Stop fertilizing Nobile Dendrobiums

[jerrymeola]

Now is the time to stop fertilizing Nobile Dendrobiums.

For those who are not sure what a Nobile Dendrobium is, you probably do not have one. They are sold almost exclusively by nurseries and you will not find them in big box stores like WalMart or Lowes. They have flowers that grow directly out of the cane between the leaves rather than on a stem. Go to the orchid gallery and search on 'Nobile' for more photos.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/gallery/d...hp?imageid=614


For some reason the forum is not allowing me to paste an image in the test today and edits it to a link.

Nobile Dendrobiums should not get any nitrogen fertilizer after September or it prevents flowering. So my recommendation is to stop now.

Yet there is an exception to everything, Yamamoto Dendrobiums (considered the best Nobile Den grower) told me to fertilize the blooming size plants I am getting this week three more times with low nitrogen, high phosphorus fertilizer as they do not have fully developed canes yet. It is unrealistic for a hobbyist to have the experience to make this call.

If your plant is mature stop fertilizer.

You can also reduce watering now but Yamamoto warns against letting the canes shrivel too much. Water levels is not as critical as Nitrogen.

Nobiles also need chilling to flower. They should get 50 degree or lower nights for a month. They survive down to 32 easily so you have a good safety margin. And as much sun as possible this time of year. Full sun all day regardless of where you live.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Hi Jerry. I have seen nobiles at home centers. I even bought a Den. crepidiferum at Home Depot a few months ago. !%#&%$@ Will wonders never cease? So this is a good post, for sure. I think everyone should look at their new growth and learn what it looks like when it matures. Until the growth is mature, there is always a tiny primordial leaf seen just emerging from the top of the growth. When mature, there will probably be a tiny leaf at the end, but it clearly is not just emerging. I use this to determine when to slow down the watering, because until then, I water my Dens very heavily. Generally, when the Den hybrids, both types, have stopped growing, they are moved to a spot that I can avoid hitting them with my frequet watering, and they are also not fed from there on. I generally lower the nobiles to the bottom of the greenhouse to start the cooling, then, when all the Cymbidiums go into the coldframe, just before the first frost, the nobiles go with them. Cynthia

[discgo]

What about seedlings? I'm thinking about getting some Nobile Dens that are in 2 inch pots, years away from flowering size. Should the care of these differ from mature nobile dens in regards to a rest period?

discgo

[mayres]

Nobiles have been seen lurking in Costco up here too! Looks to me like they are just about anywhere?

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I don't think you need to cool off the seedlings, atleast I am pretty sure someone here has said that. The cooling is needed to set flowers which your seedlings aren't going to do any way. By the way, I think you will be surprised at how fast the canes will gain height and how soon these will bloom. Cynthia

[jerrymeola]

With most orchids the care of seedlings and that of mature plants is different.

Seedlings of all species can take less light and more water and fertilizer than a mature plant ready to flower.

Nobile seedlings can be fertilized regularily, with the reservation that all plants should get a little less as growing slows in the winter.

I would not reduce water on seedlings.

A 2 inch pot of a den is not far from flowering. Most dens flower at two years of age. Nobiles should easily flower within three.