Wintering small Aussie dens
I got a Dendrobium x delicatum back bulb last fall. I put it on a covered patio. It grew a new pseudobulb this spring. When it got good and hot this summer, it just died. Does this plant not do well with heat? Another back bulb I took to my mom's house in southern California, and it grew nicely for her. I plan on attaching it to a tree in her garden next spring.
This spring I got a 3-back bulb division (each already bloomed) of D. kingianum 'Roy Gill' AD/AOS from a nice member of our local OS. It was next to the delicatum. It put out a nice large growth and still looks good. I suspect I didn't fertilize enough because it only put out the one growth?
This summer I got three small D. kingianum seedlings in 2" / 5cm pots. I could tell they had been grown wet and dark, and moving to Arizona in the summer was a shock for them. They adapted to the lower humidity in my growing room, and the remaining leaves and tiny to small pseudobulbs look good.
From another vendor I got a small D. speciosum var curvicaule, also in a 2" / 5cm pot. This had been grown much brighter and adapted to my conditions right away. It had just completed a new growth. This growth now has a firm leaf and the pseudobulb sheath is fully dry. This bulb is taller than the previous one but not as wide. The newest bulb is about 3/4" / 0.9cm and the leaf 3" / 7.5cm long.
I know the bigger kingianum needs to be cool, bright and dry for the winter, as well as fertilizerless. It might bloom next spring.
But the small kingianums and the curvicaule - should I try to give them an endless summer? I can put them in a warm room next to an aquarium, which is lit by 2 x 200 Watt equivalent 6500K CFL lamps in reflectors. Should I keep watering and hoping they continue to grow?
Thanks.
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