Dendrobium nobile

[gnathaniel]

Hi Pamela, this website has great practical advice regarding control of blooming in nobile-based hybrids (which should also apply to most species in this section with appropriate modifications according to natural habitat):

Yamamoto Dendrobiums Hawaii

And this culture sheet has valuable habitat information specific to Den. nobile:

Dendrobium Species Culture

One of the main factors controlling blooming is always going to be the amount of energy a plant has stored up, particularly in those with strong seasonal cycles. Younger, smaller plants or those that haven't gotten sufficient light during the last growth phase may not have enough stored carbohydrates to push out a good flush of blooms, though they'll typically otherwise be fine. The bigger and leafier a plant gets the more readily it will collect solar energy to make carbs that support blooming.

If you're getting a lot of keikis instead of bloom spikes I would try reducing the amount of Nitrogen you feed the plant while it's growing, and definitely don't fertilize during the seasonal dormancy. Some individuals and lines are just easier bloomers than others, and some are also more or less prone to keiki-ing. You might still get blooms this year once your plant stores enough energy and 'feels' its seasonal cues sufficiently. I hope this helps, and good luck!

--Nat