I recently received a large orchid plant (or clump of). My grandfather took this plant from rainforest in the South-Eastern hinterland of QLD, Australia. That was 62 years ago, and he and my Nan were on their honeymoon. He looked after the plant but passed away 7 years ago, and my Nan is now in care. Hence, the plant has not had any love for a long while! I'm quite sentimental, so this orchid means quite a lot to me given its history. I must admit that I am no gardner, but I am keen to learn!
Unfortunately the orchid is not doing too well. I have received varying advice but have not had any luck. Last year it grew new shoots, but did not flower. I have tried repositioning it twice; once in full shade, once in partial. Perhaps it needs full sun, as I think it may be a dendobrium speciousum (googled info only). Furthermore, I worry that I water too much, water too little, fertilise too much, fertilise too infrequently... I would classify myself as a pre-amateur gardner.
Could someone please
i) identify the orchid (have attached current photo)
ii) give advice on how to save the plant (preferably as explicit as possible)
iii) give advice on continuing maintenance of the orchid
I'd be ever so grateful! Thanks in advance!
Brooke
Well, it's not a type that know, but if someone threw it at me and said 'Look after that for me please' I would stick it in bright shade and hang it off a branch or something.
I'd water it frequently, here in Spain, I'd be looking at three times a week, maybe more. The root mas ought not to rot.
I wouldn't put it in a container, I'd hang it as is.
Then I would see if any of it would break off easily so I had a backup plant.
Dendrobium, but probably not speciosum (which has much thicker canes) Could be kingianum or falcorostrum. I am sure that it could benefit from repotting, but this may not be the best time of year to do it since you are heading into fall. It is better to repot when new growth is starting, in the spring. At this time of year, it doesn't need much fertilizer (or any for that matter... these tend to be very light feeders anyway) As long as your weather stays hot, watering twice week or so makes sense, better to underwater than overwater, especially since you probably don't have a lot of good roots. But as it cools down, cut back the water - in the dead of winter, about every 10 days is plenty. Then , in late winter or early spring, repot. Remove the totally dead (light brown) canes and dead roots. But don't be too aggressive - if a cane is firm and green, even if leafless and rootless, it will give energy to the plant, especially useful while it is developing new roots. As it shows new growth, you can fertilize lightly, water enough to keep it damp. Repot into medium bark.
(Instructions are what works for me, those Aussie Dendrobiums have made themselves right at home in southern California... advice for the seasons is the same, just the months are different... I'm just starting to see "action" on these Dens now, by February they're anticipating spring)
There are Australian members here who can likely identify it. I agree it's not D. speciosum and it does look something like D. kingianum. However, the kingis I've seen haven't had as many old leaf/bract scars on the stems.
Did you ever see it in flower? Do you recall flower color, number, and size?
Also, what part of Australia do you live in? How cold does it get at night in your winters? In what part of Australia did your grandparents grow it?
__________________ May the bridges I've burned light my way.
Thanks so much for your reply. In winter it ranges between 5-15C overnight. I live coastal and it is quite temperate (39C today during summer). My grandparents lived only 5 minutes away, so same climate.
I do remember seeing it flower once. There were many small flowers on the one stem, and were white (possibly cream/very pale yellow).
Do you think it would be okay left as is, tied to the tree until our spring in 7 months, and then pot it? I'm worried that it may already be dead However, I read somewhere if it doesn't flower then perhaps it just needs more sun? Sorry for the barrage of questions!
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Sorry, I'm still getting the hang of using the forum. I replied below in thread
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Thank you! Great advice
So you think it is still alive? Would you suggest part shade or more sun? I read somewhere that if it does not flower it may be due to lack of sunlight but I wouldn't have a clue. Should I leave it tied to the tree, as is, until spring? Also, when I do repot should
I trim the roots first then choose a pot that would fit snug, or a larger one?
Sorry for the arsenal of questions! Kind regards, Brooke
I didn't realize from the photo that it was actually tied to a tree... But it looks very much alive (These things are really tough...)If the roots have attached to the tree, you might just leave the live part and clean it up in the spring, removing the dead stuff. If it isn't attached, then you could pot it up. If it bloomed in the past, it is probably fine where it is (though inadequate light can certainly be a cause of not blooming) If the tree has grow to where it is now giving more shade than it had before, that could be a factor. But it could also be due to the health of the plant not being so good. Another issue is water - in the tree, is it getting enough? In winter, you will (I hope) have some rain. But you have had some really hot summers lately - when it is hot, watering is important. One thing - if you do remove it from the tree and move to more light, do so gradually over a period of several weeks - sudden change of light can lead to burning leaves. So I think that for now, just keep it watered two or three times a week (and perhaps a light application of balanced (all numbers the same) fertilizer at 1/2 to 1/4 the strength on the bottle every two weeks or so until the weather gets cooler. Then cut back on the water to perhaps once a week if it doesn't rain, and no need to fertilize. As spring approaches, watch for new growth on the side where it is green, then you can decide what to do.
Just to elaborate/ paraphrase Roberta, basically you probably will have to wait for new growth before it can come back from this state which might not be til spring... but in the mean time water well when you water but let it dry out completely. Looks like it it's been water deprived for a while.
When you I water well, that means really hose it down so it's sopping wet... but let it dry out completely because these guys can rot from too much water in fall and winter (or even when it's super hot and dry) if they remain too wet over a long period of time when not in good health.
Once you see fresh green new growth forming at base of old stems/leaves, watch for new white roots, once they start forming and get to say 2 cm you can water fairly regularly to keep that growth coming. It may not flower til the following spring.
It is much closer to good health than it is to death, so it is not yet time to worry. I suspect it hasn't gotten enough water during its normal summer growing season. Orchids are very tough plants, and ones from seasonally dry areas tougher still.
Water at least every week through the winter, in the morning on a warmer day. If you get winter rain, let it dry out after the rain before watering again. I don't think SE Queensland rain forests are completely bone dry all winter; I know there is not supposed to be rain, but there may be dew at night.
During the warm summer a plant mounted on a tree should be watered almost daily. Plants from those regions are accustomed to a very wet summer.
__________________ May the bridges I've burned light my way.
Help needed for care and identification :)
However, I read somewhere if it doesn't flower then perhaps it just needs more sun? Sorry for the barrage of questions!
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