Growing Neofinetia in garden, in Europe

[Leo H.]

Thanks! Usually, it is just for a few hours during nighttime or early morning. Ice days where temperatures do not rise above freezing measure 1-5 per year, frost days around 30. Ice days are most times isolated, but this february there were three in a row. But in its northernmost habitats in Miyagi prefecture, multiple ice days can also occur in a row.
A usual frost day has minimum -2C at night (28F) and arond 40F or 5C from noon to sunset in my area.

[lazzaret]

in france (big south of bordeaux (35 kms)), my dendrobium moniliforme grow outside for several years now and seem happy, flowering each year, and the last years, two times in the season (in may and in september), so for me, it is considered as an acclimatized epipytic orchid. I am in 8b USDA zone but probably close to zone 9 because of global warming.


my plant flowering in this moment.

[Leo H.]

Amazing! I attached a D. moniliforme in mid-April to a Juneberry and so far, it has neither been damaged nor lost its roots. I think with the warmer temps finally forecasted for the end of the week (this May has been the coolest I can think of, it felt more like late March), it will start growing again (it didn't grow more than a few millimetres). The natural precipitation is enough for it so far and the canes are nice and plumb. I will start to feed it soon. I still have to figure out how to install an automatic dripping system for the warmest time of the year.
I promise I will post pictures when it finally stops rainig!

I am planning to mount a V. falcata and a Phal. japonica as well, even though I do not give them high chances.

[Leo H.]

Here is the picture:

[lazzaret]

i consider, and it's totally a bias, that if i mount an orchid on a tree in order this one to live as epiphyte all year round, i do not have to water it or to feed it.

this orchid live completely as a wild plant and i guess (i don't see any other explication) the plant formed a symbiosis with a local fungus living on the trunk.

the last step will be for the dendrobium to be pollinated and form capsules but i've been said this dendrobium can't be self pollinated, so i plan to buy another one...and hope.

[Leo H.]

Just to make sure: You do not water your Dendrobium at all? I mean, is there enough rain or fog to keep it hydrated and growing in summer? Or does it take a break in mid-summer? I might be wrong, but Bordeaux can sometimes be quite dry during warm periods, right?

Apart from that, if my plant proves itself hardy here, it will definetly be hardy in your area, so maybe we could do a swap in a few years?

I know that european bees (especially honeybees) like to visit flowers of tropical orchids. Combined with the right fungus that seems to exist on your tree... could be be awesome

To the mods: maybe you could move this to another place, it doesn't revolve around neofinetia anymore

[lazzaret]

you are right : bordeaux can be dry in summer.

to be honest, last year i water the plant juste one time in summer because a month without any rain and very high temperatures. But i think it's not obligatory.

this orchid, in japan, is one of the best for its drought resistance, plus it is mounted to keep the plant protected from too strong sun. I guess it is important.

to answer to your interrogation, i "think" in summer the plant take a break and grow in the spring and in the fall.

about possible exchange, why not. I'm open to the idea.

and about neofinetia, i have a picture that can interest you...

[IMG][/IMG]
this one (neofinetia falcata) again "without" feeding or watering it, also mounted on the same tree but for less time (just a few more than 2 years). Seem to survive rather than to live as well as i'd like but, i just come to discover a new root. this one, i still choose to feed it a little with a mix of guano and rain water but just one or two times in the growth season. I have to specify the root grew up before i feed the plant.

[Leo H.]

That is just amazing! Ok, I will definetly try Neofinetia and Sedirea too (maybe next year but definetly yes) after seeing your succes

I know having expectations towards orchid growing is bad, but dreaming isn't, right?

Last species I will try will are Den. flexicaule and Den. officinale which both occur in regions of China that experience strong freezes.

[lazzaret]

be careful !

i tried sedirea japonica and it didn't work. The plant is dead...

about dendrobium officinale, i wanted to try this species but i have never found a plant for sale, unfortunately.

about dendrobium flexicaule, i didn't know. Are you sure it is as frost hardy as officinale ?

as far as possible, you need strains of those species coming from places where they know frost because it's not obvious a species from warmer locations could acclimatize as well.

yes, in the beginning i had a dream : to wake-up, go out and see epiphytic orchids. I've been treated as a crazy man when i said i wanted to cultivate epiphytic outdoor orchids. Maybe i am but now my dream is no more a dream...
another dream is thinking i could cultivate (in my estimation) about 10 epiphytic orchid species, for most dendrobium species but also neofinetia, laelia, mystacidium, bulbophyllum, encyclia and epidendrum species and in the end get little populations of each of them. When you begin to dream with orchids, you don't want to stop dreaming...

[Leo H.]

Ok, thanks for the advise. No Sedirea for now

Here is a link to a climate diagram of Mount Heng (Hunan) where Den. flexicaule does occur.
Mount Heng (Hunan - Wikipedia)

This is not its northernmost population, though. In fact, it can be found as far north as Shennongjia (Hubei) and Henan according to Flora of China:
Dendrobium flexicaule in Flora of China @ efloras.org

Here is the climate diagram for Shennnongjia, average January low is -5C (!!!!)
shennongjia climate - Google Search