new growth on D. nobile, but no buds or keikis.....?water?
i have two new growths from the base, but there are no signs of buds or keikis
Should i just assume that it wont flower this year and start watering to help the new growth?
Last year I thought my nobile hybrid wasn't going to make any flowers, and then at the end of March, (after I started watering and fertilizing), the canes ended up covered with buds.
I would say you can water a bit (I water my nobile hybrids year round), but wait until the real growing season to start fertilizing, you may still get flowers.
i will try a little more watering than just the once a week misting
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It could be too young to bloom yet, mature plants of this species usually get to around 2' long. But, like orkie said, it may bloom later; this section of Dendrobium has a pretty wide range of bloom times depending on when they receive environmental cues.
If you haven't already done so, giving it a month or more of cool nights (60-ish F or below) should cue it to initiate buds if it has the energy to do so. Just make sure it's getting bright light and regular water. Try to water in the morning so the roots can dry by evening when nights are cool. Good luck!