PO Box 24425 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 US
Sections Phalaenanthe - the "Hard Canes"
Cultural Information
SPECIES:
There are several ways to grow any orchid. Some work better than others. Just because your plant is growing and sometimes produces some flowers does not mean that it is being grown in the most optimum conditions. In growing any new species, I try to find out as much information as I possibly can about it first. A big contributing factor usually is, where does the plant come from? So find out which country, geographical area, and climactic conditions in which it grows. You can find out rainfall and seasonal information on local websites for those areas. What a wonderful the computer age has given us.
I separate how I grow these plants by several main characteristics.
First one, if the flower has petals which are thinner and stick upright, the “antelope” type from the section Spatulata. These plants tend to like a little less light for blooming. Not the light of a Paphiopedilum or a Phalaenopsis, but more along the lines of Cattleya and Vanda light.
These next one, surprisingly is called the “Phalaenopsis” type. These plants also do not like low levels of light, but come from the Dendrobium section Phalaenanthe. These plants will also grow and bloom in Cattley to Vanda level light, but I have found personally that they do their very best in full sun. For the species plants, a little bit of dappled light mid-day will help out, but for hybrids, they can handle the all-day full sunlight. In fact, I find that when grown in full sun all day long, the hybrid plants are rarely ever out of bloom. Both of these sections are interbred to produce a multitude of complex hybrids.
Potting or Mounting: If you live where you can mount plants onto trees outside, then it definitely can be done. Just remember though, if you live in an area where it is pretty arid, you will have to increase humidity and make sure that you water plants often enough during the growing season. These plants tend to like to have more air around their roots than the soft cane types and do not need to have as much water during the active growing season. However, that being said, always remember, when growing in more light, the more water a plant will require.
For potting, you want pots on the smaller size. I find that clay pots are much better than plastic pots as they dry out faster than plastic, though plastic pots can still be done. I prefer clay pots with holes in them as these types love the air circulation around their root system. As a medium, Aliflor/Hydroton/leca by itself although I sometimes will mix in a little bit of coco-peat to the pellets. The main thing to remember is to keep each plant into a pot which might seem small for its size. During the growing season, this plant will usually dry pretty quickly and if grown outside, can tolerate the rains of a rainy season. If you are worried about plants falling over due to the small pot, I tend to use hangers on my plants and hang them, especially until the roots really ger established. Once roots are really established, you can remove pot hangers and set the potted plant into a larger pot for display purposes while in bloom, but while growing, I always hang them. If you have them mounted on trees, then you obviously don’t have to worry about this.
Light: As mentioned above, the Spatulata type, I give these plants as much possible light that I can. Most of which I have growing in full south Florida sun for quite a few hours per day, usually morning sun, until about noon or 1 PM. After this time, they get dappled sun for the rest of the day. Indoor full sun is the equivalent to outdoor full shade, so with indoor growing, you may want to supplement with supplemental lighting. The exception to the rule seems to be Dendrobium lasianthera which likes full sun all day long.
Second type, the Phalaenthe type, very early morning direct sun until about 1 PM, and late afternoon direct sun, but mine grow in south Florida FULL sun all day long and they are almost never out of bloom.
Water: Both of these types like quite a bit of water while actively growing and a drier, but not completely dry winter period. Only lessen the water, do not stop it completely.
Section Descriptions
(Pictured above - Dendrobium biggibum).
The section Phalaenanthe is what most people think of when they hear about the “hard cane” types of Dendrobium. These are your “typical” dendrobium hybrids that are quite easily found in most stores and nurseries.
The type species for this group is Dendrobium bigibbum. Characterized by the compact, short or long stems, or canes, carrying leaves anywhere from the middle or towards the apex that bloom on long, erect to arching inflorescences which carry large, showy, wide opening to flat, long lasting, purple, pink or white flowers whose petals and sepals are larger than the lip. The lip has a mentum which usually has 2 chins. Most of the plants of this section are epiphytes or lithophytes. The plants have pseudobulbs, which are thin at the base, more swollen in the center and tapered off towards the apex. Pseudobulbs are considered ever green; however, these leaves will often fall off after two years to three, maybe four years. These canes are still alive and may still bloom for another couple of years. Flowers are not typically considered fragrant, however, many have a faint fragrance during certain times of the day.
Some more common species within this section: affine, bigibbum, dicuphum, lithocola, striaenopsis, williamsianum.
There are sometimes Dendrobiums found in stores and nurseries as species, but their hybrids are more common, especially when hybridized with plants of the Spatulta section. These hybrids are known within the trade industry as "Intermediate Dendrobiums".