|
| I got left a plant by a house mate, i didnt know what it was, it was half dead, i repotted and watered it, and i believe i have an Dendrobium Orchid, it took 4 yrs for it to shoot a stem flower. Now i get flowers once a yr for the past 2 yrs. Heres a pic of the flower:  My question is i have 3 cane stumps that dont seem to be doing much, i trimmed off the ends so i could see fresh green stem inside, thought this might make them grow, and nothing has happened, the end just goes back to the outer beige colour after a few days. The very short stump looks green because i put a bit of blue food colouring in the water earlier to see if i can turn the white flowers blue, Any advice, heres a pic: They are tiny compared to the rest of the plant: I hadnt looked up how to care for the plant, so its pot luck that its doing quite well, it bloomed on the window sill, but you couldnt see the flowers much due to a Venetian blind so ive moved it onto my living room cabinet: Any advice would be appreciated, thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by Poizon_Barbie none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 13 at 17:27
| Also when i repotted about 2 yrs ago i added around the edge (of whatever it was growing in) compost, and ive read not to plant in that as it rots roots, but it seems to be doing ok, shall i leave it as is, or repot when flowers die? It only sprouted a flower stem after i repotted. |
|
- Posted by Poizon_Barbie none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 13 at 19:06
| Ive just been reading a bit more on the orchids, and had a look at mine, the roots wernt showing on the top of the soil so i scraped a bit of the compost away and i can see brown looking roots, didnt want to disturb the plant too much as its in flower, does brown roots mean they are rotting? I used a long kebab stick to try and make some air holes down into the compost to dry it out a bit. I dont want to lose this plant as ive spent so many yrs not knowing what it was, then being nicely surprised. Ive never been a flower person, but now its made me want more, but i want to get this one right first, lol. Cant find any advise online whether its safe to repot it in an Orchid mix when its in bloom. |
|
| You have a warm growing hard cane/Phal type Dendrobium hybrid. The ancestors of your hybrid grow in the tropics in SE Asia to Northern Australia. See if you can find some complete culture notes written for the UK or maybe Northern USA that relate to your growing conditions there. Do not fiddle with the orchid in winter, wait for better times in spring and do not be in a hurry to remove old canes because sometimes the plant can bloom from the top of those canes. Do not change your culture in a drastic way, those blooms say you are on the right track. |
|
- Posted by Poizon_Barbie none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 13 at 19:37
| Ok, thanks for the identification. The first time it bloomed last yr i just cut off the stem the flowers were on at the base attached to the cane (i dont know all the words for the different parts lol), not the cane, when the flowers dropped off, and a few weeks ago another one sprouted in the same place. So whats a good month to repot? And what if the roots are rotting should i risk waiting wait to repot? |
|
- Posted by Poizon_Barbie none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 13 at 19:55
| Am i looking for 'Denphal Type'? |
|
 If you find some UK cultivation notes written for the Denphal type they will be fine. The jargon confuses! The orchid pictured above might sometimes be referred to as intermediate type. Not round and filled in as are the types with more Dendrobium phalaenopsis in the pedigree. As for repotting, here, Sydney Australia i repotted mine in December (Summer). They are regarded as difficult here. Not warm enough in winter and no centrally heated houses. There is a UK orchid forum where you might get advice that is relevant.. Sorry for being a wimp. |
|
| Your plant likes its roots to drip-dry. It should be growing in bark or some type of media which doesn't stay wet for long. These plants like good light. The old, bare canes can reflower and also give support to the plant. Only cut them off when they are dead (shrivelled, brown/black.) Arthurm is correct. Wait until Spring to repot. Don't change anything now or you will lose the flowers. Just don't overwater or keep it wet. Here's a cultural sheet for you to read. Scroll down halfway until you see the heading I've provided. Jane This is a photo of my plant. You can see a bare cane in the rear with a flowering spike. I love these Dendrobiums!
|
Here is a link that might be useful: Dendrobium phalaenopsis Fitzgerald
|
- Posted by Poizon_Barbie none (My Page) on Wed, Feb 6, 13 at 6:11
| Thanks peeps. I realised today its not even in compost, when i re-potted it about 2 yrs ago (When i didnt know what the plant was) i grabbed a bag from the shed that i thought was compost, just looked to see what kind it was, turns out its 'Top soil'. |
|
- Posted by tolumniamatt 6a (My Page) on Wed, Feb 6, 13 at 22:37
| phalaenopsis-type dendrobiums like a lot of light, even some direct sun to grow well enough to flower on new canes. Make sure you grow it next to an east facing window. A west or south facing window will need some kind of sheer curtain to break up the hot sun. They grow best in small pots so when you do repot in spring, don't use a pot much bigger than the one it's in now. These types of dendrobiums can be very top-heavy so it's helpful to put the plant, pot and all into a heavier clay or ceramic pot with no drainage so it doesn't fall over. To water, simply take out the plant and its growing pot and take it to the sink then let it drip dry before placing back in the heavy pot. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Orchids Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.