I’d like to invite Tauranga Orchid Society members to share notes and photos of prized orchids when they’re in bloom so our newer members get an idea of what’s possible to grow in this area.
By Sandra Simpson
Mounted on a piece of ponga, my Dendrobium loddigesii was a purchase at the 2016 TOS auction (no price recorded). In December 2017 it produced 10 flowers and in December 2018 it has put up 15 flowers. Apparently, specimen plants have so many flowers the plant itself can hardly be seen!
My mounted Dendrobium loddigesii. Photo: Sandra Simpson
It grows in a shadehouse – open sides and an opaque roof. Fans run through the day year-round, and during cooler months a curtain of bubble wrap drops over (it’s not fully covered, there are gaps) the exposed southern end of the house.
The orchid is listed as a cool-intermediate grower which is about right for my conditions – no heating during winter and only fan-cooling in the summer.
An American orchid nursery website offers this information with my notes in [ ]: “These are tough plants, found throughout China, Laos and Vietnam where they occupy trees [epiphyte] and rocks [lithophyte] [and are also terrestrial, ie, growing on the ground] in exposed areas that become cool or cold for part of the year. As such, they require a cooler dry rest during winter to initiate blooming. Keeping them on the dry side will reward the grower with a profusion of flowers in early spring, which appear primarily on the leafless, mature canes from the previous year. [Don’t worry when leaves start to turn yellow and fall, this is a precursor to flowering!]
“During the growing season, Dendrobium loddigesii grows best in bright conditions, with heavy watering, high humidity, and good air movement. In short order, they become large specimens.”
A close-up of the flowers. Photo: Sandra Simpson
During periods of high temperatures I try to drop the mount into a bucket of water for about an hour at least once a week. My hose watering doesn’t keep mounted orchids as damp as they’d probably like so a bucket soak helps balance that out. And I can add fertiliser to the bucket too.
In winter but, depending on temperatures, every 2-3 weeks I give it a quick mist (the lower the temperature, the less water orchids need).
Because the plant has a creeping habit, it’s recommended to grow it on a mount, in a basket or in a shallow pot with fast-drying media.
I may not be doing it all right, but with the increase in flowers from last year to this I must be on the right track, at least.
For your diary: Our 2019 auction will be from 7pm on February 19 at St Enoch’s Church hall in 16th Ave (our usual venue is undergoing strengthening to meet the earthquake code). All welcome; cash only.
Tauranga Orchid Society 