:

Intermediate to cool year round, 50-60F nights, Max 85F days.
Water & fertilize when growing, give a slight short rest (dry), when growth is completed.
Keep barely moist until growth starts again.

[WhiteRabbit]

Thanks for correcting me. Sorry I was mistaken about which type this is

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Thanks for correcting me. Sorry I was mistaken about which type this is

I think its really easy to make a mistake on cultural conditions as there seems to be exceptions to every rule. I co-potted a formosae type ( hairy/hirsute ) with a phalaenopsis type because I was told by the vendor in Hawaii that both aren't deciduous. Well my formosae type lost all of its leaves and appeared dead.....it turns out it wasn't as it now has buds forming up and down the stem. Its a D(en) Roongkamol Vejvarut and this and Frosty Dawn both have Dawn Maree in their background. The phalaenopsis type still has all its leaves.

[Judi]

Thanks everyone for your input and the clarification! I think I now have a better idea of how to care for my new baby. OrchidWiz didn't mention a dormancy, and I didn't realize there was anything other than just phal or nobile type of dens. I found somewhere on the internet that the flowers can last for 2-3 months--if that is correct it would be real bonus!

But I am still confused about the abbreviation. According to OrchidWiz, D is for Dactylanthera and the abbreviation for Dendrobium is Den. Has that been changed? I know there have been many changes in the orchid world lately. I must admit that purchasing this den has been a real learning experience; and I love every minute of it!