Dendrobium kingianum winter care

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Lil Duck

The Den kingianum might have gotten a bit of frost last night, will it be fine?

Yes. These are very cold-tolerant. In fact, for this whole group of Aussie Dens, I think that overnight cold works just as well (maybe better) as a spring-bloom trigger. Light frost (29-30 deg F) for a relatively few hours is no problem. It warms up once the sun rises.

Mine routinely get a few frosty nights each year... over lots of years, I have never seen a problem.

---------- Post added at 08:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:51 AM ----------

I don't even particularly dry them out (just the normal reduction in watering that everything gets) and I get good blooming from the whole group (kingianum, speciosum, falcorostrum, tetragonum) and hybrids in various combinations. I suspect that the chilly nights are responsible.

[Lil Duck]

Sorry for the incessant questions but would too much winter rain be detrimental? There has been rainy weather since the first and it’s forecasted that there will be on and off showers for the whole week which makes me afraid that the pot won’t have a chance to dry out. Again sorry for asking so many questions.

Edit : In case this helps the media is a mix of medium sized bark and LECA with a bit of sphagnum mixed in.

[dbarron]

Well, I don't know the climate patterns of it's native lands, but I do suspect it's a mostly dry winter. You might want to put them out of the weather if it's rain...rain...ran. For sure won't hurt, and not doing it could hurt badly.

[Roberta]

My Den kingianums, speciosums, and assorted Aussie Den hybrids that have those as parents get whatever Mother Nature throws at them. It rains for a few days or even a couple of weeks, then the sun comes out. I have had no issue at all with rain. (Southern California has been getting less that the SF area recently, but it varies year to year, my plants have experienced some very wet years) I have never had any problem with rot. And they bloom profusely. So I think "no worries". In fact, with a very few exceptions, I don't dry my so-called "winter rest" Dens at all.

I take my lesson from Andy's Orchids, where the Dens are in the general population and get watered with everything else. And they bloom just fine. (They do get cold and that seems to serve as a trigger)

[dbarron]

(while not orchids because most orchids won't tolerate below 15F) I've had lots of issues with rain day after day after day...for 2-3 weeks and things simply rotting in the cold wet rain (I'm in Arkansas not California). Probably a good part of it is that things simply don't dry here during those times, the humidity will be 70-90%.
I can see issues absolutely for sure with my winter->spring rain patterns, unless I had only mounted plants with no real media.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by dbarron

(while not orchids because most orchids won't tolerate below 15F) I've had lots of issues with rain day after day after day...for 2-3 weeks and things simply rotting in the cold wet rain (I'm in Arkansas not California). Probably a good part of it is that things simply don't dry here during those times, the humidity will be 70-90%.
I can see issues absolutely for sure with my winter->spring rain patterns, unless I had only mounted plants with no real media.

The humidity difference is the big factor. Also temperature range. California rain tends to be intermittent. We might get a few days or even a few weeks in a row that are wet, but even then it isn't constant. And once the rain stops things dry out. It's more of a desert-like rain pattern. In southern California, frost is pretty rare though there is a bit inland.(But only a few degrees, rarely below 29 deg F) Similar pattern for SF area... but even when it occurs, usually for only a few hours, followed by warmer days. (In fact, when it rains, the clouds keep the night temperatures well above freezing, it's the clear nights that can get colder) The Aussie Dens do great throughout the coastal band from San Francisco to San Diego. The spring shows tend to be awash in large Aussie Dens full of flowers that are mostly outdoor-gown. It's a unique climate - we can get away with a lot that most folks can't. (The OP is in the SF Bay area, I'm in southern California)

Lil Duck, there are several terrific orchid clubs in the SF Bay area. Consider joining one or more of them, you'll get a lot of local knowledge that way. (I actually am a member of the San Francisco Orchid Society, joined during the pandemic shutdowns and they have continued to Zoom their meetings while they also are meeting in person so I can continue to "attend")

---------- Post added at 08:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 AM ----------

A note to the OP, and also anybody else in the San Francisco Bay area... I strongly suggest that you get your hands on "A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and Their Culture" written by Mary E. Gerritsen for the SF Orchid Society. It is full of hyper-local information, for the various zones within the Bay area, addressing the differences of the different areas. A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and their Culture

I find it useful because I know enough about the differences between the SF area and where I live to interpolate to my conditions. But for those in the SF Bay area, it's very specific. A fantastic resource.

[Lil Duck]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Lil Duck, there are several terrific orchid clubs in the SF Bay area. Consider joining one or more of them, you'll get a lot of local knowledge that way. (I actually am a member of the San Francisco Orchid Society, joined during the pandemic shutdowns and they have continued to Zoom their meetings while they also are meeting in person so I can continue to "attend")

Thanks I'll definitely consider joining one of my local orchid society either the Peninsula Orchid Society or the San Francisco Orchid Society.

Originally Posted by Roberta

A note to the OP, and also anybody else in the San Francisco Bay area... I strongly suggest that you get your hands on "A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and Their Culture" written by Mary E. Gerritsen for the SF Orchid Society. It is full of hyper-local information, for the various zones within the Bay area, addressing the differences of the different areas. A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and their Culture

Looks like a great resource for a Bay Area grower like me, looks like I'll be getting myself a new gift this Chrismas

[Lil Duck]

The leaves of my kingianum got slightly burned in the eastern exposure it was getting in the part of the balcony (eastern facing with clear skies above) and I've now put it in a shadier less exposed part of the balcony (northern facing and covered by the neighbors balcony).

[Roberta]

A way to test if the plant is getting too much direct sun (before it gets to the "scorch point" is to feel the leaves when the sun hits them. It hot to the touch, it's too much... Low-tech, but does the job. I have found that Den kingianum and Den speciosum do need filtered rather than direct light. (I have definitely toasted some leaves learning this) You'd think that those stiff, leathery leaves were sun-proof. But not so much... they are held pretty much horizontally, so have a lot of surface area exposed to the light. (Contrast that with L. anceps, where the leaves are mostly vertical, presenting the edge to the direct sun - and also have a white coating that protects them. And I don't think I have ever toasted a L. anceps leaf, even with direct sun))

[PuiPuiMolcar]

Southern CA here, my area dropped to 40 consistently these past days it doesnt seem to care at all. I let it in the full sun for about 2-3 hours then get dappled lights from the trees. In fact one of them bloomed last week.
I think most my Aussie Den can handle the cold better than the heat ironically.