Please identify this orchid: seems to grow in soil

[Piao Liang]

Hello,
I was given this orchid as a gift. It had a name and instructions but I lost it. It flowered again. I remember that the instructions said that I had to cut the old stems and put the new stems upright. I decided not to cut them because I thought they looked healthy. I also like it when my orchids grow the flowers in a more natural way so I left them to grow naturally. I think I have to put it in a bigger pot but I don’t know how to. The medium looks like soil but I’m not sure. The orchid came from a Dutch nursery.

[Ray]

Looks like a nobile-type dendrobium to me. Not a soil grower.

Just because someone manages to grow something some way, that certainly doesn’t mean is should be grown that way.

[Roberta]

The soil-like medium probably was a peat mixture. For the professionals, it may work with their watering scheme. For the hobbyist, bark is likely to be much easier to control.

As far as cutting old canes, nobile-type Dens can (and do) bloom on old, leafless canes. So don't cut anything until it very shriveled and clearly dead. (Old canes can rebloom for several years before they are spent.)

[Piao Liang]

[QUOTE=Roberta;909542]The soil-like medium probably was a peat mixture. For the professionals, it may work with their watering scheme. For the hobbyist, bark is likely to be much easier to control.

As far as cutting old canes, nobile-type Dens can (and do) bloom on old, leafless canes. So don't cut anything until it very shriveled and clearly dead. (Old canes can rebloom for several years before they are spent.)[/


Thank you very much for your answer. After it has flowered, I will change it to bark. Do you think I have to use a slightly bigger pot?

[Roberta]

If the plant will fit in the same pot, then you can use it if it is well drained. (If one of those thin plastic "liners" implied by the decorative pot, you will need to get a better pot, with good drain holes.) It depends a lot on the condition of the roots - if there are lots of roots, you can go to a pot that is a bit larger, but if not, stay with the same size. But base the pot size on the amount of roots, not the amount of plant. You might wish to use a terracotta pot, which is heavier, since these tall plants can be top-heavy. Or if you use a plastic pot, then you can put the whole thing into a terracotta pot, again for the weight.

[aliceinwl]

These can be really top heavy. Especially if they don’t have great roots, staking some of the canes can help keep them in the pot. If you end up needing to pot small, putting a few rocks in the bottom of the pot can help with stability.