Deciduous and dry rest dendrobiums

Don't know if this is helps but I keep watering so long as the plant has leaves. Probably not the right thing to do anyhow - you may want to check the Bakers' culture sheets for the species in question.

 

Jon, I have a dend. senile that I stopped watering for a few weeks in October/November, but then I started watering it again because someone told me (Forrest or TomDE) that they keep it watered all year round and Ron also sent me something that says it stays moist all year where it is from. Plus the thing never stopped growing, when I brought it in this fall it had 4 mature growths and 4 growths still growing, all with leaves...when the new ones matured (were fat) I stopped watering for a little bit, but then 4 more new growths started. Now the 7 of the 8 growths have at least 1 spike, most have 2 and one will have 3. It seems pretty happy to me.
The aphyllum sounds like it is in bud to me, I have a pierardii that I stop watering when the growths are mature and the first leaves start to yellow. That happened for me in late October and a few weeks later the buds started to pop out...they still haven't done much but I think it's normal, last year it bloomed for me in March so we'll see. I've watered it maybe 2 or 3 times since then but I know last year I didn't water it from the time the leaves dropped till after the flowers wilted which was like 3 months.

 

I start watering when I see the flower buds.

 

You were wise when you realized that Dendrobiums can be very addictive...be very, very careful...

 

Jon, mine doesn't always drop all its leaves either. I resume the normal watering for mine once I see the spikes(normally in early spring for mine).

Josh, I might be the one who told you about the watering. For this species, I water it often during the growing season but I "reduce" the water in the winter(right after new year)--once every 10-14 days in my condition.

 

I'm with Clark and Tom, I start watering again when I see the spikes forming. Not all my dry-rest dends lose their leaves - some lose a couple and some don't lose any at all. This might have something to do with my indoor conditions, but they bloom well enough, for the most part.

Late October sounds about right for starting to withhold water.... During the dry-rest you can still water them every once in awhile, or mist now and then to keep the canes from shrivelling completely.

Species dends are RIDICULOUSLY addictive!

 

Not all the dry resters loose their leaves. Many of mine keep their leaves during their dry rest.
I agree with Marni...I keep a copy of Baker and Baker-Dendrobiums around for reference.

 

I agree with Marni. Who wouldn't? Some of the sub-Himalayan dendrobiums are certainly fabulous and probably include some of the best in the genus. However, there also other dendrobiums that don't need a dry, bright, and cool winter rest to bloom and grow well. Today I was admiring D. mohlianum and D. ellipsophyllum. Both do best with even watering and IW temperatures throughout the year.

 

I need that book. damnit.

 

Jon, I have a mounted aphyllum and it needs to suffer to bloom. Mine hasn't gotten anything but humidity since Nov. and I'm not watering until the first of March. If I do,
it won't bloom. It gets no mist, no nuthin'. Sometimes it drops all its leaves, sometimes
it doesn't, however, it seems to produce more blooms if all the leaves are dropped.

 

100% agree!

 

Maybe 20. But I would have a lot more if I had that book.

 

On my way back from Europe one of my boxes blew out a bottom and I lost all my out of print orchid books. I'm now minus Withners Cattleya series, Bakers books, and Holts Catasetum book. Lame.

 

Lame? No. Tragic is how I would label that, Aceetobe. That sucks.

 

If I may steer this towards Angs....

Ok not really because I think my confusion relates to all tropical epiphytes, but it definitely applies to Angs, and probably Dends as well...

What I can't figure out is when to apply the proscribed 'dry winter rest' vs. when to do what the plant indicates it wants? More specifically, when the roots are actively growing throughout November, December, what do you do? I typically have a ton of plants that are in active growth when they *should* be resting.

So, should I force them to have a dry winter rest, even if they clearly want to keep growing? Actually, I suspect I could do that with the idea that I'd be more lilely to get flowers. But in some cases i would rather the plant just keep growing. So i wonder if 'forcing' it to keep growing may lead to trouble somehow?

Sorry for hijacking but I felt it was important since it was about Angs.

 

Mike, I think you should stop growing Angraecoidsoke:

I can't tell you what to do with your plants because I have found you always have your special way to do it. Oh, well, let me say this--Your plants don't get into the rest mood because you don't gradually reduce the watering in mid/late fall or the temperature in your growing area is not cooling off enough. For the long term health of the plants, Most of Angraecoids need less watering in the deep winter when they normally are not growing much or blooming.