FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I bought a Green Dendrobium orchid 3.5 years ago. It largely went ignored for 2 years until last Fall. I found it sitting in a dark corner in my basement thinking it would be dead, but saw small green leaves on it underneath much of the dead growth. I cut back the dead growth & put it in a terrarium along w/ a vanilla plant. I have both plants in orchid pots w/ fancy orchid medium mix. I water underneath the pots which are sitting on egg crate & they get the evaporated water. I have never fed either of them until last week. I used the same Maxsea mix that I feed my CP's with.

Does anybody have some care instructions they could share on either plant, but more importantly the orchid?

The plant was labeled as "Den. Green 5 N, South Florida Grown" on ebay.

Thanks,
Rob

Sorry, I only grow Phals and a single Brassavola x Laelia x Cattleya hybrid (blc copper queen)

Nice job bringing that dendrobium back. The new growth certainly looks healthy and happy, so I'd guess that you've stumbled on some good conditions for growth.

I grow a lot of orchids - but neither of those. I will say that the dendrobium genus has several types and some require special attention to winter/rest-season conditions to get blooms. So, the first thing would be to determine which sub-type '5N' falls into. A little internet search showed '5N white', so I assume there's more info on that plant, and that 'green' would refer to its flower color.

Once you figure out which sub-type it belongs to (which might be easier once the canes develop fully), then this is a helpful care sheet from the American Orchid Society: https://www.aos.org/orchids/culture-she ... obium.aspx

Until you can find more about the specific type - I would say to keep doing what you're doing, and get a year's worth of good growth and some mature canes. Good luck!

Rob Tetrazona wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:24 pm I bought a Green Dendrobium orchid 3.5 years ago. I cut back the dead growth & put it in a terrarium along w/ a vanilla plant. I have both plants in orchid pots w/ fancy orchid medium mix.

Does anybody have some care instructions they could share on either plant, but more importantly the orchid?

The Dendrobium Tribe is a huge and very diverse. To really give accurate care info, it would be necessary to know a lot more about it. Assuming it is one of the more commonplace dens, the care would likely be as follows:
Light: If hardened off properly, very bright shade to full sun —- depending upon where you live.
Temps: During active growth … warm to hot (highs in 90s). In the fall winter, cooler temps down into the 50s and very little water. If kept dry, temps can go in the upper 30s.
Humidity: tolerant of low RH but happier with medium to high provided there is good air movement.
Media: Depends on a number of factors. Generally speaking, thin, fine roots (think spaghetti noodles) indicates a finer media like pea to pearl-sized hydroton and similarly sized orchid bark. Thicker roots 2x spaghetti noodle thickness up to fettuccine noodle thickness will desire larger media chunks. But your humidity will also be a factor. If RH is consistently high, go for a chunkier mix … perhaps 100% inorganic like pure hydroton. If your RH is consistently really high, consider mounting the plant on a rot resistant wood branch or even an unglazed terracotta pot.

The vanilla vine IS an orchid. They appreciate warm humid conditions and bright shade. Vines get huge and blooms are unlikely indoors, and not until the vine gets to be at least 20ft long. Flowers last but a single day. Grown indoors or in a greenhouse, if flowers do occur, they will need hand pollinated if vanilla beans are desired. Media should be fairly chunky with some humus or leaf litter tossed in.

Thanks for all the replies! The plants are responding well to the feedings & there is now noticeable growth! I'm going to stay the course I'm on & try to provide periodic updates.