Dendrobium Kingianum ...HELP !
 

I've had this Mounted Dendrobium kingianum for over a year. I've read various and conflicting cultural requirements for this orchid and don't really know what do to know with it. I read that it is supposed to be one of the easiest Dendrobiums to grow and bloom. Well, not to me !!!

I gave it a "Cool Dry Rest" which is what I read you should do this time of year. It looks horrible. So I watered it .... many of the leaves turned yellow and fell off. The plant is not growing, no new roots, nothing ....
I'm ready to trash the plant in the nearest trash bin.

It's growing in a windowsill with a Southeast exposure. Since its mounted, it hangs on the inside wall of the windowsill.


Can anyone give me some advice on this one ...?

Thanks.

I do not give mine a true watering rest - but it does require less water this time of year. Mine had started spikes early fall, so I didn't want to be not watering it, and while the spikes have been slow to grow, they have been coming along well.

I too have read conflicting info regarding these, but have read that it may be cooler temps that trigger spikes.

If yours recovers, maybe try growing it outdoors this year, til weather is too cold, or spikes have initiated.
They can take down to freezing for short periods.

gl :)

i had given mine a 6 to 8 week rest then started watering it but without any fertilizer its been spiking for the last couple of weeks ! the spikes are slow as well. mine isnt mounted its in a pot sense its mount that might be the problem it maybe way too dry,sense mix holds moister better and longer that may be the case! i also have mine in a east facing window! hope this helps good luck!

Have a look at this, it may help. Flowering Techniques for Dendrobium kingianum - Orchid Board

I had trouble with mine too, and it seems that cool temps are really what's most important for blooming. Keeping yours on the windowsill with the other plants may not be ideal, it must be quite warm there. I leave mine outside until we start to get freezing temps, and if I'm lucky I get spikes. (sometimes it gets cold quick, so doesn't stay outside very long)

camille it was -23 this year a couple of nights this past month and -4 during the day so i think you are right about the freezing temps! so i totally agree with camille!:)

I actually just purchased one and the horticultalist did say that to have success with this particular dendrobium, it must experience about a 15 degree temperature difference at night as it's getting colder. He said that a time span of about 1 to 2 weeks should initiate blooms, and leave it outside until temperatures begin to drop below the lower 40's (Fahrenheit).

Mine are blooming like crazy this season.

It does need a dry winter.

It is primarily a lithophyte more than it is an epiphyte. Mine is grown as a lithophyte.

In the wild it tends to favor granite or sandstone type rocks.

Cold and dry in the winter triggers lots of blooms.

Bright indirect light.

I think if you grow it in some apartment with low humidity you may still have to mist it once in a while. In a greenhouse or in the natural habitat probably there is higher humidity or morning dew/fog. I have a D. kingianum piece that is putting out new growth and roots after 3 months. I did not water it but once in a while I sprayed some water the top of the medium.

D kingianum
 

I've had this orchid for several years. For the first couple of years I put it in the greenhouse in the winter. It grew, but never bloomed. Last year I left it out in a protected area. The orchid was exposed to the coldest and driest January on record, with several nights below 30F. It bloomed last year, and it's spiking now and I believe will bloom again this year. The only change this orchid experienced from the non-blooming years was exposure to a relatively cold, dry winter. The same scenario applies to my D. speciosum.