Denobrium flowering tips.

[c.whitcomb]

Not too long ago I posted about a slow-growing catt which is looking 100x better thanks to you guys. So.... I have a denobrium which has a cane which has finally reached the height of last season's cane, and there appears to be a bud develping amongst the top two leaves. Assuming this will become a flower, should I do anything different? or, shall I simply continue with weekly-weakly, my watering routine etc, and wait in rapt anticipation to see if a spike emerges? If this plant grows a bloom it would be the equlivelant to my horticultural climax..... also, i would finally be able to identify the cultivar of this plant, as it came, unlabeled, from Steins
-colin

[kmarch]

Colin,

As a general rule I either stopped fertilizing or switched to a bloom booster when a plant finished its vegetative growth cycle. Now days I don't fertilize at all and see no appreciable differences. Others will have different views on this. Also if a plant is blooming for you, it aparently likes what it is receiving so I'm often hesitant to change the conditions under which it is blooming.

Congrats on the spike. We look forward to seeing a pic when it blooms!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Most Dendrobium hybrids bloom in the spring, so you may have to be a little more patient.

[jerrymeola]

I agree with Cynthia about Dens flowering in the spring except for this year.

I am not sure why, but most of my Dens are flowering now, many for the second time.

I think we had such a warm winter that we are effectively having two blooming seasons.

[Tobi]

Ditto Jerry. 2 of mine are flowering right now that also flowered in early March.

The plant sounds happy, so I would continue with what you're doing as far as frequency of fertilizer and water, but as Kmarch says, you might want to back off nitrogen and switch to a low nitrogen fertilizer as the cane sounds like it has reached maturity. You might also add anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of epsom salts to a gallon of the fertilizer, as epsom salts is pure magnesium and encourages blooming.

Nice growing.

[c.whitcomb]

God I love you guys.....

[Gladys47]

My dends are also just starting spikes this season. I'm confused. I thought all was lost till next spring. Gladys

[Leisurely]

Dendrobiums are a funny lot. I think that their blooming period depends largely in what is in the plants background. I have a hybrid hard cane types that bloom at any season. One of my first plants was a four inch potted dendrobium called Emma 'Queen Southeast' that I purchased at K-Mart fifteen years ago. It is still in the same four inch pot and has never been re-potted. Boston fern came up in the pot which I left, so the bottom part of the plant is a Boston fern that I must keep groomed to prevent it from becoming too large. The roots hang down two feet like vanda roots. When it attained some size, about six canes, it has been everblooming. The flowers are the white phalaenopsis type and the inflorescence produces about fifteen of them.

[electric.chowder]

ooooo, Leisurely, sounds lovely! got any pics of it?

[Leisurely]

No pics at the time. I never was one for cameras but I am working on it.

[tom499]

my den kingy just throwing out 3 spikes as we enter autumn =/

This is about 3 weeks after moving it to a cooler position, watering less and using no fertiliser.

I would say its probably been abit warm this autumn so that could well keep them thinking its summer, the plant finished flowering about a month ago, and didnt flower in spring.

to be honest i did mess up its last winter, so it probably doesnt have a clue whats going on!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

So scratch what I said about Dens blooming in spring. Most of mine are blooming now.