Dendrobium unicum root growth

[Rothrock42]

April 1 I bought a small Den. unicum division at a local OS sale. It had three small dry backbulbs and one new sprout. So now, three months later, the one sprout has made a decent sized cane with good leaves, but I'm not yet seeing any roots.

It was mounted on a small piece of cedar (?) shingle. I've never liked the smoothness of shingle mounted plants. And about one month ago I moved it to a slightly larger chunk of cork bark.

Anybody with experience with this species? When should I expect to see some roots?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

They go dormant during the winter. The majority of the growth happens during the summer. You should see something happen with the new shoot before fall ends for sure.

The older canes on this species look dry and useless, but they're not. I do not recommend removing the old canes.

With more experience, you will know which canes are not going to produce and which still can.

[Rothrock42]

Well tonight at our OS auction I actually got another one. This one is a bit larger and actually in bloom. So now I'll have a race.

I've been warned about the really dead looking canes. I'm sure that it will still come as a shock this fall, but for now...I wanna see some roots!

[estación seca]

I don't repot, nor remount, anything unless it's actively growing roots, unless the old medium is liquifying.

A lot of Dendrobiums from monsoonal climates won't root until it's REALLY REALLY HUMID. Figure out some way to increase the humidity around this plant, or water it at least twice a day.

[Rothrock42]

Normally I agree about repotting/mounting, but in this case there was very little moss on very little smooth shingle. I figured since there were no roots even trying to grab the surface I could just slide it over onto a bigger piece with some more moss. I don't think I disturbed it at all. And now it does have quite a bit more pad to hold moisture a bit longer.

Thanks for the tip. I'll find a way to keep it more moist. I do water it every morning, but I'll start giving it something in the afternoons too.

[Rothrock42]

In addition to the morning watering I started giving it a good mist/spray in the afternoon. And now I'm seeing some roots. I'd like to give estación seca the credit, not sure they really grew that far in two days, but you never know.