need advice on Dendrobium aphyllum

[camille1585]

As I mentioned in another thread, I went to a show today and got some nice new plants, one of them being Dendrobium aphyllum.
The guy who sold it to me was dutch and did not speak English very well, and told me he grew it around 15-20°C (59-68°C) and that it could tolerate lower temps than that. It sounded perfect for my conditions, so I got it! But now I'm googling it, and everywhere I look it is mentioned that it is a warm and even HOT grower. If that's the case, I need to find it a new home. I can only do cool to intermediate plants.
Can anyone give me advice on it?

[orchideric]

Dear Camille,

Your Dendrobium is what we used to call D. pierardii and is now correctly D. cucullatum - long story.

It is intermediate growing - have no fear. Grow it with lots of fertilizer and water all summer. In September, cut back on the watering and absolutely stop all nitrogen feeding. You want it to stop growing and drop its leaves.

Once it starts dropping it leaves it can be kept intermediate or even better cool - hung up high out of the way where it won't get watered. Then you will see bumps on the stems which will eventually become either keikis or flowers. Once you see the sutures separating what are flower buds you can be a little more generous with the water because at that point they can't revert to keikis.

When new growth from the base starts putting out roots go back to regular watering.

I can't tell you how much to pull back on watering because that involves how much light the plant gets and the ambient humidity.

Hope that helps, Eric

p.s. I have done research in Utrecht (Guianas) and hope to one day get to the University in Wageningen (African orchids).

[camille1585]

Thanks Eric, that helped alot!!
One question though. Normally I should not water too much since is is already october, but the canes seem like they are still in active growth. Do I still pull back on watering anyways?

You should come to Wageningen! I love my Msc courses here. I'm studying plant breeding and hope to do my internship in a big dutch orchid breeding company.

[orchideric]

Dear Camille,

If it is still a juvenile it will tend to want to keep growing. I would say water it normally but not heavily like you would with a younger growth. The shift in daylength should make the plant start dropping its leaves. When that happens pull back on the water.

I'd love to come to Wageningen but time and money! I am currently trying to finish a book on Maxillaria and that may make me take a trip to at least Brussels and Vienna so who knows.

Eric

[camille1585]

Yes, it is a young plant. I think the guy told me that it was a keiki that he mounted in the spring. I can't wait for the blooms! When the vendor showed me pics of his huge plant in bloom, all I could do was . And for 4€, it was a steal!

[nancy]

Hi Camille -
Our conditions are pretty different, but these plants can bloom, literally, as keikis. My friend has a big old plant, and her mounted keikis are one of the greatly-desired swaps at our annual slug-fest (just joking, but we are a greedy bunch).
Local wisdom here says water and fertilize for the last time on Halloween/October 31. When the leaves fall, don't throw the plant away, it isn't dead!
I grow a few deciduous dendrobiums, and I keep them all in very bright light, dry, in winter; start to 'judiciously' water when the buds are well-formed, and water and fertilize heavily when the new growths start popping out.
I think I've read that many of the deciduous species are native to deciduous forests, so water and semi-shade when in growth, and full sun and dry when dormant recreates their natural conditions.
It has worked for me. This is a really delightful plant, with a wonderfully perfumed flower. An old, well-grown, mature plant is really a sight with literally thousands of small flowers - like a purple and green wig.
Regards - Nancy