Tips for caring for your dendrobium nobile orchid at home

The flora of the tropical forest is rich and varied. It is not for nothing that the locals often call it "jungle", which means "dense thickets" in Hindi. And this is really so: up to 450 different plant species can fit in 5 square kilometers. Closely intertwined, intricately curved, hidden from the sun by the dense crowns of giant trees, they make the forest gloomy and completely impassable. Against this background, you do not expect to see the delicate and fragile beauty of the orchid with the royal name Dendrobium Nobile. And she, striving for the light, climbed higher, grabbing the trunk of a nearby tree, and reigns over this evergreen mass, exuding a delicate aroma. The man managed to tame the proud Tropicana, and now she majestically flaunts in home collections.

First meeting

Dendrobium Nobile (Dendrobium Nobile) is a striking representative of the Orchid family. The homeland of this herbaceous perennial is the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, spread over the territory of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The eternal dusk of the lower tier did not suit the plant, so it became an epiphyte: clinging to the bark of the nearby trees of the upper tier, it learned to rise as close to the sun as possible. Now the origin of the complex name is clear: "dendrobium" is translated as "blossoming on a tree."

What does this type of orchid, reasonably called noble, look like?

• The straight and rather high (up to 90 cm) stem has thickened segments of a cylindrical or ellipsoid shape, which are called pseudobulbs. In them the plant accumulates reserves of moisture and nutrients "for a rainy day". After the end of flowering, the pseudobulb can remain in a leafless state for several years.
• The main roots are hard and white. With their help, the flower is attached to the support, extracts moisture and nutrients. Surprisingly, the root system of the dendrobium, along with the leaves, takes part in photosynthesis.
• Adventitious roots can form throughout the plant, sometimes grow to huge sizes and hang down with white lace. It is an additional tool for the extraction of moisture and nutrients.
• Leaves of the color of young green - oblong, alternately located.

Advice

Do not be discouraged if you see dendrobium leaves near a flower pot: they tend to fall off as the plant grows or during a pronounced dormant period.

• Flower buds form in the axils of the leaf plates.
• Depending on the environmental conditions, either a new shoot appears from them, or a long peduncle, dotted with rather large, up to 9 centimeters in diameter, flowers with a pleasant aroma.
• Pink, purple, golden, dark purple and even multi-colored petals amaze with their unearthly beauty and delight the eye for up to one and a half months.

Experts talk about the sympodial growth of these orchids. This means that dendrobiums grow horizontally. Many horizontal shoots, connected by a rhizome (rhizome), grow from the mother trunk. From these growth points, new pseudobulbs develop, which become the base of young trunks. As a result, a whole bush with a common root system is formed from the processes.

Variety of species

The world learned about the existence of this exotic plant in 1836, when the first specimen was brought to Europe from India. The orchid immediately won the hearts of collectors. For her proud and majestic appearance, she received the name "nobile", which means "noble".Since then, this flower has haunted the breeders, who, on its basis, have been developing more and more hybrid varieties. The most famous of them are the Yamamoto group (originating from Japan), others from the Netherlands.

• Noble white (Dendrobium nobile white) - a fairly large specimen, strewn with snow-white flowers. There can be up to 60 of them on one bush. He is unpretentious in leaving: he will forgive the mistress for her forgetfulness and a couple of missed waterings.
• Royal blue (Dendrobium nobile Royal blue) - owes its unusual color to humans, in the wild such rich colors do not exist. This is a purely commercial version of the orchid. The petals are painted with a special color just before the sale and retain this appearance for the entire flowering period. The next season will delight fans with white flowers.
• Anna Green (Dendrobium nobile Anna Green) - The bright green of the petals in combination with the dark purple center indicates the tropical origin of the plant.
• Firebird (Dendrobium nobile Firebird) - really resembles the fabulous plumage of a firebird, shining in the sun with a bright golden-orange color.
• Black Beauty - the aristocratic velvet of violet petals captivates with its elegance and high cost.

High decorative properties and relative ease of care have made this species in demand among amateur flower growers.

Life cycle

Competent care of a plant is impossible without knowledge of some of the features of its development.

The life cycle of dendrobium nobile is conventionally divided into 3 periods.

1. Vegetative - in early spring, the orchid comes to life: active growth of the stem and leaves begins, flower buds are formed. At the base of the pseudobulbs, young shoots are born - children. From June to September, they stretch out, round up, growing to the size of old pseudotubers and forming young roots.
2. Dormant period - lasts several months: from October to January. All the life processes of the plant at this moment freeze, which is associated with a lack of sunlight.
3. Flowering period - begins in winter, with a decrease in air temperature, and lasts quite a long time: 2-3 months. At the same time, a long peduncle develops, which is then covered with large fragrant flowers.

After some time after flowering, the leaves will begin to fall off, and the pseudobulb will turn yellow and wrinkle.

Plant care during growth

In the spring-summer period, the perennial is actively growing, preparing for flowering. At this moment, more than ever, the plant needs careful care.

• The orchid needs sunlight 12 hours a day. Therefore, it is better to put the pot in a well-lit place, but you need to take into account the fact that direct sunlight will benefit the dendrobium only until 10 am and after 4 pm. The rest of the time, the light should be diffused, so there is no better place than east or west windowsills.

Advice

The appearance of young pseudobulbs will help you adjust the illumination. An overabundance of light makes them short, and a lack of light makes them long and thin.

• The optimal daytime temperature for a noble look is 18-25 ⁰C. Night must be lower by 5⁰C. At higher temperatures, there is a risk of transformation of flower buds into babies.
• In the nature of growth, the orchid, being an epiphyte, is in great need of high, at least 60%, air humidity. At home, being planted in the ground, the dendrobium receives part of the necessary moisture from there. Therefore, it feels great in rooms with moderate humidity. But regular spraying from a spray bottle will not interfere with the plant at all.
• Sometimes it is worth giving an exotic guest a tropical downpour by thoroughly rinsing her with warm water from the shower. This procedure stimulates cell metabolism and flowering. But you need to carefully monitor so that excess moisture does not remain in the soil and on the surface of the leaf plates.
• Feed with phosphorus fertilizer for orchids. Apply half of the rate indicated by the manufacturer with every third watering. Do not use nitrogen-containing additives - they are detrimental to dendrobium.
• Water the orchid daily using warm purified water. This is best done in the morning. The procedure is carried out using a watering can, abundantly irrigating the soil, or by immersing the pot with the plant in a container of water for 5-7 minutes. When watering, water must flow freely through the drainage holes, otherwise its stagnation will lead to decay of the roots and the death of the perennial. The excess water from the sump must be drained.

Advice

The fact that it is time to water the plant will be indicated by the aerial roots, which have changed their color from green to silvery gray.

During the rest period

During the rest period, you need to create all the conditions for the plant to rest so that it accumulates strength and again pleases us with its exotic flowering.

• Move the pot to a cool place. Acceptable temperature during the day - 15-16 ⁰C, at night - 10-12 ⁰FROM.
• Almost stop watering. It is enough to moisten the surface of the soil from a watering can or a spray bottle once every half a month.
• Additional humidification is not required.
• Top dressing is not necessary.

In winter, even the direct rays of the sun will not harm the plant. Remember the flow of clean air and protect your fragile guest from drafts.

Post-flowering care

What to do with the plant after flowering? This question worries many fans of exotic dendrobiums. In order not to ruin the plant, you need to know about some of the intricacies of care.

• Do not rush to cut the pseudobulb when the plant has bloomed. Examine it carefully from all sides. The kidneys are located along the entire length of the segment. Perhaps some have not opened up and will still delight you with flowering.
• Even if there are no buds left, cutting the pseudobulb is prohibited - after all, it is a reservoir for the accumulation of moisture and nutrients used by the shoots connected by a common root.

Advice

Dry pseudobulbs with fallen leaves are removed with a sharp blade and sprinkled with crushed activated carbon for disinfection.

Then the pot is rearranged to a cool place, practically reducing watering to naught, and new shoots are awaited.

Reproduction

Buying a dendrobium nobile at a flower shop is not cheap. And I really want to have a whole collection of these noble flowers. There is a way out: you can start propagating an exotic orchid at home. For this, different parts of the plant are used.

• Kids - young shoots appearing at the base of the pseudobulb. With the appearance of roots, they are cut off with a sharp blade or "twisted" by hand. After that, the sprout is dried for several days in a well-ventilated area. They are planted in a substrate of crushed bark, looked after as an adult plant. The first flowers will delight the eye two years after planting.
• Cuttings Is a pseudobulb cut into several pieces about 10 centimeters long. Each cut is processed with a garden pitch. In order for the cuttings to take root, they are laid out on moistened moss, poured into a plastic bag, creating a kind of greenhouse. Store the capsules in a warm, lighted place, ventilating and moisturizing the substrate daily. The roots develop within 2 months, after which the cuttings can be planted in the ground, following the general rules. The first flowering will not happen soon, only after a few years.
• Part of a large bush. During the transplant, the perennial is removed from the pot, the roots are cleaned from the soil, cut with a sterilized knife so that at least two pseudobulbs with roots remain. Places of cuts are treated with crushed activated carbon or garden varnish, dried a little and planted in a separate pot filled with a substrate.

Advice

Only a mature plant with a well-developed root system can be divided.

Transfer

Once in the conditions of city apartments, the epiphyte plant perfectly adapted to live in the ground.True, our noble aristocrat is extremely conservative. She does not like changes, therefore, it is difficult to tolerate a transplant.

It is only necessary to change the substrate and the pot in exceptional cases:

• if the soil is covered with a gray or whitish coating or has changed its structure: it has become too crumbly and layered;
• if the roots are rotten or dry;
• if the orchid has grown and ceased to fit in the pots;
• if traces of parasites or signs of disease are seen on the plant;

Advice

It is better to transplant before the beginning of the active growth period, which falls on the end of February - the beginning of March, and, if possible, not more often than 1 time in 3 years.

The substrate in which the dendrobium nobile will live must be loose and permeable. It is better to cook it yourself by combining 5 components:

• chopped pine bark;
• pieces of moss;
• coconut fiber;
• peat;
• crushed charcoal.

Advice

To loosen the soil, flower growers sometimes add small pieces of polystyrene to the soil.

Since the noble orchid is a rather large plant, you need to choose a volumetric pot for it, 2 centimeters larger than the old one in diameter. It is better if it is an earthen pot with holes in the bottom. Modern growers offer pots with perforated walls to help improve metabolic processes in the root system.

Advice

Before use, a ceramic pot must be calcined in the oven, cooled and left in clean water for a couple of hours.

Now you can start the transplant.

1. We take out the plant from the pot.
2. We completely free the roots from the soil.
3. We remove the damaged processes, sprinkle the places of fractures with activated carbon and dry a little in air.
4. Fill the pot generously with drainage, pour 3 centimeters of the substrate on top.
5. We place an orchid in the center of the flowerpot without deepening the pseudobulbs.
6. Add the substrate around the pot.
7. If necessary, we put a support.

Advice

It is not worth watering the newly planted plant immediately. Give it 2-3 days to acclimate. Heat and bright sun are also not the best allies of the exotic during this period.

Do not forget that in nature the plant does not grow in the ground. Therefore, you can experiment by attaching the orchid to the support. Its role can be played by tree bark or sphagnum moss.

Of course, the dendrobium nobile orchid, like any other plant, is susceptible to various diseases and the attack of parasitic insects. But the greatest harm is caused to exotic by the inattentive attitude of a person. Do not offend the plant with your indifference, and it will surely bring you a royal bloom and delicate aroma as a refined sign of sincere gratitude.