Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindley 1847, will bloom reliably if you make sure it gets the proper care when it is producing new canes






I have had this plant for so long I can't remember when I brought it.  In the past it was a frustrating and inconsistent bloomer.   In the last few years it has been blooming every year.  What caused the change?  The first thing I did was to start fertilize it heavily the moment I noticed a new growth developing.  I noticed that canes below a certain size won't bloom in my plant, only the ones that near 12 inches tall bloom reliably.  You can see in the photo two sizes of canes, notice that the tall ones have the inflorescences.    This plant needs to be exposed to full sun to grow well.  A few hours of full sun in the morning seem to be enough to produce tall and thick canes.  My plant gets full sun almost until midday.  I have not repotted this plant for many years, it is very pot bound.  I had another plant, which I repotted after it had been in its pot for a long time.  Unfortunately it departed for the great terracota pot in the sky.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

my new Den. Chrysotoxum has formed a tiny clear seed-pearl droplet of very sticky fluid. Good or bad news? If bad, any suggestions of how to treat it? Muchismo gracias! Carrol Delano
PS/ I can't figure out the identity question below, hence my yahoo address here. carroldelano@yahoo.com