Dendrobium nobile weird growing cycle

[ula]

I call upon your wisdom to solve my Den puzzle, plz!
I purchased a Dendrobium nobile in March 2013 (one of them Yamato 'Emperor' hybrids), full bloom. After a month, new canes started sprouting like mushrooms after the rain, I gave it a spot inside the house among my cattleyas and went onto the "winter rest routine" come end of October. In December I got more canes coming, but no flowers. This summer I decided to vacation my Den outside, in full sun from end of May until cold October nights. My dilemma: I began witholding the water, but I already see the flower "pimples" emerging (or leaf?)- should I continue keeping it dry?

[WhiteRabbit]

Hmm... water at least, I would think. I would also lean to some fertilizer, but, I would like to see what others say ...

[ula]

Thanks!
I think I'll keep it without water for few more days...the canes are very plump. I stopped fertilizing at the end of August, should I start again? Also I forgot to mention that one "errant" cane started growing very late in the season (September). The growing pattern for this particular plant is very puzzling for me, and I don't want to "assasinate" any potential blooms...

[Ordphien]

I find my yamamoto hybrids don't really follow a set growth and rest pattern.
Most of mine like a small slight rest to bloom. I tend to get flowers twice a year.

If I rested mine in in fall and winter like your supposed to I don't think I'd ever see flowers.
So maybe try a less extreme resting period if it keeps happening.
On the other hand many people give these hybrids a strict rest like yours and get great results.

Perhaps it just wasn't ready to bloom last year.
Keep an eye on the swelling and water a little more than usual.
I go from rest mode watering to growing season watering after I confirm whether they are flower buds or keikis.

On some of my nobiles if I water before seeing signs of buds I just get keikis.

[ula]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

I find my yamamoto hybrids don't really follow a set growth and rest pattern.
Most of mine like a small slight rest to bloom. I tend to get flowers twice a year.

If I rested mine in in fall and winter like your supposed to I don't think I'd ever see flowers.
So maybe try a less extreme resting period if it keeps happening.
On the other hand many people give these hybrids a strict rest like yours and get great results.

Perhaps it just wasn't ready to bloom last year.
Keep an eye on the swelling and water a little more than usual.
I go from rest mode watering to growing season watering after I confirm whether they are flower buds or keikis.

On some of my nobiles if I water before seeing signs of buds I just get keikis.

It's wonderful to get advice from experts! Your answer confirms my suspicions then- this growth cycle must be specific to that particular hybrid. Please tell me, how do you treat your Dens in this case? Many thanks.

[silken]

I would water it slightly but no fertilizer till you are sure it is buds and not keikis.

[NYCorchidman]

Yamamoto hybrids do follow set pattern.
It's not watering but temperature is the key factor that these plants take to decide when to grow and when to flower.

The reason you continue to see the plant growing into the fall is because it is simply warm enough for them to grow. or you fertilize past July or August.

You bought yours in bloom in season, which is spring. So it grew during the summer when it should normally.

As the summer's growths mature in late summer into fall, you gradually reduce water but you still water.
What triggers these plants to set buds is the temperature drop.
While different varieties respond slightly differently, but all will respond well to significant drop in temperature.
The ideal situation will be cold winter, but not freezing. These plants will then drop leaves and do nothing for the entire winter until temperature rises slightly in the late winter. then you begin to see those pimples and they will gradually develop under cool conditions and eventually pop open and last for upto three months. then new shoots begin.

When this ideal set up is not given, the plants may do all sort of things.

Fertilizing now will benefit the new grows that are actively developing now and won't hurt flowering (if those pimples are indeed flower spikes) It is already set anyways. However, you don't have to fertilize now.

Water enoughto keep the canes plump like you have been doing.
I always keep the canes plump throughout the year. It's the best way to go.

[Ordphien]

Originally Posted by ula

It's wonderful to get advice from experts! Your answer confirms my suspicions then- this growth cycle must be specific to that particular hybrid. Please tell me, how do you treat your Dens in this case? Many thanks.

I pretty much follow NYorchidman's advice.
He helped me alot when I got mine.

Two key differences.
In my area my nobile bloom in late spring and late summer.
I do not get winter or early spring flowers. So I rest twice a year in mid spring and summer.
And my rests are very slight, a month to two months at most.


I probably didn't make it super clear, but follow the normal culture advice.
And if it doesn't bloom again, maybe try something similar to mine.
Mine are definitely renegade dendrobium to don't play by the rules.
Even growing outside year round these past couple years they haven't adjusted their cycle to the normal one.

[ula]

Once again, many thanks to Everyone for the great tips! I really appreciate you guys sharing your expertise. I'm a lousy photographer, but I'll try posting pics once my nobile will hopefully grace me with some boom.

[flexdc]

I've had yamamoto types bloom at the end of growth season in Sept/Oct. I let it bloom and continue to water until the blooms fade. Then I resume rest. As long as you get a couple months of rest or even slightly shorter, they will do just fine!