First Dendrobium, help please! :)

[pipsxlch]

Hah! My Lowes has the same batch from the look of the pot. The ones at my store are all good sized and pretty healthy looking all things considered (even tagged!); most have newer roots and/or growths. I bought my daughter a Blue Fairy x. Blue Twinkle from the batch as a present.
Hardcane dens (which this is; maybe Aridang Blue though I see you have a tag) DON'T like wet feet and moss is a big no-no unless you are a very stingy waterer in a dry climate. The pot really isn't great for an orchid either; the drainage isn't sufficient and it's too big for your plant- these guys like to be in tight spaces. The Styrofoam is to improve drainage at the bottom and isn't a bad thing; I sometimes use some.
I repotted my daughter's immediately into a 4" clay pot (it's bigger than your plant; you could use a 3" I think) with a charcoal/LECA/ a little bit of bark mix, lots of clay shards on the bottom for drainage and weight as they get topheavy. I immediately started it on my usual water and fertilizing regime. It hasn't missed a beat, has continued developing new growths/roots. It's out of bloom now (have had it a month and it was starting to fade then), but it is only just now out- I don't think the moving disturbed it much and I've done it in the past without throwing them off.
These guys like it hot- don't let it drop below 60* or you will get leaf drop. They are evergreen but will shed when stressed. They don't need a winter rest, although they do usually slow in the cooler darker months. It is possible to get a big one almost everblooming, but spring through fall are their most active growing and blooming seasons. They like high light- a bit brighter than cattleyas and approaching vanda level- and may grow well but never bloom without sufficient.
Just my two cents, hope it helps! There is no single right way, this has worked for me for years.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by pipsxlch

Hah! My Lowes has the same batch from the look of the pot. The ones at my store are all good sized and pretty healthy looking all things considered (even tagged!); most have newer roots and/or growths. I bought my daughter a Blue Fairy x. Blue Twinkle from the batch as a present.
Hardcane dens (which this is; maybe Aridang Blue though I see you have a tag) DON'T like wet feet and moss is a big no-no unless you are a very stingy waterer in a dry climate. The pot really isn't great for an orchid either; the drainage isn't sufficient and it's too big for your plant- these guys like to be in tight spaces. The Styrofoam is to improve drainage at the bottom and isn't a bad thing; I sometimes use some.
I repotted my daughter's immediately into a 4" clay pot (it's bigger than your plant; you could use a 3" I think) with a charcoal/LECA/ a little bit of bark mix, lots of clay shards on the bottom for drainage and weight as they get topheavy. I immediately started it on my usual water and fertilizing regime. It hasn't missed a beat, has continued developing new growths/roots. It's out of bloom now (have had it a month and it was starting to fade then), but it is only just now out- I don't think the moving disturbed it much and I've done it in the past without throwing them off.
These guys like it hot- don't let it drop below 60* or you will get leaf drop. They are evergreen but will shed when stressed. They don't need a winter rest, although they do usually slow in the cooler darker months. It is possible to get a big one almost everblooming, but spring through fall are their most active growing and blooming seasons. They like high light- a bit brighter than cattleyas and approaching vanda level- and may grow well but never bloom without sufficient.
Just my two cents, hope it helps! There is no single right way, this has worked for me for years.

Derp! It does have a tag! The tag says Den. Valley Isle Blue 'Blue'

Dunno if that changes anything, lol, but at least I have something to research!

Ty for your advice!!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It changes a whole lot!

I'm not sure if it is a complex hybrid that consists of Dendrobiums in section Phalaenanthe crossed with Dendrobiums in section Spatulata or not, but if it is, your plant is very different from the original species orchids.

Dens in section Spatulata are primarily epiphytes that grow in moderately bright indirect to indirect bright light. They are intermediate to warm growing. Moderate humidity is fine.

Dens in section Phalaenanthe are primarily lithophytes that grow in moderately bright indirect to indirect bright light. They are more intermediate growing. Moderate humidity is fine.

Section Phalaenanthe Dens tend to be able to tolerate dry spells better than Dens in section Spatulata can.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

It changes a whole lot!

I'm not sure if it is a complex hybrid that consists of Dendrobiums in section Phalaenanthe crossed with Dendrobiums in section Spatulata or not, but if it is, your plant is very different from the original species orchids.

Dens in section Spatulata are primarily epiphytes that grow in moderately bright indirect to indirect bright light. They are intermediate to warm growing. Moderate humidity is fine.

Dens in section Phalaenanthe are primarily lithophytes that grow in moderately bright indirect to indirect bright light. They are more intermediate growing. Moderate humidity is fine.

Section Phalaenanthe Dens tend to be able to tolerate dry spells better than Dens in section Spatulata can.

How would I determine whether it's spatulata or phalaenanthe? There is no NAME x NAME on the tag, just what I posted. =\ Does it make a big difference in the care? Because at face value, it doesn't seem like it ^^;;

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by butterfly_muse

How would I determine whether it's spatulata or phalaenanthe? There is no NAME x NAME on the tag, just what I posted. =\ Does it make a big difference in the care? Because at face value, it doesn't seem like it ^^;;

Trace the lineage back.

I made a tentative call by eyeballing it. I can tell which features belong to which section of Dendrobium. Because I just looked at photos of both parents, and I didn't actually trace the lineage back far enough to know for certain, I didn't word my post in absolute terms.

In other words, I myself am not sure if I'm 100% correct in thinking that your plant is a Spatulata crossed with a Phalaenanthe. However, it is an educated guess based on what I'm familiar with.

For all I know, since it is a complex hybrid, there could even be a cross with a Dendrobium in section Calcifera in there.

You'll know if you trace the lineage back far enough.

Here's an example of a Dendrobium species from the section Spatulata (aka Antelope Dendrobiums):

IOSPE PHOTOS

Here's an example of a Dendrobium species from the section Phalaenanthe:

IOSPE PHOTOS

If there is a Dendrobium in the section Calcifera involved, I think it would most likely be this particular species:

IOSPE PHOTOS

[Bud]

Right, by looking at the color and form of the flower and the height and diameter of the cane; your Dendrobium has a biggibum parent and we can base that to help you with its culture and care.
Hybrids are sturdy and can survive stress and abuse.
Make sure to remove the plastic from the clay cache pot when watering. If you are not comfortable with moss you may want to repot this in Dendrobium mix you can find online....or master the skewer method.
I agree with everyone to repot this in a smaller size but you may wait for the blooms to fade and new growths to come forth before repotting = the roots are so tiny and sensitive that this kind of orchid will sulk and skip a blooming cycle or two if you happen to disturb and stress the roots too much.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by Bud

Right, by looking at the color and form of the flower and the height and diameter of the cane; your Dendrobium has a biggibum parent and we can base that to help you with its culture and care.
Hybrids are sturdy and can survive stress and abuse.
Make sure to remove the plastic from the clay cache pot when watering. If you are not comfortable with moss you may want to repot this in Dendrobium mix you can find online....or master the skewer method.
I agree with everyone to repot this in a smaller size but you may wait for the blooms to fade and new growths to come forth before repotting = the roots are so tiny and sensitive that this kind of orchid will sulk and skip a blooming cycle or two if you happen to disturb and stress the roots too much.

I will definitely look up its lineage if I can. I quickly googled (I'm studying for a test so I'm not spending too terribly much time on it right now) but couldn't find a lot. =\ I did see a UK website, though.

I am going to wait until it finishes blooming before repotting it. I do have smaller ones here and I have some CHC and bark/charcoal/perlite. I repotted a beallara into CHC from moss and it sulked for months lol. I know better now =X

---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 PM ----------

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Trace the lineage back.

I made a tentative call by eyeballing it. I can tell which features belong to which section of Dendrobium. Because I just looked at photos of both parents, and I didn't actually trace the lineage back far enough to know for certain, I didn't word my post in absolute terms.

In other words, I myself am not sure if I'm 100% correct in thinking that your plant is a Spatulata crossed with a Phalaenanthe. However, it is an educated guess based on what I'm familiar with.

For all I know, since it is a complex hybrid, there could even be a cross with a Dendrobium in section Calcifera in there.

You'll know if you trace the lineage back far enough.

Here's an example of a Dendrobium species from the section Spatulata (aka Antelope Dendrobiums):

IOSPE PHOTOS

Here's an example of a Dendrobium species from the section Phalaenanthe:

IOSPE PHOTOS

If there is a Dendrobium in the section Calcifera involved, I think it would most likely be this particular species:

IOSPE PHOTOS

The flower shape looks a lot like that third one. I will definitely research more tomorrow when I am done with this test I'm studying for! Any suggestions on a good place to look? A quick Google didn't turn up much.

[butterfly_muse]

So I looked and it looks as though this 'chid is a cross between Den. Udom Blue Angel and Den. Genting Blue.

I can't seem to find much information on the culture of either of these two specific orchids, and I don't know how to tell whether they are hard or soft cane?? o_O

Anyone able to shed some light on this??

[IncurablePlantHead]

Yeah, all that and by the way....Nice dark purple flowers on that Den-Phal!

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by IncurablePlantHead

Yeah, all that and by the way....Nice dark purple flowers on that Den-Phal!

Thank you!

I think it's angry that I took it away from the store, it is starting to drop some of its buds (it had 3 wilted ones when I got it, though, so it's probably on the tail end of its bloom cycle on this spike). OR it's cranky because I put it in a window and it got to like 65 in the window. xD

I hope I can care for it properly and get it to re-bloom!