Dendrobium nobile shriveled pseudobulbs winter watering

[LuaLu]

Hi! Ok I have a nobile dend. and this is my first winter with her. I have been reading that you should only water them if the pseudobulbs begin to shrivel, but they have always looked shriveled (somewhat "wrinkley" if you will). It has grown beautifully and has lots of nice roots and I'm wondering if I'm looking for the wrong thing. I'll take some pictures when I get home and post them so you can see what I'm talking about, but if anyone has any thoughts in the meantime I would love to hear them. Thanks!

[Ross]

I have anosmum (a nobile type) and don't water at all. The long canes get pretty shrivelled, but I don't yield. When they finally start popping out flower buds along the shrivelled canes and the new green growths start, then I water. They look like this as the buds emerge I still don't water until the buds get at least 1/2" long and the new green growths are emerging at the base. Then I resume full water/fertilizer, just like that. I tend to baby the canes to keep from breaking off any buds.

[LuaLu]

Got it, that's good to know. The thing that's bugging me is that the canes have always looked a little wrinkled...never smooth...they almost have a raisin-like appearance...all through the spring and summer. (I got it in the spring) So I don't really know what "shriveled" is supposed to look like (water deficient). The soft cane on it (almost like a vine) is smooth, but not the harder canes. Thoughts?

[Ross]

That is totally accurate. While growing, the canes are soft and flushed out. As dormancy creeps in, the outer sheathes turn white (you can pull these off if they bother you) and the pseudobulbs (canes) start to shrivel. This is natural. Nothing to worry about. Spraying or watering the plant during the winter dormancy will certainly flush out these canes, but will also most certainly keep flowers from appearing. There are lots of plants in nature adapted to this wet/dry cycle. Be patient, you won't kill your plant, and see what happens. I had faith and now I do this every year.

By the way, which Dendrobium do you have? You say it "always" has shriveled canes?

[LuaLu]

It's a Dend. 'White Rabbit' (Den Grace Slick x Jefferson Airplane). I have attached a picture. I looked at it again after your last post and I see what you're talking about with the white sheaths on the older canes. I think I'm squared away now. Thanks so much for your help.