Den. kingianum in S/H?

[Connie Star]

I have two small Dend kingianums acquired last year from a college greenhouse sale. IOSPE says that they are lithophytic. Would they do well in S/H?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You might be able to use the media. But I wouldn't water using the reservoir.

They don't like too much water. I can get away with watering 2 or 3 times a week right now.

I use diatomite.

Mine are currently in bloom. This is the first time I bloomed them out. I purchased them in bloom. They skipped a season because I pollinated them.

[Connie Star]

Thanks. I guess I will leave them in bark, or would something else be better? Isn't diatomite like sand?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

Thanks. I guess I will leave them in bark, or would something else be better? Isn't diatomite like sand?

Diatomite is not sand. Diatomite is a sedimentary rock.

The formation of diatomite is through the compression of mud and silica from fossil diatoms over a very long period of time. It is essentially a silica based mudstone.

It is highly porous and has excellent moisture retention.

These are mainly used in the cultivation of roses. But it works beautifully for certain lithophytic orchids.

The diatomite I bought was from Australia.

Dendrobium kingianum is a lithophyte of granitic rocks and sandstones.

Granite and sandstones are high in silica (quartz - a major constituent of granite and sandstone - is chemically known as SiO4, that's 4 Silicon atoms to 1 Oxygen atom) and feldspars. They are also slightly acidic in pH.

Granite, however, is not like sandstone or diatomite in the sense that it is not a very porous rock. Granite has limited water storage capabilities (the rock itself will not retain too much water, but when small pieces are aggregated together, they can retain some moisture).

Anyways...

Back onto the topic of diatomite. Since diatomite is high in silicates and is much more porous than granite or sandstone, it is a good substitute for granite and sandstone.

The caution is that they can retain a lot of moisture, so be careful with the watering.

[Hera]

I have mine in s/h and its growing like a weed.

[Connie Star]

Hmm. I guess I was confusing diatomite with diatomaceous earth. I will see if I can get some.
If not, I will try one in S/H and one in bark when I do some repotting next weekend.

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by Hera

I have mine in s/h and its growing like a weed.

Any tips, Hera?

[Hera]

Not really, it adjusted quickly. Do the same things with it as you would do with anything else in s/h. If you have a large clump of a plant, you could try potting it up both traditionally and s/h and see which you prefer. When I had my kingi in bark, I couldn't keep up with its watering. THey love water when in active growth.

[DelawareJim]

Connie;

I have 2 kingianum from a fistful of keiki's I was given; one in PrimeAgra and the other in Hydroton. They're growing side-by-side on the sill with same treatment. The PA plant is much fuller and greener than the Hydroton plant, and is putting out new growths again like crazy. The hydroton plant hardly grew at all last year and I don't see any signs of new growth yet this year.

Cheers.
Jim