beginner confusion

[oscar freak]

Hi,new to this site and to orchids.went out to buy a cymbidium and came home with a dendrobium instead now a lot confused.let me start by saying i live in jhb south africa and its the middle of winter here but the sun still shines with a fierce intesity here todays temperature is around 20 degrees celcius and night time can drop to 0 or below and its dry all the time(thats just for an idea of climate).so i bought this dendrobium in full bloom attached to a piece of bark and roots covered in a sack of sorts.i was told to water by spraying the leaves and stems twice a week.i"ve been googling for info but its all very ambigous.at the moment i have it hanging in a sheltered spot where it receives morning sun then bring it indoors at night,is this ok?i also would prefer to have it potted is this possible?any help you guys can give would be most appreciated.thnks

[cbuchman]

Do you know that kind of Dendrobium? The full name would help. There are lots of sub-tribes for Dens and the take different culture. So we need more info.

And Welcome to the OB!

[oscar freak]

thanks for the reply,i dont know what its called but this is what it looks like

[NYCorchidman]

Getting a dendrobium instead of a cymbidium is quite the news as they look nothing like each other. lol

Your beautiful dendrobium hybrid is called Sonia. It is probably the most popular one in the market for cut flower trade. It is sold nearly every corner of NYC.
People love it for store, home, and wedding party etc!
and Thai restaurants often use a single flower on many of their dish as a garnish.

I have one pot of dendrobium Sonia.

These are roughly called "den phal" or "phal type" dendrobiums, but has nothing to do with phalaenopsis.

The basic care is to keep them warm and in the bright location.

What is yours potted in? If it is in coarse mix like bark, you want to water it good. This plant is quite drought tolerant but it is not good for the plant.
Water good and then drain. Water again once the pot dries up, which is usually about once or twice a week depending on how fast things dry up in your particular situations.

Morning and late afternoon sun is good for the plant, but the midday sun may hurt the plant, so keep them at eastern window if you can, or keep them behind the sheer curtain.
Bright light give best result as far as plant growth and flowering.

During the active growth phase, water heavily, but of course drain well.

During the winter, I think it is getting into winter in your part of the world now, keep the plant warm. Do not expose them to temperature under 15 C. To be safe, keep them above 15 at all times.
Basically indoor where you feel comfortable.

They will take cool period around 15-10, but you have to then keep the plant nearly dry, only watering about every two weeks or so. It is best to keep them warmer, which can then bloom twice a year.

If you have sunny window where this plant can get bright light and warmth year around, they will bloom many times. They are flower machine, hence great for cut flower production.

[oscar freak]

thanks for the welcome and help it is very appreciated.at the moment its roots are wrapped in a sack thingie im to scared to open it though i do want to pot it.

---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:11 AM ----------

also is it ok to just water at the roots and not spray the whole plant?i'm also a tropical fish hobbyist is it ok to use the water from my tank to water its loaded with fish waste?

[WhiteRabbit]

Definitely water the potting mix well; there is no need to spray the whole plant.

I have used aquarium water for other (not orchids) plants - I just stopped keeping fish as I started growing orchids. I would think it should be fine, tho maybe not as the sole fertilizer. Hopefully some other members that know more about this can advise.

[Bud]

You got the culture of your plant from NYCorchidman down pat=follow it and you will never go wrong....
Dendrobium in winter ....even with the DenPhals I hold fertilizer for a couple of months(December to February but for you=winter in the south of the globe must be June to August) and water every 7 days (but in summer I water it every other day)....unless you want keikis instead of flowers then continue watering as if it is in full growth. In any Dendrobium environment in the wild: you will see the seasons also change from heavy rains to drought....but in some cases the early morning dew, water them every morning but the fertilizer is definitely on hold.
I think you should remove the sack and expose what media mix is in there and to also check out the root situation.... Read on Dendrobium mix with repotme.com online and maybe you can find those in your local garden store. I like to follow the media mix that they have in the wild so it can get the fullest nutrients.

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

I have read some members here use water from the fish tank for their orchid plants.

[oscar freak]

here's my baby.have decided to leave it inside near the east facing window it should get a few good hours of morning sun.im going away for the weekend so dont want to fiddle to much till i have more time,the days are very short here at the moment.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

Your beautiful dendrobium hybrid is called Sonia. It is probably the most popular one in the market for cut flower trade. It is sold nearly every corner of NYC.

I'm not convinced of this. If Oscar Freak was in NYC, or even in the USA then you would probably be right, however in South Africa they could easily have other hybrids that look just like this.

Here in the UK we have a couple of other names around for the mass market/cut flower market that look very similar.

Anyway, whether it is or not, the care advise will be the same. That sounds about how I care for mine of that type.

[NYCorchidman]

I don't think Sonia is made in the US nor in the South Africa, but in Thailand and other Asian markets, then distributed all over the world.

There are all the same stuff but different clonal names or some made-up names for marketing purposes.