🌸 Growing Tips By TOC Director Karen Lewis For Dendrobiums Gifted at May Luncheon

Tampa Orchid Club
Jun 10
2 min read

Last month at the Tampa Orchid Club's May annual luncheon, paid, up to date members were gifted with a Dendrobium plant. Therefore, it may come in handy to have some valuable growing tips. Our very own Karen Lewis, a devoted member and one of our TOC directors shared the following information about Dens for you to bookmark and utilize as needed.

Dens 101

Dens are one of the largest genus in the orchid world with over 1400 named species. You will find that some have fat pseudobulbs while others have thin canes. Dendrobiums are broken down into six types, ranging from warm to cool, these include the following...

6 Types of Dendrobiums (Listed from Warm To Cool)

• Spatulata

• Latouria

• Phalaenoanthe

• Formosae

• Callista

• Dendrobium Nobile

Your Dens From TOC

Let's dive in to the specific care instructions for two of the coolest (literally!) kinds: D. anosmum and D. aphyllum. These two beauties from the Dendrobium Nobile group are the varieties gifted to members at our luncheon.

🌼Beautiful Bloom Basics

They thrive in bright light,
tolerate cooler temperatures down to the 40s,
and need to be mounted vertically to mimic their natural growth as air plants (epiphytes).

🌿 Imperative: Give Them A Rest

These plants need a rest period. Don’t forget it! From Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day, withhold water and fertilizer. This dry dormancy is crucial for spring blooms. Leaves will fall, but don’t panic. Trust me—that’s part of the process!

👀 Be Observant

Keep your eyes peeled for tiny swollen nubs on the canes—that’s your signal that flowers are on the way. Once buds appear, resume watering and start fertilizing again when new canes begin to grow. Flood them with water after the buds form.