Dendrobium....Phalaenopsis or Nobile

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by help

okay, so either way it would have the same care at least until it blooms?

well - hopefully someone can answer definitively. But I think it should be.

[Call_Me_Bob]

okay thanks

[Duane McDowell]

They are both "Den. phal" types in terms of how you grow them. The yellow one is a hybrid between Den. phalaenopsis and the "antelope" types. Some are very simple hybrids, some are many generations. Fortunately for you, you don't have to know. They all grow the same way - no appreciable rest at any time, constant temperatures. When kept in appropriately small pots in bright light, they can take lots and lots of water and fertilizer when they're growing actively.

[Call_Me_Bob]

when there isnt any sign of new growt, should i cut the fertilizer and cut the watering in half?

[Call_Me_Bob]

by the way, thanks so much for your help

[Duane McDowell]

The pat answer would be to always water just when the plant is going to be dry the next day. The most reliable way to do this is by weight - get a feel for what the plant and pot weighs when it's wet and when it's dry. Water the day before it's going to be dry. You can also insert a toothpick into one of the bottom drainholes of the pot and leave it in place for 10 secs or so. If it comes out darkened, the plant still has water. If not, it's dry. Get a feel for when it's going to be dry and water the day before. It will be less often when the plant is in less active growth. With some Den phal and antelope types, they can be in active growth year-round. Others are more seasonal. The way the plant uses water will tell you when it wants water. Wish I could be more specific - hopefully this works for you!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Duane McDowell

The pat answer would be to always water just when the plant is going to be dry the next day. The most reliable way to do this is by weight - get a feel for what the plant and pot weighs when it's wet and when it's dry. Water the day before it's going to be dry. You can also insert a toothpick into one of the bottom drainholes of the pot and leave it in place for 10 secs or so. If it comes out darkened, the plant still has water. If not, it's dry. Get a feel for when it's going to be dry and water the day before. It will be less often when the plant is in less active growth. With some Den phal and antelope types, they can be in active growth year-round. Others are more seasonal. The way the plant uses water will tell you when it wants water. Wish I could be more specific - hopefully this works for you!

. Tht makes perfect sense.... Just water the day before it will be dry all the way through.

[Duane McDowell]

I would use the same basic advice for any orchid except Phrags and some of the other semi-aquatic growers. For me, the real art of potting is figuring out how frequently a plant WANTS to dry out. I water my cattleyas every 2-3 days, Sophronitis daily, and Lepanthes every other day if they're in pots or daily if they're on slabs. When I was growing lots of Paphs, I watered most of them right around twice a week - the Maudiae types used less water, so they got much smaller pots than the complex hybrids. Antelope-type dendrobiums got watered very frequently because they like to have a fast wet-dry cycle. A very large (4 foot tall) plant would be in maybe a 6" plastic pot set into a couple of larger clay pots for stability. It would be watered every few days because it used the water so fast. Putting it into a ten inch pot would have reduced the need for watering, but the plant would have lost all its roots, too.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Duane McDowell

I would use the same basic advice for any orchid except Phrags and some of the other semi-aquatic growers. For me, the real art of potting is figuring out how frequently a plant WANTS to dry out. I water my cattleyas every 2-3 days, Sophronitis daily, and Lepanthes every other day if they're in pots or daily if they're on slabs. When I was growing lots of Paphs, I watered most of them right around twice a week - the Maudiae types used less water, so they got much smaller pots than the complex hybrids. Antelope-type dendrobiums got watered very frequently because they like to have a fast wet-dry cycle. A very large (4 foot tall) plant would be in maybe a 6" plastic pot set into a couple of larger clay pots for stability. It would be watered every few days because it used the water so fast. Putting it into a ten inch pot would have reduced the need for watering, but the plant would have lost all its roots, too.

mine is about 15" tall and has a 3 1/2" pot. is that ok?

[Duane McDowell]

Sounds perfect. I've rarely seen one underpotted. One trick with Dens in general is that I don't like to repot until the new growths are aboout 1/8 of the way up.