Update on nobile Dendrobiums in S/H

[Jerry Delaney]

Just wanted to update a thread I started here last August. The question concerned the practice of withdrawing water and/or fertilizer to initiate blooming. The response covered nearly the gambit of potential methods. Old practices die hard and in some people,namely me, perhaps hard doesn't really describe it (right Ray). So, I flushed them a couple of times with just water and early October moved them to the back corner of the greenhouse and didn't start watering again until February. Nearly all flowered but a couple of things occurred that I really don't understand. There were some plants that did not lose so much as a single leaf during that time and flowered anyway. I am kind of taken aback that the plants could go that long with no water and still retain their foliage. Then, again, I had a small seedling of Den primulinum that I watered all winter and it lost it's leaves the same time as those who lost their leaves without water. It seems to me that just withholding water/fertilizer may not be the sole factor in determining if the plants lose their leaves or bloom. I am in need of some enlightenment!