Dendrobium Proud Appeal 'Ace'

[Joseia]

I bought this Dendrobium Proud Appeal 'Ace' August 2013 from a local vendor after it had just finished blooming for $8, so I did not know for sure what the flowers were going to look like. I'm quite happy with this plant, it has been growing like a weed in my environment, has almost doubled in size in 6 months and can take as much light as I give it - I still haven't found the upper light limit on this one. I grow exclusively under lights and this den is directly underneath an MH HID light. I also just noticed that another, more recent cane has just started to spike. How often can this plant flower in a year?

I got three flower spikes from three canes; one has six flowers, another has two flowers and the third only has one. The spike with six flowers was totally exposed to the light as it grew, whereas the other two spikes were covered by leaves from the other canes and did not get direct light until after they had grown a bit. Do the flower spikes need direct light on them as they grow to maximize the number of flowers?

And another question: is this a Latouria-type of dendrobium?

[WhiteRabbit]

Beautiful!

I don't think the spikes themselves require light as it's the foliage that uses light - BUT, I am not 100% positive, and if other members say differently, I would go with what they say

I believe that this is a hybrid of latouria and phalaenanthe Dens - My latourias bloom in spring, my phalenanthes in autumn, tho one is blooming again now (much smaller blooming than in autumn), and I have read that some phalaenanthes can bloom multiple times a year ... Hopefully someone who grows this can chime in, or time will tell

[tuvoc]

Well done.

Kim

[terracotta7]

I have one of these also. One of my first orchids, in fact. Mine is recovering from a bout with scale and I really had to work on it to get rid of the parts that were incurable and just keep the healthy parts.

That said... I looked it up once and I found (maybe here on OB) that it is 25% atroviolaceum (latouria), 25% formosum, 25% infundibulum, 12.5% macrophyllum and latouria, 12.5% superbiens (phalaenanthe and spatulata). I was told to grow it moderately with cool winter nights and to give a short dry period after the growth is made up.

I actually have not been able to bloom mine for two years so I really enjoyed your pictures. I will look forward to seeing any other information that OB members can add, because I am a relative newbie.

Hope I did not steer you wrong!

[RosieC]

Really lovely.

Sorry I can't add much on advice, but just wanted to say how pretty