Am I doing the right thing?

[sardonicscorpio]

Hi! I got married in Hawaii 6 weeks ago, and I brought 2 dendrobium plants home with me. They are both about 8-10 inches tall, and I have them in a square glass vase (about 6 inches sq wide, and about 20 inches tall) with 2 inches of large rocks at the bottom for drainage, and about 4-5 inches of lava rocks. I was told to do this by the nursery I bought them from in Hawaii. I live in AZ and its very dry here, so keeping the sides enclosed but the top open promotes humidity as well as air flow. So far, they are doing well, no yellowing, strong green leaves, and I have a few new canes sprouting. They aren't getting much taller. I keep them in my bathroom, which has south facing windows. I don't know if they're getting enough light, and I'm not sure if I'm doing right by having them in the vase. I worry about some sort of fungus starting in the rocks. The people I've tried to talk to at nurseries etc in Az have been very unknowledgable. Can someone let me know if theres something I should do differently, or after 6 weeks of this, are they doing fine and I shouldn't worry? When should I expect to see blooms next year? Thanks for any help!!!
Tra

[jerrymeola]

First Welcome to collecting Orchids.

Dendrobium are a very hardy plant and grow like weeds.

It is not normal to grow them in a vase but not impossible. With lava rocks you are basically growing the plant bare root. Dens do this well.

The only reservation I have is that there is limited air flow over the roots of the plant. Since they are such a strong plant they may well take it. Putting it in a pot or basket with better air flow is more normal, but i like the look you may have with the vase and may have to test it myself.

If the plant begins to deteriorate, I would remove it from the vase and pot it for better air circulation. You will see the deterioration with plenty of time to move it. If it continues to do well then enjoy it like this.

A south facing window for Dens should be enough light to get it to flower again. If it fails to flower over the next 12 months then you would have to move it to a brighter spot.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

OK, Surprise, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. There are two orchid societies in Phoenix:
http://www.dvos-az.net/
http://welcome.to/orchidsocietyaz
You will find that some of the members grow orchids in their windows and under lights without any additional attention to humidity. Dends are not all that sensitive to humidity, tho yours may need to get used to it gradually as they are probably pretty lush from the humidity of the vase and of Hawaii. If you can make it to one of the meetings, I might see you there. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ