Dendobium kingianum (success? finally)

[qbie]

Originally Posted by dbarron

I regard biggibum hybrids as easier to flower than kingianum (for me at least). They never fail

No wonder I would be so lucky it is trying to flower!

Originally Posted by Roberta

For qbie, note that the care of the two Dendrobium types is quite different - in the San Francisco Bay area, Den. kingianum may do fine outside, unless there is serious frost. It benefits from those temperature swings. Anything with significant Den. biggibum in its ancestry needs to grow much warmer, an indoor baby.

Thank you Roberta. Is it possible the plant could have "learned" to thrive in cooler conditions? It's developed more now I'm quite certain it's a flower spike and not keikis. The person I got the plants from said they were all grown outdoors and their location is usually a little cooler and foggier. The pot has been outdoors since I made the division from the parent in Aug/Sept last year.

Sorry dbarron for hijacking your thread!

[Roberta]

It looks like it is trying to bloom. If you got it from a local person who was growing it outside, then that is the place to grow it. (No substitute for local knowledge). It is also possible that the tag isn't correct... looking at the plant and spike, it sure looks to me more like it belongs in the kingianum group. I think you will know soon.

[dbarron]

Not at all, the more we see, the more we learn (all of us).
I will be seeing flowers on my kingianum but maybe not till late March (it's been cold through Dec-Jan here, slowing things down).

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by dbarron

Not at all, the more we see, the more we learn (all of us).
I will be seeing flowers on my kingianum but maybe not till late March (it's been cold through Dec-Jan here, slowing things down).

I don't expect to see much from my Den kingianums either until March-ish, for me that's the "normal" time, plus or minus a couple of weeks. Ditto for Den speciosum and the rest of the Aussie Den species. I do have a few hybrids that are starting a bit earlier, though.

[estación seca]

The plant (stems, leaves) in the photos looks like a kingianum relative and not like a Den. phal hybrid.

[qbie]

Thank you Roberta and Estacion seca. I found more photos online that include foliage and not just the flowers and I see what you mean. Guess I have another no ID plant. But really, just happy I might see flowers of anything I picked up last year.

[dbarron]

We've had about 2 weeks of warmer (60s) weather since I posted and spikes have grown and buds are now comparable to what qbie posted. Yah, definitely absolutely flowers!

[hevnbown]

I purchased one last April which was very healthy. I noticed 2 months later it had red spider mites. Took me some time to finally get rid of them. Used neem oil very watered down & it started to die afterwards. So bummed. Never got any flowers or spikes. Where's a good place to purchase them? Place I got mine doesn't sell them anymore.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by hevnbown

I purchased one last April which was very healthy. I noticed 2 months later it had red spider mites. Took me some time to finally get rid of them. Used neem oil very watered down & it started to die afterwards. So bummed. Never got any flowers or spikes. Where's a good place to purchase them? Place I got mine doesn't sell them anymore.

Andy's Orchids has them. Call them for more info, there are lots of variations on the theme, not reflected on the website.