Dendrobium loddigesii (Project 10 Cool - Spring 2010)
 

This is where you report your progress with the 2010 Spring project Plant "Cool" "Dendrobium loddigesii"

Thanks to everyone who participated in this project and look forward to reading your progress.

I can't believe no one has had any thing to say in this thread yet.

Well let me start by saying YEAH!!! My project plants all came today (pics tomorrow).

My Den from Andy's is the cutest thing. It's mounted just like I wanted and looks like a very healthy plant. I can't wait to see it in flower. I hope to see it flower please.gif

Awesome, Since I will be getting mine from Andy's as well, I can't wait to see them.

:hello Well, I have mine, too! I actually got 2 of them. I got the first one last weekend at the Flamingo Gardens Orchid Show. It was a tiny thing, but only $10 from a Venezuelan vendor. It is on a wire and the roots are wrapped in coconut fiber.

Then, yesterday I went down to Homestead for my 'warm' project plant and got another little den at Soroa Orchids. This one was $15. Canes are not as tall, but there are more of them. It is in a clay pot. I also got a free Phal equestris 'seedling' that is huge and actually has 2 plants in the pot. So, I did pretty good there for $15! :biggrin:

So, hopefully I will be able to get at least one to bloom!

You did great! Do they always give free seedlings? You convinced me to go down, rather then order online.

Thanks, Dave! No, I got a "free seedling with purchase" coupon for Soroa when I joined COS (Coalition for Orchid Species). I don't think they are doing the coupons any more.

Picked up a cute little loddigesii today. It came mounted on a chunk of cork. It looks really small to me, but the grower said it is at a size that will bloom. Pics to follow. Is it best to post thumbs in the message??
Stephen

Here is a pic of one of my new project plants.
Stpehen
[IMG]http://www.orchidboard.com/community...s/IMG_0241.JPG[/IMG]

Awesome I definitely getting one mounted

Finally getting around to posting pics.

I love this plant. Got it from Andy's and it came mounted on a shingle. After much research I found it likes tree fern...so tree fern it is.

What do you think???

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...loddigesii.jpg http://www.orchidboard.com/community...digesii_2.jpeg http://www.orchidboard.com/community..._Plants_2.jpeg

It looks fine. I'm trying to wait till the show coming up to save on shipping. And after seeing everyone's plants I having a real hard time not ordering.:D

Although I was not arround when this project was getting under way I would like to join this one. The place I bought my summer project plant from has this listed and they say it is blooming size and it's a reasonable price.

It's also mounted and I quite like the idea of trying a second mounted plant (the first was the Milt spectabilis from the summer project).

Great Rosie, Get it and post pics. Can't wait to see what you get.

OK, so my plant is ordered. All being well I should get it next week :)

It says it's mounted so that will be my second mounted orchid. I also got Phalaenopsis bellina and Masdevallia amabilis as travelling companions.

Hi Rosie , I already had one that I got FOC with the sumer Project plant (it was one of my TC's but I guess being a returning customer he decided to not charge me)..anyway, I look forward to reading how you all get along with this because mine is 'growing' but not flourishing... (I am testing a v.different set up as up to this only had one other (Dend hybrid)
You will Love the bellina ! just watch the roots better to leave a bit drier for an extra couple of days than water (in my experience as nearly lost mine) .. Massies is another one I have not yet tried...

Thanks Nenella, I tend to underwater my Phals anyway so hopefully the bellina will like that. I got a Masdie as a TC for the summer project plant and it's growing well and looks healthy even though I've not got it to flower yet. I decided to try a second even though I'm still not totally sure about them.

As for the Den... well I have some Den phal hybrids and in March I got a Den Stardust (which is a nobile type hybrid). I think that this could be quite different to those, and it will be all new to me to grow a mounted Den. Here's hopeing I can keep it alive :crossfing

Hi All,
In terms of watering your Den. loddigesii, are you letting it dry?? Mine is mounted with no moss on the roots, so I have been spraying each morning, and often in the afternoon if the cork mount looks dry. I have also purchased a simple humidity dome to try to keep all the roots more humid through the day. I cannot say I have seen any real signs of growth yet, but It think that some of the roots are looking much more plump and green. According to what I could find in a quick search on the net this group of Dendrobiums experiences fairly high humidity and plentiful rain in the summer. So again, how are you approaching your watering of this interesting plant, so glad I joined this group.
Cheers,
Stephen

I haven't gotten mine yet but I intend on watering it daily in the morning unless it rains. Andy's say's to water 3 to 5 times a week and let dry slightly between watering. I want a mounted plant and they dry out fast down here.

I'm still waiting for mine as well, but I was planning to water it the same way as my mounted miltonia (from the summer project).

I water that daily except for the odd day I forget. It probably gets arround 5 days a week watering at least. I don't just spray it to water it, I dunk the entire thing (mount and all) in the sink for 10min or so. I will have to work out once I see what this one is like exactly how I will do that, but with the Milt I just leave it in the sink while I'm getting dressed in the morning then pull it out before I go downstairs. Seems to work really well for that.

My Den arrived today :cheer:

It's potted not mounted which I'm a little disapointed about, as it has said mounted on the website. It's also a little pale and VERY dry, but I've watered it and sat it in a shaded window.

It seems to have two tiny keikis and also has one lone flower bud... maybe I will be the first to get flowers... although there is some damage on the bud so we shall have to see.

I'm at work now (it was delivered to work) so I will get some pics posted later today.

Ok, so here are the pics of my new loddigesii.
(All these pics, not just the small ones, can be clicked on for a bigger version).

It seemed very pale when I got it out the package. I'm not sure if it's got darker now or whether I've just got used to it. It still looks quite pale compared to some of my other orchids, but it has been in box for almost a week.

As I said above I'm a little disapointed because it said it was mounted on the website. I might have to have a go at mounting it myself but that's a really nerve wracking idea and I'm really not sure about that. :nailbite:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...May%202010.JPG

It appears to have three keikis of various sizes. This Dendrobium is so delicate and small compared to my other Dens (all hardcane Dens with canes at least 10' in hight) that I think even the largest keiki (the first pic below) is really tiny and I have no idea when it will be big enough to remove. :dunno:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...%20%288%29.JPG http://lh4.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2817%29.JPG http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2815%29.JPG

It has a single flower bud on one of the canes. There is some damage to the bud (the other side from this pic) so we shall have to wait and see it it opens OK.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2828%29.JPG

Finally I have spotted a new cane growing near the base.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2833%29.JPG

All-in-all I'm very pleased with my new Den. Now to see if I can keep it alive :biggrin:

I'm contemplating whether I should mount this orchid myself or not. If you have any comments on that can you post them on this other thread as I'm really undecided what I should do.

Hey Rosie,

I finally found the thread I thought the most interesting. Suzanne's post is the one I went by for my loddigesii. I love the way this looks. I can just imagine how it will look full of flowers. Now if I could just find that snake that was in the pic in the starting thread that matches the flowers :rofl:

Here's the link, see what you think:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...html#post47346

That is a great thread on Den. loddigesii, thanks for the link. I only hope I can get mine to look half as good.
Stephen

Wow, some great looking Den. loddigessii there!

It's flowered!
 

Just one flower, and I can't claim credit as it was in bud when I got it.

But still... it's flowered and I'm really thrilled :cheer:

I've been playing with camera settings today. The huge difference between the two pics was just the flash in the second one (everything else on auto) and just the artificial room light in the first. I think the AWB picked up completely different settings between the two.

Anyway the colour in the first is the most acurate. I like the second pic though for the way the hairs inside the lip are high lighted. (Even though these pics are bigger than thumbnails, you can still click on them to get an even bigger version).

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2825%29.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/S-...20%2880%29.JPG

Looks very nice Rosie

Oh Rosie, Thats beautiful. The first flower from our project plants. I don't even care if you won't take credit for it. You get the credit. Afterall it didn't blast. :dance:

Thanks Nenella and Karen,

I really thought this bud would blast, but I'm really thrilled to see it with the flower.

I love that these projects give me the confidence to try new stuff. I own 5 species orchids, 2 are project plants and the other 3 are their travelling companions :biggrin:

I am really bored at work so I thought I would send out a quick note to say that I am happy to report that my loddigesii has three good new canes growing, and new roots. Overall it seems happy. I'm so glad I got in on this project.
Cheers,
Stephen

I dropped mine on the floor this morning!!!!

I think it's OK, but lots of the bark fell out and as some of it was pieces too small to pick up I had to pack it back in with some pieces of CHC I luckily had already soaked.

As far as I can see there was no damage to the plant, hope so anyway :crossfing

I'm worried about the colour of by loddigesii.

I don't think it has changed since I got it, but these pics show the true colour of the leaves better than the ones I posted previously.

It is growing on one of the short canes and one of the keikis and there is a new cane starting (I think, see last pic).

But do you guys think it looks too pale, or am I just worried over nothing.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/TC...%20%283%29.JPG http://lh3.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/TC...%20%286%29.JPG http://lh5.ggpht.com/_o4OXVkcS2VU/TC...20%2810%29.JPG

Hi All,
Not much action on this thread recently. I am writing to inquire about the timing of the 'dry season' for our project plants. Mine has been growing new shoots all summer, with two tiny ones still coming now. I am thinking that by late September that I would start drastically cutting back the water, fertilizer, and reduce temperature, like a bright basement window. Does that sound reasonable? Any other thoughts??

The only other concern I have with my plant, is that the new shoots seem to come off old section of cane that are now starting to get very brown and dry. I guess the new roots from the new growth support the plant despite the withering base.

Stephen

Interesting question and I'm not sure the answer. Mine has only grown a little over the summer but does still seem to be growing.

Wonder if anyone else has any idea on this.

Hi,
I agree with Stephen. I was hoping to get loads of info on how to get this to grow & flower. Mine has doubled in size since I got it. It was in bark and I mounted in an epiweb "pocket" which sits in water. It is becoming 'bushy'. .
I would love to know how to best treat it as Dends are all so different from one another and my experience is very limited.
here is how it looked in May when transplanted onto a mount and today.

Wow, that is amazing growth Nenella. Mine (potted) has done nothing like that. Think I've got to try something different with mine next year.

Wasn't part of this project but this looks really good setup and the plant looks very healthy.
It's almost like orchids would be able to grow in the wild with their roots dangling down into small pockets of water that stay behind between tree branches

Thanks Rosie & Jeff for your kind comments
The qustion now is...How to get it to flower?
Rosie, why do you want to wait until next year?

I'm not very experienced yet in Dendrobium culture but i know a fair share, however don't take my word for it.

I believe inducing bloom with deciduous dendrobiums has to do with cutting back water, fertiliser over it's rest period and possibly lowering (night) temperatures untill blooms appear.

However you should wait untill someone comments on this that knows more about it.

Wow, that looks like a totally different plant. I have to get some epiweb for mounting mine which is currently on a chunk of cork.
Nenella, do you just leave the epiweb sitting in a bit of water?? Any daily soak of the entire web or misting?? I am sure you will get some great blooms this winter. In terms of flowering, from the reading I have done, starting in late September, begin to decrease watering to almost nothing, keeping the plant in a cool, 8 to 10C, area with high light for 6 to 8 weeks. This triggers flowering. I am hoping to hear from others about the timing and length of the 'winter rest'.

Stephen