Dendrobium culture: Dendrobium cucullatum, getting the plant to produce really long canes

 One of my favorite Dendrobium has been Dendrobium cucullatum, also known as Den pierardii, and Den aphyllum.  This species does well in my climatic conditions, so much so that all you need to do is attach it to a tree and it will grow and bloom with little care.  I have had plants of this species for many years.

In photos of this plant in Asia I noted that the plants were in many cases much thicker and longer than my plants and produced more and larger flowers.  After observing my plants, I concluded that the issue was that the plants were in baskets and pots that dried too fast for this species.  As a result, a plant that could potentially produce a six feet cane, would top out at a third of that size.

To rest this hypothesis, I put a three-cane plant of this species in plastic soda bottle that was cut in a way that there is a water reservoir at the bottom of the bottle that the roots of the orchid can reach.  I also made holes that allowed plenty of air to reach the roots, this is to avoid rot.

The results were highly gratifying.  The plant produced a five and a half foot cane, much thicker than usual.  In the second year in the pot its on its way to produce an even larger cane.   This year it bloomed with many flowers, sadly marred by thrips.  I expect that next year it will produce even more flowers.  I have a nasty surprise prepared for any thrip that might show up to eat the flowers.

In the future, I plan to make a basket that will allow for four or five canes to grow together.   Given the large size that such an arrangement would achieve the basket and pot would need to be quite strong not to be turned upside down by the sheer weight of the canes.

On a final note, the size of a plant is influenced by many things, light, fertilizer, watering, genetics, temperature and others.  It may be that some plants of this species are naturally small.  The plant I used for the test came from a parent that I knew can produce at least six foot long canes and maybe longer if given optimal care.  So don’t be frustrated if you plant doesn’t suddenly becomes a giant.