Dendrobium

Orchid family. The birthplace of the dendrobium is Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. An extensive genus with about one and a half thousand species.

At home, many natural species and hybrids of the dendrobium are common, varying in flower color and bush shape. All of them are generally considered quite demanding plants in care.

• Dendrobium noble Dendrobium nobile is a tall plant, up to 1 m tall, with fleshy, segmented stems thickened at the nodes, with oblong leathery leaves about 10-12 cm long, sitting throughout the shoot. Short peduncles form on last year's shoots that shed leaves. Flowers form 2-3. The petals are white below, pink or lilac to the top. The lip of the flower is whole, funnel-shaped, velvety, white with a large dark purple spot, pink or lilac in the upper part. Wintering at a temperature of 10-14 °
C.
• King's dendrobium Dendrobium kingianum is not a tall plant, stems about 30-40 cm tall, cylindrical, thickened below and narrowed to the top. The leaves are mainly in the upper part of the shoot, oblong in shape and two-toothed tip, about 6-8 cm long. The flowers are small, pink, the lip is three-lobed, bent. The anterior lobe is heart-shaped, with purple stripes and spots and yellowish longitudinal grooves. Wintering at a temperature of 10-11 °
C.
• Dendrobium Parish Dendrobium parishii - has thick, hanging, segmented stems about 30-40 cm long. The sharp oblong leaves are about 10-12 cm long. Flowers are formed single 2-3 on leafless stems, in color from pink to purple. The rounded, densely pubescent lip has two dark purple spots. Wintering at a temperature of 12-15 °
C.
• Dendrobium chrysocrepis (golden slipper) Dendrobium chrysocrepis - bushes are small, pseudobulbs on average about 20 cm long, slightly thickened at the base, each forms from three or more leaves about 7 cm long. Flowering comes from old leafless (last year) pseudobulbs. Peduncles are short, with one flower, golden in color, 3.5 cm in diameter. A peculiarity of the structure of the flower: a lip in the shape of a shoe, contrasting orange color, with thick short hairs, served as the name for this species. Wintering is desirable at a temperature of 10-12 °
C.

Dendrobium care

Dendrobium, based on natural conditions, an orchid with a pronounced dormant period. Many hybrids are deciduous or, like the dendrobium nobile, semi-deciduous, the leaves are lost gradually, sometimes after a season. Natural leaf fall occurs gradually, without the formation of dark or black spots. The rizoma must remain strong, healthy. After a successful dormant period, the dendrobium blooms, which is slightly shorter than that of phalaenopsis - about 2 months, and coincides with a dry period, and some time after flowering, new growths appear. The main element of care and stimulation of dendrobium flowering is compliance with the irrigation regime, alternation of dry and wet seasons, to a lesser extent - temperature fluctuations. At the same time, you can not wait for the end of growth, but finish feeding and reduce watering before the orchid finishes growth, approximately, from the second half of September.

Temperature

Dendrobiums adapt quite easily to home conditions, tolerate hot weather well, but only with excellent ventilation and high humidity. Orchids grow better and develop at daytime temperatures between 18 ° C and 24 ° C and 13 ° C-16 ° C at night. Daily temperature fluctuations should be 5-10 ° C. If you have wooden frames on the windows, do not forget that in winter it is always colder on the windowsill than in the room. If the dendrobium spends the summer on the balcony, focus on the minimum temperature limit of 12 ° C. The rest period should ideally take place in the cold (10-12 ° C and dryness), and be approximately 3 months. At home, it is convenient if it falls between October and January, and you have an insulated and bright balcony. But the dendrobium can do with a warmer rest period, about 14-16 ° C, with rare watering (about 1 time in 3 weeks). It is not the temperature that is more important here, but the light - dendrobiums cannot be placed for wintering in a shaded place, it should always be light.

Lighting

The dendrobium needs a lot of light throughout the year. Want exact numbers: in the range of 25,000 to 40,000 lux. The ideal place is a very bright diffused (openwork) light. This can be the window sill of the southeast window, a very bright east (which is not shaded from the street by trees or houses), behind a curtain of tulle or mesh near the south and southwest windows. All other windows: northern, or any others shaded from the street, will not allow the dendrobium to grow and develop well. If you have dark windows, use lamps - illuminate orchids with fluorescent or LED lamps.

Watering and humidity

The dendrobium cannot be called moisture-loving either, it likes to be completely dry before re-watering, especially in the cold season. Dendrobium watering frequency: during active growth (usually in spring and summer) every 2-4 days depending on the temperature, provided that everything is dry inside the pot after a maximum of 36 hours. During rest, watering is completely stopped if it is colder than + 12 ° C. If 12 to 14 ° C, you can occasionally drop a drop so that the bulbs do not wrinkle much.

Water requirements are simple: only soft and warm. You need to water in the morning so that in the evening, when the temperature drops, everything has time to dry out. If you have hard water in the area, use a reverse osmosis filter or aquarium preparations (water tests, stiffness regulators). You can also freeze water and use melted, but warmed. If the water in your area is soft, just settle it or filter with a regular filter to get rid of chlorine and rust.

Fertilizing

The choice of fertilizers for orchids is quite wide, any balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal proportions, for example, NPK 20-20-20, is suitable for us. Feeding schemes are different:

• If you have only the bark in the substrate and many inert (non-nutritious) components, it is preferable to lower the dose and carry out feeding weekly than in a full dose according to the instructions. Take a weak concentration, 1/4 of the norm, dilute in water for watering .
• If your dendrobium is planted in a mixture of bark, peat or leafy earth, then feed once every 2 weeks, in full dosage, pour the rest of the time with ordinary water.

To prevent salinization of the soil, wash the substrate in a pot once a month: to do this, put the pot without a tray in the bathroom and water on the surface of the substrate (not leaves) from a warm shower for about 2-3 minutes. And then pour 1-2 liters of boiled water.

All feeding is allowed only during the period of active growth for healthy plants. Sick and weakened do not feed! Excessive feeding provokes necrosis and decay of bulbs and roots. Frequent feeding stimulates growth and inhibits flowering.

Dendrobium transplant

Dendrobiums love small pots, not tight or loose, plastic or clay - it doesn't matter, it is important that there are excellent drain holes for water, and in shape: the height of the pot is slightly more than the width. Dendrobium transplantation is carried out only when the need arises: the plant bulges, falls out of the pot, the substrate is too eroded, it has become rotten, salt deposition has appeared, mold has formed, and insecticide irrigation has often been carried out. Approximately transplant every 2-3 years.

The total acidity of the substrate should be between pH 5.5 and 6.5. Only with such acidity of soil and solution during irrigation, all batteries are normally absorbed.

Many species of dendrobiums grow beautifully on blocks: Dendrobium Christie Dendrobium christyanum, Dendrobium Loddigeza Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium golden shoe Dendrobium chrysocrepis, etc. As a block, you can use a large piece of cork, a beautiful snag for aquariums or peeled pine root

Dendrobium propagation

Propagate the dendrobium by dividing the bush when there is something to divide. In order for the division to take root faster, grow and bloom sooner, you need to separate at least 3-4 ripened pseudobulbs. And such a bush still needs to be grown. Separation of a bush with pseudobulbs in an amount of less than three is impractical. The daughter plant is grown as well as the mother plant. You need to plant it in a small pot commensurate with the roots, do not water it for the first 3-4 days.

Growing dendrobium from personal experience