Dendrochillum magnum & Dendrochillum glumaceum (2nd try)

[kavanaru]

I tried this first in the Coelogyne Alliance, but did not get any feedback... let's try here in S/H (as it is also related to) and see:

Originally Posted by kavanaru

I am not very used to Dendrochillum but decided to give them a try a couple of months ago. Until now, they "have not complainned" about my growing conditions, but are confusing me a little. In the web I have read to water them generously but not too much during winter, or as Phantasm said in another thread "I water mine like crazy in the growing season and cut it down when the weather cools off to avoid rot". My issue is that we are now in winter, and the weather indeed cooled off but my two plants somehow decided to grow (see pictures). Is this normal for Dendrochillum or am I missing part of the story???

Dendrochillum glumaceum:


Dendrochillum magnum:


Furthermore, I have read and been adviced here in the OBF that they do not like to be repotted. I actually would like to move them to S/H but wanted to wait until spring/summer for the best timing (as my logic said it would be). As you have seen, my plants are growing now... so, should this be the best time for moving them to S/H or will they start growing again during spring?

Thanks for any advice!

[Ray]

Denrochilums are notorious for "sulking" after repotting. My guess is that they are just coming out of that "funk" so have skipped a rest.

FWIW, mine - also in S/H culture - are putting on growth right now, too.

[kavanaru]

Hi Ray, would you then suggest to move them to S/H at this stage or wait until they start growing again?

[smweaver]

Ramon, I have a specimen-sized Dendrochilum magnum (you can probably find the thread I posted regarding this plant somewhere on this site over this last summer), and although I'm certainly not an expert on either this species or the genus, I can tell you from my own experience with Dendrochilum magnum that my plant does not, in fact, resent repotting--and since it's a very large plant, I can't say that I treat it delicately when it gets repotted every couple of years (it basically requires some manhandling and a tug-of-war frequently takes place between me and the plant). I might simply have an oddball plant that's of a more rugged constitution than your typical dendrochilum, but for me this plant has never experienced a setback after repotting. That being said, it doesn't hurt to try and treat your dendrochilums--or any orchids, for that matter--with as much kindness and consideration as possible when you repot them. The key with dendrochilums is to repot them when they're initiating new growth. So if your plants are starting to grow now, I personally would think that this isn't a bad time to do some careful repotting. To ensure that you do as little damage as possible, it might be prudent to try and keep the root ball intact as much as possible. Of course, you'll find others who'll swear by the necessity to remove all of the old potting mix, but I think that this needs to be approached on a plant-by-plant basis. If the roots of your dendrochilums are firm and white, and the plants have made extensive root systems, I don't see why you would want to damage them by removing all of the old potting mix. Only if the mix has really deteriorated would I consider removing it entirely and replacing it. If the roots look good, just drop the plant into a new pot and fill in the spaces around it with new mix. And I think that the advice you got regarding the watering regimen of "lots in the spring and summer, with a reduction in the fall and winter," to be pretty sound. Again, you just need to approach each plant on an individual basis. If you've got good light and the plants are growing strongly, sending up new growths and sending out new roots, then go ahead and encourage them by watering and feeding them more frequently than you would with a plant that's clearly resting. My Dendrochilum magnum seems to have two growing seasons. The first one, during the summer, is its major one, where it will form lots of new growths and you can tell that it's really taking advantage of the good weather. After it flowers in the late summer/early fall, it then takes a brief rest of maybe a couple of months after the newest growths have formed, and then it sends up sporadic growths (maybe about one-fifth the number of growths it produced during its main summer growing season) throughout the winter. These winter growths tend not to flower for me--but since they don't seem to do any harm either, I don't worry about them too much. Just let your plants approach dryness during the colder months, give them gentle air circulation, relatively small amounts of fertilizer, and as much light as possible, and I think they'll be just fine. As far as moving them into S/H goes, sorry, but I can't address that point since I don't use that method to grow any of my orchids. Good luck to you, and please keep us posted on how your plants progress.

Steve

[kavanaru]

Hi Steve,

thanks a lot for the reply.. actually I do not expect my Dendrochillum to bloom this years anymore... and since they are just growing now, I think I will give them a try with S/H... if they like GREAT! if they don't like, fine! That's more or less my way of handling with my plants: they like my conditions: excellent! they don't like them... make place for another one (oui, oui, I say that now, but then get the crisis when they start "misbehaving")

[kavanaru]

FWIW, I indeed gave a try to S/H with my two Dendrochillum... they both seem to really like S/H.

Dendrochillum magnum has produced two new PBs plus roots, and then decided to take a rest again after the PB becoming mature....

Dendrochillum glumaceum has produced 8 new PBs plus roots. Not all PBs are yet fully mature!
As expected, no blooming so far... I hope for next season or later on... (to be honest, I am not sure when is the blooming season for these two species!)

One thing I have noticed with them, is that they also seem to be VERY VERY THIRSTY... I have other 3 plants next to them (Oncidium, Paphiopedillum, and Phalaenopsis), growing in the same conditions: S/H, same pott, same LECA... while the water reservoir of these 3 other keep some water for up to one week, the reservoir of the Dendrochillum is empty within 2 - 3 days!! So, that at the beginning I thought the two potts were broken... so, I have to water them more often...

Does anyone have similar experience with "over"-thirsty plants in S/H?