Hi!
I just bought my first Dendrobium earlier this afternoon at the grocery store of all places. Phals are everywhere here but I stopped in my tracks when I saw the display of Dendros. I have never grown one before and I know there is thousands of them but I'm pretty sure mine is a hybrid of Dendrobium phalaenopsis. I have been growing Phals for about 5 years so I feel I'm ready to take the next step Is there anything in particular that Dendrobium really hate or love? It has beautiful mauve/lavender flowers, they are on the small side but I love it! Any help would be great and I will post a picture very soon!

Hi Steven,
Congrats on your first Dendrobium purchase.
I would keep it in a very sunny and warm spot and - since it will dry out quickly under those conditions, you might need to water daily. You don't want to grow it under Phal conditions, Phals need a lot less light.
Enjoy those pretty blooms!

Congrats on your new Dendrobium!! Can't wait to see it. Dendrobiums come in many shapes and colors (very large alliance) but the Den phalaenopsis ones are very lush.

Hi Kathy and Ursula! I got one picture so far but it wasn't very good. I need to charge my camera so i can get some more pics but I will post some soon.

I put my Dendrobium in a south facing window so it gets direct sun. And I will make sure I keep up with the watering. It is in the basement though so it gets a bit cooler in the winter then the rest of the house.....do you think it should be ok? It is heated but is on the cool side at night and warmer during the day since it is in the sun.

I would not do direct sun but indirect bright light is better so the leaves don't burn. Here is a link that explains. http://www.beautifulorchids.co...

Hmm....I don't really have a spot right now without direct sun.....Do you think it will be ok for the winter since the sun is so weak anyways? And then in the summer I can move it over to a spot with less direct light? Thank you for the link it is very helpful!

Could it be a few feet away from the window? I guess you don't have anymore scorching sun but by late April/early May it might be a problem.

I will definitely be able to move it by April or May when other plants will be going back outside. I'm not sure if its the same for you but here in the winter nothing grows November/December when the days are so short and dark and the sun is so weak . But once January comes things start growing and blooming again when the days get longer

Here it is! Sorry for the poor quality, I took it at night a short while after I brought it home. I'll get some better pics soon!

Nice and healthy. Just to let you know, most of my orchids bloom in fall, winter and spring (ah brave new world). You can look in our database to get info on when things have bloomed for members. http://cubits.org/orchids/db/d...

Thank-you, it has a new shoot coming off the side and I hope it makes more flowers...is that likely or do they make all their flowers at the same time?

Thanks for the database link, I will check it out soon.

It's always a gift to find a new spike growing after one is in bloom or having just finished. My dendrobiums usually bloom opening from the bottom of a spike and working upwards till they are all in bloom. Here is a mini in bloom now, Dendrobium rigidum.

Oh that is so nice! I'm also crazy to get a Cymbidium and a Catlleya....maybe even a Paphiopedilum....................... I wish I had room for more of them........is there small Cymbiums that will fit on a windosill?

There are cymbidiums that are warm growers but they are rare and not always small. I collect a lot of those. I still keep them cool for as long as I can though. I let them get to almost freezing and then keep them at 50 degrees F for the winter. The cold makes them spike. I keep them outside from June 1 till frost. I keep them in direct sun but I acclimate them to full sun slowly with some screen cloth.
Lots on cyms http://cubits.org/orchids/thre...
My cyms in fall. http://cubits.org/orchids/thre...

Thank-you for the links Kathy! Your plants look so healthy, I will be enjoying your pictures through the winter for sure and hopefully I'll have some blooms to post. I know you live in the US but do you happen to know of any good Canadian Orchid sources or directories?

Two great ones are Paramount Orchids http://www.paramountorchids.co... and Cloud's Orchids http://www.cloudsorchids.com/. I'm pretty sure they don't ship in winter so you better get on it!!

Thank-you, I will check them out right away. I'm dieing to get a red orchid that is not a Phal. I have 3 Phals right now and I'm ready to try some other types now I did see a beautiful crimson coloured one at HD the other day though.......

There is so many to choose from! I have no clue what to even think about ordering
I probably wouldn't order till the spring but any suggestions that would send me in the right direction would be great....

All the Cattleya Chocolate Drop ones are great reds.

Oh wow, those Chocolate Drops sure are beautiful! I also really like this Cymbidium from Clouds Orchids called 'Golden Lotus'
http://www.cloudsorchids.com/c...
I think I might order it in the spring, it will give me something to ponder over the winter!