The Six Horticultural Groups of Dendrobium

[hosshead]

I got this one dendro that's pretty stankin' huge now and has like a million canes.
Okay, maybe not that many but stankin' huge all the same.
I got to get a pic in here....(still working on the photo upload dealie)....I'm pretty sure it's a Convolutum.
It has leaves on some canes, but not on many others and seems to get blooms on both the leafless and the un-leaved ones.

Lotsa light all the time. It lives on two bricks holding it above water in an ex-bird-bath directly under one of those Bloom and Grow,(two colour), midsize flourescents. It doesn't seem to care what I do.
Always seems to be setting bud on yet another cane here or there so it's constantly in flower.

[quiltergal]

Den. convolutum is in the Latouria section. I don't have my book with me but I'll check when I get home from work. I believe that most Latourias are warm growers that do not like to dry out. It should probably get a slight reduction in water during the winter just because it's not growing quite so fast. Here's a link to Jay's site.

IOSPE PHOTOS

I think you could probably do anything to this plant and won't care much. They're pretty bullet proof.

[s.kallima]

Originally Posted by kavanaru

Which section do Dendrobium laevifolium, Dendrobium brassii, Dendrobium moniliforme and Dendrobium harveyanum belong to? just curious....

I found this :
D. laevifolium is in the Oxyglossum section, so should be type V (year round heaviy watering with high humidity, cool to intermediate or even warm)

D. moniliforme is in Dendrobium section, should be type I or II
(in Dendrobium and Its Relatives By Peter S. Lavarack, Wayne Harris, Geoff Stocker, it is described as "doing best in cool to intermediate conditions, should be watered throughout the year with less water in winter but must not be dry for a long period")

D.harveyanum and D.brassii : didn't find anything on these...

[Ross]

Originally Posted by hosshead

okay, let me re-address that;
The flowes are on the older canes, which are pretty much leafless, the non-flowering younger canes have leaves.

I found it in IOSPE;
IOSPE PHOTOS
and I have the album variety and the flowers look exactly as those in the photo.

So I better change my strategy just a tich, yup.


Thank you, Ross.

OK, I think I have it now, Sammy. Even "persistent" leaved Dendrobiums may drop part or most of leaves during the "rest" period. So even though there seems to be a "rest" indicated, I would opt for continued water, but no fertilizer. The photos suggest this is the case. It seems like the description persistent doesn't mean the same as "keeping every leaf". I do know that totally deciduous means exactly that. See if this works. What you found sounds very much like the moniliforme Dendrobiums.

[unhappykat]

Does anyone grow a dendrobium lawesii. I believe its cool growing but past that i havent a clue. It jus sits on its little fern mount and looks at me. hasnt grown in months.I wonder if its dead.

[hosshead]

Here's my BIG den.;


The whole thing;


And, for size comparison, with a full sized Smooth Fox Terrier placed adjacently,(and who wasn't particularly thrilled with participating);



So how do you guys get those cool film-strippy looking dealies on there?

[Leisurely]

Check out this site. I grow one in Florida and is is doing very well.
IOSPE PHOTOS

[quiltergal]

Sammy here is what it says convolutum requires in Lavarack, Harris and Stocker's book:

This species requires warm, humid conditions and should be watered throughout the year. It is best grown in a pot of well-drained medium; if grown on a slab, care must be taken not to allow the plants to dry out. If fertiliser is used it should be dilute.

unhappykat, Den. lawesii from the same book:

This species is most amenable to cultivation if given intermediate conditions and consistent watering throughout the year and good levels of filtered sunlight. The pendulous stems make it suited to a slab or a hanging pot. The plants should not be allowed to dry out for long periods, but a drier winter rest period seems to aid in flowering in cultivation.

[unhappykat]

Okay thank you, I think mine just doesn't like me much, anything that is easy to grow i seem to kill off.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by s.kallima

I found this :
D. laevifolium is in the Oxyglossum section, so should be type V (year round heaviy watering with high humidity, cool to intermediate or even warm)

D. moniliforme is in Dendrobium section, should be type I or II
(in Dendrobium and Its Relatives By Peter S. Lavarack, Wayne Harris, Geoff Stocker, it is described as "doing best in cool to intermediate conditions, should be watered throughout the year with less water in winter but must not be dry for a long period")

D.harveyanum and D.brassii : didn't find anything on these...

in the mean time, I visited the guys from Luzerner Garten (from whom I've got D. brassi) and they recommended to grow it exactly like D. laevifolium