New Dendrobium

[Becca]

I believe you have the type that does not need a winter rest. Interesting it is potted in sphagnum moss....I would put it into a pot with drain holes....the roots are used to the sphagnum moss so if you are ok with that type of potting medium I would use the same type when you repot it. I have a couple of dendrobiums that are in sphagnum moss and they love it. I do use a couple of packing peanuts just under the canes in the center so that the middle won't stay to moist and not dry out. Hope this helps some!

[quiltergal]

greenmom, yours is a Phal type Den. It is not to be confused with a true Phal. It was named that because the flower shape is very similar to a Phals. As you have already noted the flowers on the Den. are much smaller. These like to be grown warm, bright and get regular feeding and watering. No winter rest for these at all.

[greenmom]

Thank you all very much,

I re potted the plant in a nice clay pot with lots of holes (even up the sides). I thought the pot was about the same size but when I took the plant out of the pot half of it was styrofoam pieces.

The roots were very tight to the plant and very compacted around the moss, I was torn about whether or not to remove all the old medium and or leave what was really compacted..... but I left some of it, I didn't want to completely disturb the roots, but I did repot with Orchid mix (50% bark, 50%charcoal), and left some of the moss.

But the roots looked really good, all were white, no brown or mushy ones, so overall I was pleased.

I will post an update if anything dramatic happens

Thanks

[catwalker808]

Greenmom. Your plant is a a dendrobium, generically referred to in a number of ways, very commonly Den phal hybrid or Den phal type hybrid. There is a dendrobium species called Dendrobium phalaenopsis which has flowers that very closely resemble the shape of Phalaenopsis flowers. So dendrobium hybrids which have Den phalaenopsis in their background (or even if they only look like they do) are generically called Den phal hybrids.

There seems to be confusion as to why the plant is potted in sphagnum moss in a ceramic pot. The reason is quite simple. These plants would never be grown in such a manner. Your plant is planted the way it is only for merchandising purposes.

If you unwrap the newly applied sphagnum, you will probably find very few viable roots. If the plant were displayed in a store in a bark type medium in a plastic pot, the base would be too light for the tall plant and it would be too shaky to stand upright unassisted and would fall out of the pot. By repotting into a ceramic pot, the sphagnum can be compressed around even a small root ball and support the plant upright. The ceramic pot also adds weight to the base.

As to why the plant is in a ceramic pot without a hole, I offer a couple of guesses. One, the pots were inexpensive and available. Two, by not having drainage, the plant would not need watering and would not create a wet mess on store shelves. And three, underlying it all, is that the plant is probably a mass produced inexpensive product, intended as a "bloom, buy, enjoy and toss away" purchase ... like a bunch of daisies or a bouquet of roses.

For you to grow and rebloom the plant, you will need to take it out of that ceramic pot and put it into a suitable pot with drainage and your regular potting medium. Then treat it like quiltergirl recommends.

Greenmom. When I started writing the above, the last past was quiltergirl. So I didn't see your subsequent post right above. Your unpotting of the plant confirms that the plant was grown in a much smaller pot and was potted up to stabilize it for display and sale. No real problem with that except that it sounds pretty haphazard with the styrofoam chunks & the absence of holes in the pot. It was probably treated as an "arrangement" rather than a plant.

[Becca]

Keep in mind that if the commercial grower grew this dendrobium in the moss, then that is what the roots are accustomed to and the new roots may or may not adapt to the faster drying medium. If they do not adapt the old root system will die off and new roots will have to grow in to replace them.

[greenmom]

After reading through and thinking it over I took the plant out of the pot again, and removed all of the old moss that was clumped around the roots, cleaned them off, didn't find any dead mush ones, they all looked thin and white or brown.

I re potted in a smaller clear pot with lots of drainage holes, used orchid mix (bark) and put about 10% of the moss back in just to help the plant adjust.

The plant has a flower spike (no buds all old flowers) should I cut this off to promote new root growth in the new medium or leave it alone?

And should I hold off watering to promote the roots to spread or water at a normal rate?

Thanks in advance.

[Country Gramma]

Hi greenmom, I've been following this thread with great interest because I, too, recrently bought three of these orchids in the same vases. Two are phals and one is the same dendrobium that you have. No drainage made me nervous, and the sphag. I'd had problems with in the past so I repotted them. They must have been in these pots a little longer than yours because although there were good roots the roots in the middle were rotted. I put them all in clay pots (that's all I had left) with my regular potting medium (coco-husk chips, dolomite, sponge rock, and charcoal) removing all the sphagnum. The flowers and buds seem to be doing just OK but the leaves of the Phales are wrinkling and the Dendrobium has a couple of leaves turning yellow. I thought it was the clay pots keeping the roots too cold so I've got more clear pots ordered (my favs). Now I think that maybe it's 'cuz of removing every bit of sphagnum. How should the Dendrobium be watered and lighted and temp + humidity.
Oh and the pseudobulbs of the Dendro are wrinkling and do not all plump up with watering
Didn't mean to but in but I would like the same info you seek.
Thanks, Karen

[greenmom]

Just to update,

The flower is doing well, still looks nice and green, the flowers did not drop at all.

I am keeping the bark mix quite dry, and you were right that the tall plant is quite wobbly in the bark lol.

I think the re potting may have stimulated the plant to grow, the smallest spike is growing and there is also a second spike where the original one was that appears to be growing.

So hopefully I did the right thing with this plant, want to make sure I can keep these basic ones alive before I invest in anything more expensive or "exotic".

On a side note I was back at the same store today, and the rest of the plants were totally dead, wilted and brown...... so I think I got this one just in time.

[Sammy]

Yup i feel the same. My lovley mum had a present waiting for me when i got in from work today (and i thought she had had enough of the Orchids everywhere!).

this little baby is just labelled "Dendrobium". Usefull eh?

Any body have any idea what it might be?

[Country Gramma]

No idea about a name but she's a beauty!!!

Karen