Dendrobium Orchid Care
A great choice to add lots of colours to your home or garden, the Dendrobium is also easy to grow and is the perfect choice as cut flowers for weddings or a romantic bouquet gift due to their distinctive, beautiful colour. As Dendrobium orchids are easy to grow, even if you are not a very experienced gardener, you will see a single plant bloom magnificently and bear lovely flowers. In full bloom, they display flowers in breathtaking colours from brilliant white with a purple edge and center to deep yellow with orange/maroon cores.
Dendrobium orchids can mostly be found in tropical areas, growing on trees or rocks, some do shed their leaves in the autumn whilst others are evergreen. The Dendrobium’s name literally means one who lives in trees (the Greek Dendron meaning ‘tree’ and bios, meaning ‘life’). These species are the second largest orchid species, with thousands of them known to exist from Asia to New Zealand.
When buying, it is better to try to get the species that bear smaller but more colourful flowers as these are more adaptable than species which produce bigger flowers.
<<<< Discover the facts about orchid growing for beautiful flowers.
Light
These flowers love light so it is an essential part of your dendrobium orchid care. It is important for them to get enough sunlight in order to maintain healthy growth, otherwise your flowers may not bloom well or they could start turning pale and become sickly.
For outdoors, make sure your flowers get a lot of sunlight. If you have a section of you garden that is more or better exposed to sunlight, move your plants there to give them as much exposure to the sun as possible. If they are in a greenhouse, let them get about 30 – 50% of direct sun.
For indoors, the best place would be near the window but if you can’t do that, you can try using artificial lighting to help with growth.
Temperature
Temperature is directly proportional to the amount of light so both should be looked at carefully. I would say that below 50F and above 90F are not a good idea so the optimum is between 70 – 90F. Between day and night, there should ideally be a difference of about 10 degrees, optimum being 65 – 75F.
Watering
As these orchids grow on trees in the wild, they are used to drying out in between watering. When growing one of these plants in your home, you should let the potting medium dry out before you provide more water. Whilst in growth, keep evenly moist and then allow to dry between watering after growth is mature.
Humidity
Humidity is a major factor in the success of dendrobium orchid care. Optimum humidity levels should be about 50 to 60 percent.
- In the home, try placing on trays over moistened pebbles.
- In greenhouse, use a humidifier if conditions are too dry.
The leaves and stalks can be moistened using a mist spray bottle but check to ensure that you don’t over water which could lead to the growth of mold.
Air
Good air movement will help prevent water from accumulating which leads to the growth of mold. Open up a window in the room or use a small fan (not to be pointed directly at your plant)!
Potting
Not too often to allow the plant to grow undisturbed. Repotting should be done every two to three years in the spring after bloom or new growth. You should pot it firmly in medium, giving aeration and ample drainage, and allow enough room for two years’ growth.
Dendrobium secundum orchid in bloom –
A reliable bloomer. I have the plant mounted on a cedar board. It seems to stay more dwarfed than ones that are potted.
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
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