Dendrobium Chao Praya Gem in buds
 

I got this plant last summer (July) in bloom (about 15 flowers on the spike). It grew rather weak new cane and flowered again in October with 4 flowers.
Over the winter, it started to drop leaves like crazy as if it were a nobile type. The cane shriveled some and as a whole, it looked not so good.
I was going to throw it out, but it grew bigger and healthier looking cane earlier in the spring. Root growth resumed. but something is not right. The new cane is bigger than the last one, which is really short, but not as big as it's supposed to be.

The first picture shows a third flower spike from an old cane bearing 11 buds ( you can't see the last few buds in the pic), which is pretty good I'd say. The second picture shows the first spike from this year's cane bearing 8 buds, still in improvement from the previous cane which had 3 or 4 buds last year and not producing any spike this season.

The third picture shows all these canes, the shortest one on the bottom of the picture being the one that flowered last October.

The last picture shows what the plant looked like in July.
Can't wait! :)

I find that dens can be very tempermental at times, you have to give them a chance. Yours looks nice and healthy, the flowers are really pretty, nice colours :)
Good growing :D

looks good! love the blossoms!! good growing!

The last picture is from last year. It looked super healthy indeed.
Now it looks fine, but canes prematurely shed the leaves and a few leaves left on older canes look very dry and wrinkly. never seen something like this happening with dens.

Well, at least the latest can is bigger than the one before. I guess that's a good thing.

I find them easy and vigorous, but I did lose one den earlier this year. It started to have these mysterious ring spots all over on the leaves. I freaked out and just dumped out the plant. lol

Now some of my dens are showing small sun burn spots. well, there's nothing I can do about it. they'll have to wait until the weather cools down more. :biggrin:

All are in bloom or spiking. exciting time. yay!!!

thanks, I love dens! :)

Flowers are opening one by one now.
The size of individual flowers are smaller than last season, but at least they look the same and I got two spikes at the same time. Last season, a very small spike bearing about 4 flowers followed by a large spike carrying close to 20 flowers!

Lovely! :wtg:

beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Pretty Den. Before the spikes arrive do the nodes where they will emerge from swell up? I have a Den. spectabile that I have noticed getting swollen little bumps around the tops of he cane where there are little black nodes. I have never had a phal type Den -or any Den - before so I am just excited to think that it might be getting ready to spike soon.

Thanks, everyone!

Susie- Well, I don't have that particular den you have, I only grow nobile hybrids and these biggibum/spatulata hybrids. These show little swelling on the node where the spike or keikis would emerge. It's hard to tell which in the very beginning. Keikis are not that common at all for me and they seem more pointy ended than potential spike bump. but never know.

and this is just for my plants, not a party pooper. I generally don't see black coloring on the node on my plants, but some do have black coloring on the exact spot where the sweeling and spiking should occur. Well, those black ones never develop anything. I think it's a dead spot for some physiological reason or possible disease issue. like something that eats up potential spike spots. lol

but maybe the black nodes are normal for your plant. I really don't have a clue.
I hope it's a spike coming! :)

lol. The black nodes are a good thing. I looked on line at this species before I bought it and it did show a pic of the black nodes with little spikes just emerging from them. I was just unsure about the swelling on them as I thought that they just produced a spike first without swelling. I am new to dens and this is my only one. Keikis on this one do develop if over feed I stopped feeding at the beginning if the month so I hope they are not keikis.

Anyway, I shall have to be patient and wait and see. Thanks NYOM.

Oh, I see. It's great that black nodes are good thing for dendrobium. :)

Yeah, dendrobiums show that little round bump on the node where the base of a leaf meets the cane.
Then one day, tiny round green bump will emerge, which continue to elongate until you eventually see little buds forming. lovely thing to watch!

Oooh!! These swellings are fairly new so I am happy about that. It means that I must be getting it's culture right then. That's good. I hope the spikes form soon....

I'm posting one example picture of a little bump on my blue dendrobium hybrid that just poked through this side of the world. :)
This is going to be a fourth spike as you can tell.

These hybrids usually make one or two spikes on top of the cane for the first time after the cane matures, then makes more spikes going down in order like this one.
Some make spikes in a random order, like three nodes down from the previously spiked node, then make its way up instead of going down.

Rarely, they would also make three or even five spikes at the same time. I think many dendrobium hybrids that are bred for cut flower market do this.
Or some environmental cues or some other myterious thing that trigger this awesome habit.

crazy! definitely got mind of their own! :rofl:
but it's a fun surprise for me.

I have two that only make one spike on top of each cane and that's it for them. :((

Thanks NYOM. I have been trying to find a pic of an emerging spike from a node but thee weren't any. Oh the joy!! :) I really hope that it is the beginnings of a spike and not something that was there all along when I bought it. I don't remember there being a swelling on that part of the canes..
Well anyway, now I know what to look out for. Thanks again, I shall just go and have another look - and feel...

Your welcome.
I will try and take more pictures on a sunny day.

Nearly all blooms are open now.
Again, the flower orientation is rather wacky. The second picture where flowers face the sun show their beautiful colors in the right shade.

I have this dendrobium in fact the first orchid that ever bloomed for me and has bloomed every year since for 5 years, they are temperamental. I live in Kissimmee Florida by the mouse and last year around February we got a frost for 7 days in my area temp went down to 32 deg and I had the flu and couldn't bring them in I thought all my orchids died but survived :) and bloomed and or are blooming now including this one give them a chance orchids are resilient

This plant is back in bloom at the moment.
This year's cane has grown so well due to my diligent watering. :) and the spike from this cane is bearing 15 flowers/buds, which is about the same as when I first bought this. yay!!!

And two of the older canes are bearing spikes as well.

This is a beauty!