Dendrobium nobile rest period
 

Hello! I guess the rest period has come for our beloved dens :)
This is my first time Btw..
Just have some questions...
1) is my den ready to rest?? The canes don't look as big as the older ones, however it's not growing anymore!
2) won't the roots dry and eventually die without water or with such little water?

Thank you for any tips :)Attachment 115907Attachment 115908

I am not a pro with nobiles but I have a few and have looked into their rest period often enough. If the top of the canes have one terminal leaf at the very top, rather than the side leaves it grew up till then, it is done growing. Some people say NO water from Halloween to Valentine's Day. But I have been told, that is too extreme. You should stop feeding them in mid or late Aug, but still watering as needed. Then in fall, around now or in Oct cut back on water. They will go somewhat dormant so their roots won't shrivel and die. They should be kept cooler and just given a light watering every few weeks. Not a lot. If the canes start to shrivel it is not enough. Then resume normal watering once you see buds forming in the spring. If you water and feed too soon after nubs appear, they will become keikis rather than buds, so don't do too much until you can tell that they are buds. Hope this helps.

Someone else with better success may have other ideas, but one of our Den vendors told me to do this.

Winter rest does not mean no water, it's just mean water less than usual. I gave mine water every 10-15 days or so during winter vs. 3x per week during growth season. This is how I grow mine, maybe other can give u more advise for your region.

Thank you for the helpful advice, I'll keep a close eye on it and see how it reacts!!

I was told, reduce water, but not too much and cut the fertiliser right out, or your plant will be full of keikis..

My advice would be, that only if you see no new canes starting, commence watering less frequently than what you're doing now, absolutely no fertiliser at this point. During full winter rest water very sparingly, maybe once every 3 weeks, but observe if the canes are getting too wrinkled. Some people do give their nobiles a looong, dry period with absolutely no water, but I find it a bit too excessive. In the case where you see new canes starting to grow now (sometimes these guys get their seasons reversed), continue with the water as usual until they mature (growth of terminal leaf on top)- and then give them the dry rest. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thank you all, I'll let u know how to goes!

We grow thousands of Nobile types and species Den. nobile. We grow them with our Vanda outside. That means in Florida heavy rain all summer and fall (10 inches last week alone) and almost daily water until flowering. They flower well every year. Some even flowered this summer in 104 degree heat, that I did not expect.

Yamamoto Orchids in Hawaii, the largest nobile grower, grows millions of nobile hybrids. He states they do not need a rest.

They are hardy and will grow with just about anything you do to them.

Interesting! I will keep a close eye on them and let you know what happens...

Does fertilising them in the rest period cause them to produce more keikis?