Type of dendrobium - Orchid Board

mokey41 · #1 09-19-2010, 04:28 PM

I bought a plant much like the one in the picture last fall. The flowers immediately fell off of it and it sat all winter looking sad with just a couple of sticks. As tempting as it was to throw it out I kept it and late this spring it sent out a shoot that is now about a foot tall but shows no sign yet of having a flower spike.

Can anyone tell me what type of dendrobium it is and what care it needs? Do I need to leave the old "sticks" that have no leaves on it? They're still solid but completely leafless.

cb977 · #2 09-19-2010, 04:36 PM

Looks like a standard Den hybrid...very pretty

Somebody else might come up with a name but I don't know

Keep the old canes, they are a source of storage for food and water

Orchid126 · #3 09-19-2010, 05:15 PM

Dendrobiums are deciduous, that is they lose their leaves. Sometimes the old canes can bloom again, so don't do anything to them. They mostly bloom once a year, although I had one that bloomed a couple of times a year. Depends on the plant.

Yours is a dendrobium phalaenopsis type (as opposed to the nobile type or any of the other dozens of dendrobiums it could be). This type grows year round and needs fertilizer and water year round, less in the winter when it's growing more slowly. It likes lots of sun.

It's a beautiful plant.

cb977 · #4 09-19-2010, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchid126

Dendrobiums are deciduous, that is they lose their leaves. Sometimes the old canes can bloom again, so don't do anything to them. They mostly bloom once a year, although I had one that bloomed a couple of times a year. Depends on the plant.

Sorry but not all Dens are deciduous

That statement could spark off a whole new conversation on confusion!

Orchid126 · #5 09-19-2010, 05:22 PM

I'll qualify it and say that some dendrobiums are deciduous.

cb977 · #6 09-19-2010, 05:23 PM

Thank you

RosieC · #7 09-20-2010, 08:30 AM

I would say that this is very like one of mine which is NOT deciduous.

I can't tell you the hybrid because there are so many of these arround, but it looks like it contiains parents of the Antelope type and the Den Phal type.

I care for it like my Den Phal hybrids which means no winter rest, pretty much care for it like Phal except it likes higher light to flower.

Orchid126 · #8 09-23-2010, 02:05 PM

The reason I said that some dendrobiums are deciduous is because the poster talked about having "sticks" and I wanted to let him know that for some dendrobiums this is normal.

RosieC · #9 09-23-2010, 02:41 PM

Yeah, if you're not expecting a deciduous orchid it would be quite worrying when it lost all it's leaves! It is worth making sure people are aware these exist