Trouble getting kinganium to bloom...

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Hi Maryanne, all growing is local. Dr. Neptune's recommendations may be excellent for Boston, and other frigid-winter areas, but they don't work in warmer, southern areas.

Dr. Neptune lived in Boston, a northern climate with dark and frigid winters. He had a cool greenhouse heated to 46 F / 8C minimum at night in the winter. That cool greenhouse in Boston likely had days on end not far above 46 F in winter.

Unfortunately, in more southern parts of the US, an 8-week dry, or nearly dry, winter rest will set back adult plants, and likely kill seedlings. We in southern states have winter days well into the 70s or even 80s F / 21-28C much of the time. We do have plenty of winter nights below 55 F / 12.5C, so we can bloom these plants. Greenhouses here are even warmer during the day. Plus, we have plentiful winter sunshine, a rarity in Boston when Dr. Neptune was growing. The kingis might survive cool and dry, but not warm and dry.

They bloom wonderfully in southern California if left outside, exposed to winter rain, which is plentiful in some years. So winter dryness is not the key.

They cannot take full summer sun in warmer, southern areas of the US. In summer, mine are in a window, with 40% shade cloth, and they are close to burning. Now, in winter, my larger plant has been outside since November, and has sustained a little sunburn. (I don't think it will bloom. One of my dogs trampled it shortly after I put it out and broke off all the newest growths.)

Also, kingi seedlings must be watered, regularly, all year if they have warm days. They are too small to withstand dry rests.

I began growing kingis after reading your post from 2014 in the archives, and reading Dr. Neptune's paper. I started in spring and summer 2015. From a member of our local society, I got a 3-back bulb division of a large-growing plant, Den. kingianum Roy Gill, which is probably the same clone mentioned in Dr. Neptune's paper as 'Roy.' One of the pseudobulbs had flowered. I got 2 seedlings from Carter & Holmes. They were in 2" / 5cm pots and came with over a dozen small growths each. All grew well the first summer and fall, so long as I watered plentifully.

The first winter I let them dry between waterings. They began declining. Lacking experience, I read plenty of other things, which all recommended winter drying. So I let them dry even more between waterings. The seedlings, and the two new growths on the division, died before spring.

I bought two larger seedlings the next spring. I killed those, too, the following winter, while keeping them quite dry. I now realize seedlings need constant watering all year if temperatures are warm.

This winter, I have been watering my larger plant outside as soon as it is completely dry (every 2-3 days.) It has not lost growths to dessication, as it did before. My dog knocked it out of the pot again, and I see it has plentiful healthy roots, with new ones just forming.

[Cym Ladye]

Den kingianums are the easiest of all Dens to grow and bloom BUT they have to get bright light. If you are unable to keep them outside all winter as we do on the West Coast, they then need to be hung high in a cool greenhouse. If they are kept in the house, they will only grow stems and kekis. They are very happy growing as Cymbidium companion plants under the same conditions. Possibly not the best plant for your environment.

[camille1585]

Greenpassion, I've given up on trying to grow Den kingiaunum (and also an easier to bloom cross, Den Berry Oda). I can't do cool and bright. Last winter I put it in the guest bedroom which is slightly cooler, and got 2 tiny ridiculous spikes. So this fall I decided to leave it outside until it got too cold to leave it. I forgot about it, it froze, and that's the end of that experiment... I just have no where other than a balcony to give it cool temps.

As to what to grow on that south facing window, try some Dens! I have some nice ones that do well in a south window (some shading in summer), like Den Rainbow Dance or Den victoriae-reginae. How about a Phrag? Most take more light than Phals.

[greenpassion]

I've never grown phrags before.This thread has opened up a lot of ideas for me as far as what to grow instead of these kinganiums. Camille, I too I'm no longer interested in putting out this much effort for tiny ridiculous spikes.

[Cym Ladye]

When we get into this hobby, we try every orchid that strikes our fancy. We come to learn that some will grow well for us and some just thumb their respective pollen caps at us and die. The answer is to find which genera grow and reward us best in the environment we can easily give them. Then grow a lot of them!

I started 50 years ago and learned quickly Cyms and a few other cool growing companions thrived for me. Now I have a collection of 3,000+, mostly Cyms. and I am constantly weeding out and upgrading.

[Maryanne]

Well, Folks:

I guess that is the reason Mother Nature evolved thousands of species of orchids - so that each of us with living in different climates and housing conditions has something in the orchid world to choose from and be successful with!

I certainly would love to keep some of the delicate tropicals, but they seem to know they are in New England when they visit my house. I have to stick to those which can tough out our cold weather and lack of humidity and brightness in the winter.

I always do research before buying now, unlike my first attempts at keeping orchids, in which I went for what caught my eye. Experience is the best teacher.

"Choose wisely, my friends!"
and Happy growing.
Maryanne