PO Box 24425 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 US
Calyptrochilus section
Cultural Information
SPECIES:
These plants vary in size from smaller plants like bracteosum to very long plants like purpureum. Growing conditions vary from cooler growing to hot growing plants. All are well worth growing.
Potting or Mounting: I have grown these many ways. My bracteosum does really well in small pots with a mix of sponge rock and sphagnum moss. My purpureum has done incredibly well in a plastic Vanda with sphagnum moss, however, it grows so fast and absorbs so much water, that I have ended u potting it into a plastic net pot with sphagnum moss, this tends to keep the roots with moisture longer. I do grow them in full sun though. If mounting these plants, use a really good hard wood that won't deteriorate quickly. This group makes larger plants rather quickly and may outgrow a mount rather quickly. Since the plants tend to grow in multiple directions, remounting may prove difficult without having to divide them.
Light: I grow them in full sun all day long for purpureum, smilliae and bracteosum. I have found that lawesii des not like full sun all day long, but will tolerate it for a couple hours in the early morning. It seems that the cooler growers like a bit less light.
Water: water these plants very adequately during the growing season, almost completely dry in the winter. However, it seems like light, that the cooler growers like a bit more consistency. So the cooler growers, not as much of a dry period during the winter months.
Fertilizer: for most of the year stopping in thee winter months.
Section Descriptions
Pictured above - Dendrobium purpureum.
Calyptrochilus section is typically characterized by the long, slender, leafy, usually pendulous stems carrying , deciduous leaves which drop within a year or 2. Flowers are born two ranked to small clusters along the stem on lateral inflorescences which arise on leafless stems and carrying flowers that have the apex of the lip folded in to make it boat shaped and somewhat fringed.
Common species grown in cultivation are: bracteosum, chrysopterum, cuthbertsonii, lawesii, purpureum, smilliae, violaceum, wentianum