Fall Care for Dendrobiums

[SaraJean]

I have question about fall care.

This is my first year growing orchids, I jumped in head first, and now I have a nice little collection of 25 plants. Everybody seems to be doing VERY good which is actually starting to confuse me a bit, especially in the case of my dendrobiums.

I have a Den. Spring Bird, Den. Little Sweet Scent, Den. Loddigesii, and a Den. Aphyllum. I also have some type of a Den. Phalaenopsis- which i know that I treat differently than my other dens that need more of a winter rest. They are all growing like crazy; new roots, new canes (or bulbs, not sure what the correct term is), new leaves, everything.

All of the literature and care sheets that I have been reading says that they should be done growing by now (or at least slowing down) and in September-ish; start cutting back water and completely cut out fertilizer. But I have also been reading that when they are in active growth- water and fertilize heavily. So that is where my confusion comes in. Do I follow care guidelines for the fall? Or, since the temperature is still in the upper 80's to low 90's here in New Orleans- do I keep giving them summer care till the temps start to cool a bit and the growth slows? Our fall is really November and December, with the coldest temps being in January and February.

[Brooke]

Den loddigessii and aphylum need a winter rest. For you winter would be late fall, early winter.

The Phal type Den needs moisture year round.

If someone could look up the parentage of Spring Bird and Little Sweet Scent you could figure out if it is a hard cane or soft cane Den to understand the watering requirements.

Hope this helps.

Brooke

[Subrosa]

Orchids can't read calendars or care sheets. If your orchid is actively growing, treat it like an actively growing individual of its type, regardless of whether it's "on schedule".

[Raqsharqi]

I've been growing orchids for about a year, so I went through this "when is it Fall" bit last year. I just planted the second crop of tomatoes in late July. These plants, and my summer squash, will grow and produce merrily until "Fall", which is when we have our first frost...maybe November, maybe later. That's when I will put my orchids on winter rest. Spring here is when it is somewhat safe to set the early crop of tomatoes out. That is usually around March. That is the time I will be watching for my orchids to recognize that things are starting to bud outside and will want to follow suit. It isn't perfect, as schedules go, but it is what I plan to work with.

[Fairorchids]

Den Little Sweet Scent is not registered by the RHS. Does the label show the parents?

Here is a screenshot with species used in Den Spring Bird:

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Dendrobium loddegesii, Den aphyllum, and Den phalaenopsis, (I'm assuming you're talking about the species, Den phalaenopsis, not the hybrids), are all spring, summer, fall growing; winter dormant.

You will continue to see growth of some kind on at least two out of the three Dendrobiums, (Den loddigesii and Den phalaenopsis), so looking for cessation of growth is not necessarily the best way to determine whether you should stop watering or not. The problems will come later after about a couple of years of continuous watering, particularly for Den aphyllum and Den loddigesii, and not necessarily the Den phalaenopsis, (I'm assuming you're talking about the species, not the hybrids). Although, I've had Den loddigesii, crash pretty quickly from watering year round, (at the time, I didn't realize that this was actually a winter dormant species, not one you should be watering all year round). The problems will not be evident right away. Problems may include difficulty of new shoots growing out properly for no good reason. New shoots rotting off unexpectedly. Poor flowering or no flowering for some unexpected reason. In worst cases, the entire plant can crash and you "won't know" why.

If you want to save yourself the trouble of repotting, you can grow the species Den phalaenopsis as a true lithophyte using granite pebbles. It works perfectly. I grow several of my Dendrobium kingianum as lithophytes using granite. Den phalaenopsis is originally from Australia.

[Cutesmile]

Hi there,

My apologies if I missed the answer, but I'm now also curious as to the fall/winter care of Dendrobiums as I have a Dendrobium Salaya Stripe (phal I believe). Can someone provide some insight regarding fertilizers, lighting & watering etc?

I'd prefer to keep this one alive as it is beautiful. I'm in SoCal and pretty new to the beautiful orchid world.

Thank you kindly!

[SaraJean]

oops! I forgot that I posted this thread

So after searching around, the dendrobium little sweet scent hybrid of a Den. anosmum and Den. parishii. It is deciduous, i am assuming, and needs some sort of a winter rest. I am just unsure whether it is a hard winter rest or not. The idea of not watering some orchids for a month or three, is weirding me out!

Thanks for all of the help!

[cjm3fl]

"When is it winter?" is always a great question when it comes to plants, and gardening.

If I wanted to I could have planted new tomato plants in mid-September---where I live.
My sisters were getting the last of their 2015 tomatoes during mid-September---where they live.

SaraJean, you're lucky to live in the "south". You have a very good chance of seeing temps where plants would be comfortable growing for a while longer.
My sisters live near Philly and have very little hope of seeing a couple day with temps of 70*(f) or better, until sometime next year.

I live farther south then you do. The "rest period" for some of my orchids has been in mid-summer while the same orchid on another mount is going into full bloom.


I agree with everyone who is saying that your plants will tell you by slowing down their growth.
Species, condition, and care can make a difference too.
And all your plants may not go to rest at the same time.

How do you care for them?
Keep doing what you're doing with watering and feeding until you see a slow down in growth.
Protect them during those (few) days/nights when the temps get too cool for your orchids.

[nutgirl]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

The idea of not watering some orchids for a month or three, is weirding me out!

Thanks for all of the help!

Reduced water is a better way of putting it. Most of these types are from areas with distinct wet and dry seasons but even during the dry there is still moisture.

You can spray the plants or give them an occasional light watering.


Maureen