Winter Rest

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Sandy4453

Kavanaru, I've been preparing myself to refrain from any watering on the Catasetums but after reading Jasens thread and seeing his pics and the success he's had with this, I'm wondering what to do. Have you ever tried this method?

From Jasen's Nun Orchid thread...

hhhhmmm.... ok, I only saw the link you posted regarding Dendrobium nobile type hybrids, so I thought you were extrapolating from it to Catasetinae.

As per Jansen's Thread... hhhmmmm.... Don't know what to say... that's something completelly new for me... and am not sure if I would really like to try it (the most I do, is spray once in a while to avoid the PBs drying too much)...
On the other hand, note that he water the plants during dormancy but the medium can dries out very quick, which is not the case in S/H where the medium is humid/wet all the time!

[Sandy4453]

Thanks kavanaru. I found the answer to the plants in s/h for winter and that's to stop fertilizing. (See post #5.) I don't have the Catasetums in s/h, was wondering about the others, in general.

I'm re-posting/bumping the following, hoping to get some advice on this:

Originally Posted by Sandy4453

For orchids that aren't in s/h, I was told to stop watering around the end of October. I don't know if it's because I'm in Fla. and the temps by then, will have started to slightly drop? Or, maybe I was given wrong info.? When do you stop watering?

............which brings me to another question:

Are all deciduous orchids, ones that require a winter dry rest?

............and another question

In winter, for all my hard caned Dends, I cut fertilizing down to about every other watering and water on average about 10 to 14 days. What adjustments are others here in the northern hemisphere doing with their Dends. during winter?

[JennS]

I too am really curious... I have a Den. superbum and a Den. Nobile hybrid (which has never flowered since I got it). This is my first year for the Den. superbum, but I asked the grower that I got it from (in Kissimmee area) and another grower and they both disagreed with the Winter rest/drying period. They both said that where they come from does not stop raining completely and that they still get water in nature. They told me to reduce water and fertilizer, but not to stop it all together or be so drastic that I see alot of shriveling in the pbulbs. I am only repeating what I was told here. I still haven't decided what I am going to do with them, but they both are still growing so I guess nothing yet. My catasetum (or clowesia, not sure which is correct) just produced two new growths in the past couple weeks, so I can't stop watering it yet either. I am so confused!!!

[JennS]

Does anybody have any further thoughts on winter rest periods for those of us in Florida? The temperatures have only slightly changed so...do we wait a bit longer to start a winter rest, or go ahead and start it anyway?

My Den. anosum (superbum) is still completely green and maybe even still growing? Not sure....

My only catasetum recently put out two new growths, so I have no clue on this guy? On leave on the large growth from earlier this year has a slightly browned tip on one leaf! Does this mean anything or could it be over fertilizing?

Den. unicum is also still green, maybe one yellowing leaf.

Den. nobile hybrid has no changes whatsoever in a long time. Just sits there all green.

Do I need to stop the water/fertilizer to initiate them to drop their leaves or do I wait until they start dropping on their own?

Someone, please help! Thanks!!!

[cloudswinger]

I have the orchids outside in S. Florida, and it seems like it actually has been more rainy this month than last month, so I'm going to let nature take its course. The dry season should be starting soon in Florida, usually around the end of October. Then it only rains once every couple of weeks, rather than daily like in the rainy season.

Don't you realize that there's only 2 seasons that matter, rainy and dry?

[JennS]

Originally Posted by cloudswinger

I have the orchids outside in S. Florida, and it seems like it actually has been more rainy this month than last month, so I'm going to let nature take its course. The dry season should be starting soon in Florida, usually around the end of October. Then it only rains once every couple of weeks, rather than daily like in the rainy season.

Don't you realize that there's only 2 seasons that matter, rainy and dry?

I understand what you are saying about the rainy and dry season, but that is not really what I meant. However, now that you mentioned it, it got me to thinking that, duh! since I keep them outside, I have to use nature as a clue. So, I think you are very correct in saying that once the "dry" (or not as wet season) season kicks in, that is my signal to cut back my watering habits. I need to really observe the natural rainfall too and take that into account, so that if I cut back to watering say, once a week, if it rains, then no watering from me. I think now is a good time to start cutting back on fertilizer for some of those in question.

I did find some really good info yesterday too after I did a good search around other sites, but although I do research for a living and should be well trained, I forgot to note the links. One that I did print out and still have with me is found here:

Good info on Den. anosmum (aka. superbum):
http://www.rainforest-orchids.co.uk/...anosmum(1).pdf

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Sandy4453

Originally Posted by Sandy4453
For orchids that aren't in s/h, I was told to stop watering around the end of October. I don't know if it's because I'm in Fla. and the temps by then, will have started to slightly drop? Or, maybe I was given wrong info.? When do you stop watering?

............which brings me to another question:

Are all deciduous orchids, ones that require a winter dry rest?

............and another question

In winter, for all my hard caned Dends, I cut fertilizing down to about every other watering and water on average about 10 to 14 days. What adjustments are others here in the northern hemisphere doing with their Dends. during winter?

Sandy,
Here in Hawaii we stop watering our Honohonos (Den. superbum/anosmum types) around Halloween as well. If your plants are still growing strong, I would START to cut back around Halloween, rather than just plain stopping. By the end of December you should be pretty close to not watering at all. Then only water as needed to prevent excessive shriveling (probably like 1x per month, if that) until you get buds. When you can tell that the new growths in spring are buds for sure and not keikis, then you can start watering again.

As for your 2nd question, all seasonally deciduous orchids (that I can think of!) do need a winter rest that is dryer than than their growth stage. Each individual species, however, will have a different definition of winter rest with regards to the severity and the length of the rest. You will need to be familiar with both for each species you own. Luckily, the plant itself will usually tell you how severe (through shrinking and expanding p-bulbs) the rest needs to be and the length (winter rest is over with some sort of new growth, whether it be flowers with anosmum or new growth as with Catasetinae).

JennS,
If you have new growth on your Catasetum, keep watering and fertilizing it as normal until those growths mature. I doubt that the brown tip on your plant is anything to worry about. Its nearly impossible to overfertilize Catasetums! As for your nobile, I would stop watering nowish through the winter. Mature bulbs and no growth on a nobile variety just screams bone dry conditions!! These plants are gluttons for punishment and you will be rewarded by flowers in the winter/spring for throwing this plant in a corner and forgetting about it!

[JennS]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Sandy,
Here in Hawaii we stop watering our Honohonos (Den. superbum/anosmum types) around Halloween as well. If your plants are still growing strong, I would START to cut back around Halloween, rather than just plain stopping. By the end of December you should be pretty close to not watering at all. Then only water as needed to prevent excessive shriveling (probably like 1x per month, if that) until you get buds. When you can tell that the new growths in spring are buds for sure and not keikis, then you can start watering again.

As for your 2nd question, all seasonally deciduous orchids (that I can think of!) do need a winter rest that is dryer than than their growth stage. Each individual species, however, will have a different definition of winter rest with regards to the severity and the length of the rest. You will need to be familiar with both for each species you own. Luckily, the plant itself will usually tell you how severe (through shrinking and expanding p-bulbs) the rest needs to be and the length (winter rest is over with some sort of new growth, whether it be flowers with anosmum or new growth as with Catasetinae).

JennS,
If you have new growth on your Catasetum, keep watering and fertilizing it as normal until those growths mature. I doubt that the brown tip on your plant is anything to worry about. Its nearly impossible to overfertilize Catasetums! As for your nobile, I would stop watering nowish through the winter. Mature bulbs and no growth on a nobile variety just screams bone dry conditions!! These plants are gluttons for punishment and you will be rewarded by flowers in the winter/spring for throwing this plant in a corner and forgetting about it!

Thank you so much! I think you answered both my questions and Sandy's. You definitely helped clarify things for me. This weekend I will seperate out the ones who want me to treat them badly and then I will cut back their fert. slowly decrease watering and then finally ignore them (as much as I can ) for a couple months.

The Den. noblie has never ever rebloomed for me! I bought it in bloom around 3-4 years ago and all I got was keikis the next year and nothing since, not ever much growth really. Maybe this will be the trick. I think it needs higher light too, which is fine because I plan on moving them to a brighter location. This is my frist year really trying hard to adhere to their rest periods, so hopefully it will work!

[Ross]

As per the D. anosmum:

Just to jump in (and not disagree with Steve ) I start withholding all water and fertilizer in a sudden stop, around Halloween. It's worked for me. Actually, since mine go out in the AM to drip dry from their daily soaking, and since the temps have been in the 50s when I do this, they have started dropping the top leaves. So maybe they are getting ready. They have grown at least 2" over last year on my regimen.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Ross

As per the D. anosmum:

Just to jump in (and not disagree with Steve ) I start withholding all water and fertilizer in a sudden stop, around Halloween. It's worked for me. Actually, since mine go out in the AM to drip dry from their daily soaking, and since the temps have been in the 50s when I do this, they have started dropping the top leaves. So maybe they are getting ready. They have grown at least 2" over last year on my regimen.

Disagree away! I encourage it! However Ross, your plant is already showing signs of dormancy by dropping thier top leaves. Therefore going full stop on your watering makes good sense. One of my anosmums is still growing rapidly so I start tapering off at the end of the month or when the top leaves start to drop. I think if your plant is still growing strong, a sudden full stop might serve to shock before its natural "shock time." Just my