New orchid and need advice for my FDK After Dark Black Pearl

[Belsera]

Hi!

Been a while since I last posted but I figured this would be the best place to ask about my new orchid, a (I believe) Den Nobile I just got and if anyone had any advise regarding my FDK Black Pearl.

I got my new D. Nobile from the supermarket and found that it did not have a plastic draining pot in the ceramic one. I don't have any one hand right now so it'll have to wait until tomorrow until I can go buy one. Thankfully it doesn't look like it's packed in sphagnum but I'll find out for sure when I repot it. I was wondering if anyone could give me pointers on how to care for it. This is the first Den I've ever owned.

As for my FDK, I got it as a present in May 2017 from our local orchid show. It is still a baby and I've been doing my best with it but I'm not quite sure what to do right now since we are now in January and it doesn't seem to want to go in dormancy. The leaves are still nice and green with no real yellowing happening. It's not growing any bigger though, nor has there been any new leaves for quite a few months. Unfortunately it's pretty much impossible to have it experience cooler temperatures right now since my apartment is south facing (full wall of windows) and there is only one thermostat for the whole place. I have been placing it right next to the window where it is colder, but that doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Any advice?

[No-Pro-mwa]

I don't have either of these plants so I will not be much help. Go to Sunset Valley web sight and Fred Clark has a great care section on the FDK. He is the creator of this orchid. You can also do a search on the dendrobium nobile.

[Roberta]

That Den. nobile-type hybrid is growing and blooming so you can water it normally. It looks like it is in large bark, so will drain well. These do need to be fertilized only lightly, until around late July or early August when you can stop fertilizer altogether. It benefits from reduced water (not necessarily bone-dry) in winter... a bit of a chill can help it rest (if not completely "sleep" to get ready for the next spring's blooming.

As for the Fdk. After Dark, it's still pretty small, and also mounted so a bit of water won't hurt though it doesn't need it. Being mounted, you don't have to worry about root rot. This year I found these very slow to enter dormancy even with no water at all. (I still have green leaves on some of my Catasetinae even with no water for two months) But if you have been watering it, best to stop, and wait for new growth - and the new growth is well developed, before resuming. Do read the information on the Sunset Valley Orchids website on the subject Catasetinae Culture. You may want to re-think the mount for that Fdk... once in active growth it's going to be really hard to keep it hydrated, they are water hogs once they start growing. (In summer, their growth rate is more like a tomato than an orchid, with all the water and fertilizer requirements that implies) In fact, this would be a good time to pot it up, and then forget about it it until it shows you that it is ready to grow. If it is established on the mount, and you decide to remove it, damaging a few of last year's roots is not a big deal - they'll be pretty dead in the next year anyway, it's the new ones that haven't appeared yet that you will want to nurture.

[Belsera]

Thank you so much for the information! I wasn't quite sure where my new Den stood since it is a supermarket find. Unfortunately the pot it's in doesn't have a drainage hole so I've been a bit conservative with the water.

My FDK was mounted like that when I got it. It's my first year with it and I was waiting for it to go in dormancy so I could take it off the mount without damaging it. I'll definitely stop watering it until it puts out some new growth.

Thank you again so much for the information!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Belsera

Thank you so much for the information! I wasn't quite sure where my new Den stood since it is a supermarket find. Unfortunately the pot it's in doesn't have a drainage hole so I've been a bit conservative with the water.

Once it stops blooming, I'd suggest repotting - spring is the time for growing new roots, so the timing will be perfect. A great find! (Any chance it is in a plastic pot or liner inside the decorative pot? If so, it would be easy to take the inner pot out for watering. )

[Optimist]

The no drainage pot can be made into a graining pot with a scissors, drill, or other puncturing tools-- just don't harm the roots. I have made really cheap pots from time to time using a clean plastic jar or bottle from groceries. Thick walled stout plastic jars like mayonnaise jars are best for this. They are not "pretty" but they work.

[Belsera]

Originally Posted by Roberta

(Any chance it is in a plastic pot or liner inside the decorative pot? If so, it would be easy to take the inner pot out for watering. )

Unfortunately it seems like the supplier forgot the slotted plastic pot. It was placed directly into the decorative ceramic pot. I was really surprised. This hasn't happened to me before so I never thought to check before I bought it.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Belsera

Unfortunately it seems like the supplier forgot the slotted plastic pot. It was placed directly into the decorative ceramic pot. I was really surprised. This hasn't happened to me before so I never thought to check before I bought it.

Well, that just means that it also hasn't had a chance to get intimate with its environment, since it clearly wasn't grown that way, no doubt potted just before sale. That being the case, it also probably would do no harm for you to just pull it out and pot into a proper orchid pot now.

[estación seca]

It is possible to grow plants in pots with no drainage holes. It is not really a problem in a medium with such large air spaces as the bark in which your Dendrobium is planted. In this case you would fill the container with water, let the medium get good and wet, then tip out all the water. Most people wouldn't do this because it is a lot more work.

The great glasshousekeepers of the 1800s-early 1900s often grew in pots with no drainage holes. They collected rain water, so they didn't need to worry about salt buildup. They paid close attention to the plants and did not saturate the medium. This tradition is still alive; I have met excellent German gardeners who keep cactus in this manner.

[Manu]

Originally Posted by Belsera

As for my FDK, I got it as a present in May 2017 from our local orchid show. It is still a baby and I've been doing my best with it but I'm not quite sure what to do right now since we are now in January and it doesn't seem to want to go in dormancy. The leaves are still nice and green with no real yellowing happening. It's not growing any bigger though, nor has there been any new leaves for quite a few months. Unfortunately it's pretty much impossible to have it experience cooler temperatures right now since my apartment is south facing (full wall of windows) and there is only one thermostat for the whole place. I have been placing it right next to the window where it is colder, but that doesn't seem to be doing anything.
Any advice?

Hello!

I recognize that mounted FDK! It comes from Le Paradis des Orchidées in Laval, Qc.

They got these from Orchis (Taiwan) at the Spring 2016 Montreal Show. I also got 3 seedlings from the same batch. These plants are not babies anymore, they should actually be blooming size! The main problem with the ones you have, is they are mounted. I know Le Paradis des Orchidées had trouble keeping up with the waterings and also did not provide enough light and fertilizer during active growth, which explains why yours were still babies when you got them in May 17.

I want to commend you for your growing this summer. You did a much better job then they did with the other mounted FDKs they still have, yours are at least double the size of the ones they still have! My plants from the same batch are about double the size yours is, and like quadruple the size of the ones they still have. Mine are all currently in spike/buds/flowers, but did take a very long time to enter dormancy. One of them is just starting to drop its leaves now and has spikes forming. Most of my plants have 2-3 spikes.

A few pointers for your FDKs:

1. Stop watering now.

2. Wait for spikes to emerge and/or going dormant.

3. Once they are dormant, rip them off that mount, you really want to pot them up, it will make it much easier to fulfill its needs in a pot. You have 2 individual seedlings mounted side by side on that PVC tube covered in moss. The main reason why they aren't in bloom right now is probably the lack of water/fertilizer and perhaps sun, it's really hard to keep up with watering Catasetinae orchids that are mounted.

After removing them from the mount (don't be afraid to cut the roots), split the 2 plants apart and pot them in their own new pot in whatever medium you like, just make sure you have something that is water retentive. I really like to use sphagnum moss, mixed with bark and perlite at about equal proportions. Also, if you want, you can divide the tiny bulb that was there when you got it from this years larger growth to have an extra plant next year.

4. Wait for new growths to be tall enough and resume your watering schedule

I hope this helps!!

Emmanuel