The dendrobium orchids represent a major family with about 1200 species, they grow in regions between the southern, eastern and south-east Asia, including the Philippines, Borneo, Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. Their name comes from the Greek words dendron (tree) and bios (life). These species are epiphytes (grow on trees) or lithophytes (grow on rocks) and grow in environments ranging from the heights of the Himalayas, low tropical forests, and even in the dry Australian desert.
dendrobium orchid care is relatively an easy task.In fact you don’t need to give these dendrobium orchids a lot of attention to get good results. Most dendrobiums do not require much attention from their growers to bear flowers.
Below you’ll find some tips on dendrobium orchid care.
Temperature: The optimal temperature is 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. Temperature extremes are tolerated if exposure is not prolonged.
Light: The only time an orchid should not receive direct light is during their growing season (March-September). During this season, the sun is too strong and could dry out the leaves.
Dendrobiums take full advantage of full sunlight in the morning, but they look for the shade between 11 am and 15H – less Shadow will be needed at the end of afternoon.
Watering: The Phalaenopsis dendrobium Orchids grow best when their soil becomes dry between waterings. They are epiphytes in nature, (they grow on trees) and are used to becoming fairly dry between the rains of their natural home ground.
The watering generally poses the most problems difficulties.Too often, the plant gets too much water. The roots of the orchid should NEVER float in water. The bottom of the containers are generally perforated to evacuate excess water. If the orchid is placed in a flower-pot holder, water will remain in the pot and the roots may rot.
Our advice:
Remove the orchid from its flower-pot holder (leaving the plant in its original pot), bathe the plant in a tray filled with water for 5 to 10 minutes (at a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees).Then let the orchid drain and put it back in its flower-pot holder.Proceeding this way you will never give too much water to your plant.
Pay attention to the amount of water in the tray.
Only a maximum of 75% of the pot can be placed in water.
Depending on your home (temperature and humidity) and the weather (too much or too little sunlight) you have to bathe your plant 1x per week.You can generally tell if your plant needs water by monitoring it’s weight. It is just a matter of getting used to!
Repotting: Repot once every two years in spring, after flowering, or when growth begins. A mixture of 10 parts of fine quality fir bark and 1 part of orchid mix will work well in small pots.
Feeding: nitrogen fertilizer (25-9-9) can be used throughout the year. Use a teaspoon for three liters of water. Feed once a month.
