Dendrobium Phalaenopsis(warm growing) Care Guide

Dendrobiums of the warm-growing type are small to large-sized tropical evergreen orchids. Their appearance is distinctive – they carry three to twelve thick leathery leaves on an upper part of a pseudobulb (usually called a “cane”) and their flowers are clustered on a spike which grows from the upper portion of a mature cane.

Light: Bright position, away from direct sun. East facing window with a bit of early morning or late evening sunlight is acceptable, north window is ideal particularly in summer. Mid-day sunlight can burn the leaves. Grow lights can also be used.

Watering: Keep the potting medium slightly moist at all times during hot summer months. Reduce watering during winter months to prevent root rot but never let to dry out for prolonged periods of time.

Temperature: Keep above 15°C year round. This plant is relatively tolerant of high temperatures in the UK as long as there is air circulation and mid-day sunlight is avoided. Feeding: Always choose a quality commercial orchid fertiliser diluted to manufacturer’s instructions - overfeeding can damage your plant. Feed every second or third watering during summer and sparingly during winter months.

Re-flowering: Remove spent flowers as necessary and once it has turned yellow and dry, remove a spent flower spike. Do not cut off any canes that are still green – these are the plant’s energy reserve.

Re-potting: Dendrobiums prefer to be slightly root bound – it is therefore best to avoid overpotting your orchid. Due to its growth habit along a crawling rhizome it will eventually outgrow its pot – this is your clue to repot. Use a pot only slightly larger than what is needed for the plant’s size.

If your plant is mature enough this can also be an opportunity to divide it by cutting the rhizome and repotting the separate divisions individually. Always aim for at least three mature canes per division.

New young plants (keiki) may develop on older mature canes. These can be separated from the mother plant when they have at least three leaves and three roots each three inches long and planted as separate plants.

Dendrobiums in nature are epiphytic – they grow attached to tree bark on branches and tree trunks. As such, their roots are always exposed to excellent air circulation and dry off quickly after a rain which helps prevent root rot. In our home conditions this means that we need to use a potting medium that suits our conditions and will prevent water-logging the plant for too long as well as prevent the plant from drying out too quickly.

If your home is on the colder side, high quality bark chips are the best potting medium as this will be airy and will not retain moisture for too long. If your home is warm year round, you will want to consider a mixture of bark chips and dried long fiber sphagnum moss. The sphagnum moss will retain a bit of extra moisture which will help the medium stay moist for a bit longer during hot summer months while the bark chips will ensure there is plenty of air pockets and circulation of air around your orchid’s root system.

Dendrobium Phalaenopsis (warm growing) Care Guide Dendrobiums of the warm-growing type are small to large-sized tropical evergreen orchids. Their appearance is distinctive – they carry three to twelve thick leathery leaves on an upper part of a pseudobulb (usually called a “cane”) and their flowers are clustered on a spike which grows from the upper portion of a mature cane.

This guide was prepared by @Orchivorous