What's Going On Here?

[Jerry Delaney]

I only grow a handful of nobile Dendrobiums and all were finished blooming long ago (I thought). I did have a few kikis produced and those were removed and potted up a month or so ago. Then, suddenly, I had a couple of plants that produced more flowers. However, it almost appears that they started out as kikis (looking at the base of the inflorescence) then changed their minds. Is this normal?

[catwalker808]

This can happen. Different nobiles have difference temperature threshholds to initiate blooming. Some might require very low temps into the mid 40's for more than a week to initiate full blooming. Other warmer types might initiate anytime there is a mature unbloomed section of cane and the temps drop below 60-62 degrees. This means some can have partial blooms 2 or 3 times a year if there are frequent lows.

While most of us love the fact of frequent blooms, a commercial nobile grower once pointed out that they prefer the colder blooming ones. Then they can dictate when to bloom the plants by controlling the temps and forcing the blooms to "flush" rather than having only partial blooms as with warmer types.

Your plant might be one of the warmer or less cold types which might have received a signal to develop keikis (perhaps of because of offseason feeding or insufficient chill). Then maybe it got a proper chill and developed buds.

[Jerry Delaney]

Your plant might be one of the warmer or less cold types which might have received a signal to develop keikis (perhaps of because of offseason feeding or insufficient chill). Then maybe it got a proper chill and developed buds.

Thanks for the explanation 808. I think most of the country has had some pretty messed up weather this year, including us. Do high/low differential temps play any part in this? We have had some days that daytime highs were 110 - 112 which caused the greenhouse temps to be in the upper 80's. Then, the night time lows were in the mid to upper 60's. Can this cause some of the weird changes?

[catwalker808]

I think that the extended lows are the key trigger for blooming. But I wouldn't doubt that those highs screwed up the signals, especially since those highs and those lows don't normally go together, except maybe in the deserts. And who knows what nobiles do there.

[Jerry Delaney]

I think that the extended lows are the key trigger for blooming. But I wouldn't doubt that those highs screwed up the signals, especially since those highs and those lows don't normally go together, except maybe in the deserts. And who knows what nobiles do there.

I have no idea what they would do outside, but the word "broil" comes to mind. I'm not sure we could even maintain a greenhouse here if it wasn't for the fact that sans irrigation, we would be a desert! Last week, I checked the inlet air temperature at the pad system and it was 75.4 according to my most likely digital thermometer. Outside temperature - 106. Outside humidity - 9%.

[Becky15349]

Yeah I ditto the above - in some areas of the country, the temps have been getting down to fall-ish temps in the summer months, which could be confusing the dends and throwing them into flower - but that's a good thing! Enjoy the blooms!!

~B