Dendrobium delicatum

[dizz]

I have been nursing this plant for some 7 years...... through numerous divisions...but all I get is keikis...The plant(s) are healthy and are potted in mesh baskets with excellent drainage....growing in a basement grow room with excellent light/air flow....temp intermediate...
humidity in the 40%/60% range.Fert wkly
Plants are outdoors in our fab.summers,----Canadian winters are extreme and therefore have difficulty with any attempt at cool growing.
Can someone give me a hint in kick start this long overdue spiking process?
Regards Dizz:

[Andrew]

Dendrobium Xdelicatum is a hybrid between Dendrobium kingianum and speciosum var hilli (although it's often misapplied to artificial hybrids using any of the speciosums). It needs high light levels and a cool winter to flower (ie kingianum conditions). Depending on the light source, indoor light may not be strong enough but most importantly you'll need to drop your temperature for at least past of the year.

[dizz]

Thnx Andrew...given our extreme winters with temps consistently in the minus 20 c range it is most difficult to provide high light and acceptable low temps levels...I think I will place the plant in a bar type fridge on a nightly basis for the next few months..until spring breakup...
Thoughts are with your countrymen at this horrific time.
Dizz

[Becky15349]

I second the suggestion for the cooling period - this has always worked for me. I've brought my nobile dend down to 45F and it was fine - not that I recommend that. I'm an apartment renter and have little control over how cold it gets near my windows, so there is nothing I can do about it...but my dend is blooming right now, so there's your proof in the pudding I would say it needs about 4 weeks at colder than normal temps.

[dizz]

Thnx Becky....I gather that you are getting the lower temps by locating your plant next to an exterior window that provides significant natural light? I could achieve the temp drop but not the light requirement.....do you think that I could get away with low light for a month and still get the spiking down the road? At this stage I will experiment with any suggestion.
Regards.dizz

[phearamedusa]

Dizz,

I actually grow mine under High Pressure Sodium lights, on a flood and drain table, temps don't fluctuate that much, and it blooms every year for me. If I have it cool down, then it blooms earlier for me (end of Jan,begin of Feb). It just started a week or so ago. If its a larger plant, the fragrance can be a bit over bearing, but maybe its just the other fragrant Den. I have. Unfortunately, it just has a catalogue number and the grower has no info....