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! :)