Dendrodium bracteosum winter rest? And care

[OllieK]

Hello orchid experts,

Do dendrodiums need winter rest? I have a den bracteosum. Also how do you care and how often do you water your den? Thank you!

[WhiteRabbit]

I have bracteosum var. tannii, blooms year-round, so, no, no winter rest. Flowers last a looooong time, and there are always new spikes developing before the old ones are finished.

I don't think these like to be really dry. I water as the media approaches dry, or just when it becomes dry. Mine is potted in medium bark, and is in a small pot, so it gets watered often - every day in summer (hot and dry weather here), every other day in winter. I use a skewer to check the moisture of the media.
Mine is in a west facing window which gets sun mid-afternoon - early evening (depends on the time of year how long it gets sun)

For me at least, this has been an easy keeper, very rewarding!

[estación seca]

Dendrobiums should not dry out when making new growth, nor when they should be making new growth. If yours is mounted you need to water it well, every day.

[Regelian]

Ollie, Sonja has given sound advice. Yes, they need year-round moisture and, when in growth, water and fertilze almost daily, in Winter they are just kept damp, like most from this section (Calyptrochilus). I use weak fertilizer in most of my waterings, flushing with pure water once a week to remove any salts from the medium. They like to be warm and on the sunny side, which makes them great houseplants for the typical home.
The best plants I've seen were either in baskets or clay pots, which means they like air around the roots, like the majority of orchids. When you repot consider a clay pot, which you can keep in a saucer. Moss wil often grow on the top of the media, but this is fine, as well as decorative. Also a good moisture indicator and helps maintain humidity.
With these relatively easy orchids, the biggest failure point is too low a humidity. This species is generally found growing over water, which means high humditiy year round and a pretty good amount of light.
I would not recommend putting this one outside in the Summer, as it prefers constant warmth and the sudden changes in light and humidity may make is slow down. Minnesota has cool nights, right?
You're gonna love this species, which has many colourforms.
Jamie

[OllieK]

THANK YOU for the wonderful responses! I’m not that bad with plants but with orchids I’ve been fussing a lot and stressing. I don’t want to give up and hopefully they will all be fine with me