I am new to the group. I’ve been reading all your post and getting info from YouTube. I brought home this lovely and as I got ready to repot and found lots of roots all balled up and trying to figure out what is next. Any advice? Thank you all in advance.
That’s a lovely dendrobium nobile you have! These are interesting orchids that have different requirements depending on the time of year. I have one and love its form but not had luck getting it to rebloom yet so please do some independent research. And make sure you are reading up on dendrobium nobile as dendrobiums need different care (mostly with regard to water). First off, these are deciduous. Older canes will loose leaves in fall/winter as they enter dormancy. Those will not develop new leaves but will provide additional resources to the rest of the plant (think pseudobulb). Fortunately new canes leaf up nicely. A good sign of dormancy is the ends of the new canes will develop terminal leaves. Basically if you see a little bump on the end of the cane, it’s done growing. This starts to happen November-ish. You want to begin withholding water and fertilizer. If canes wrinkle significantly, you can give it a tiny drink. Most sources say they need a drop of around 10 deg during dormancy to initiate blooming. (For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to do that in a home setting though) They want a lot of light but no direct sunlight. I keep mine with cattleyas without any signs of scorching. During active growth (begins spring-ish - look for new cane development), they want to mostly dry out between waterings. Feed regularly during active growth. They seem to respond to the weakly weekly method. Media should be course but not too big, and no fines so roots get good airflow. Think bark, charcoal, pumice and perlite. If you’re miserly with the water, you might consider some sphagnum. They also like to be kept in smaller pots, which I find challenging because they get super top heavy quickly. Repot every 2 to 3 years or when the media breaks down. That’s all I got. And remember, I’m an idiot with a phone and an orchid so don’t just take my word for it. Happy growing!
2 Likes Oh and they seem to be more likely to produce keikis. Hooray for free plants!
2 LikesI was hoping Pi would reply. Theirs is always the best and most thorough repotting advice.
2 Likes Thanks!
0 LikesThank you for the information. I will keep doing research and let you know how it goes. Hopefully Pi will have some advice as how to re pot and how to untangle the soil from all the roots. Thank you all again
0 Likes The best way to attack is give the pot a good soak before and take it slow. I would also wait for all the blooms to drop before doing anything unless the health of your plant is in question. Take the orchid out of the pot and gently remove the media from the roots. You might use a probe to help tease bits away from the roots. Try get it all, but it’s fine if you have to leave a little so you don’t damage the roots. And don’t worry if you damage some roots. It isn’t great but it happens. Just try to minimize as much as possible. Luckily, a healthy plant will produce copious amount of new roots. Examine the roots for health and pests. Trim off any dead or dying roots. Dead roots are papery or mushy, black or brown. Healthy roots are firm and white. Sometimes they turn green when wet, but I find the change isn’t as dramatic as with phals or Cattleyas. Use an orchid pot with additional ventilation. They are typically clear so you can monitor root development, and have ventilation holes on the sides of the pot. If you don’t have one, you can add holes to a growers pot or any other plastic pot you have on hand. Size the pot so that the roots just fit in the pot. Like I said earlier, they do better in relatively small pots. With dendrobiums, I stay away from sphagnum. I like a mix consisting of bark, charcoal, pumice and perlite. You can even add leca or lava rock. Dendrobium roots are thin so the media should be sized accordingly. The key is an airy mix that will allow the roots to dry between waterings. Like most orchids, they like their water but the LOVE for their roots to dry out. Gently work the media around the roots. I use an old chopstick for the job. The goal is to firmly seat the plant in the pot without packing the media. Remember, these guys get top heavy and a wobbly plant will only lead to heartache.
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