Dendrobium Emma White

Discussion in 'Orchidaceae (orchids)' started by Rhynno, Sep 16, 2009.

  1. Rhynno

    Rhynno Active Member

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    Hi all,

    I picked up a nice dendrobium emma white in flower. I got it home only to find out that the pot had no drainage holes. So I ended up repotting while it was in bloom. The roots were horrible :( and the sphagnum moss was completely compacted. I repotted it into pre-moistened park/sphagnum moss mix and all seems well.

    My question is should I cut off the blooms? Shockingly enough the blooms didn' fall off!

    I'm spraying it and the top of the potting mix each day and about a week later I'll water for real. I potted it up in a clay pot.

    Do I treat an Emma White like a Cattleya? Or do I just increase the water and the light compared to a phal?

    Thanks guys!

    Ryan
     
  2. kevind76

    kevind76 Active Member

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    I had to do a quick Google seach to see what 'Emma White' looked like, to be sure I gave the best advice - there are just so many! This hybrid is a phalaenopsis type of Dendrobium (don't get confused by the name - it is just what that type of Den. is called). You can treat it just like a Cattleya. Your mix sounds good. A clay pot will dry faster than a plastic pot, so keep that in mind. They like to dry out between waterings, but just make sure it is not too dry. I take it you already have a Cattleya? In that case, grow them side-by-side, and you should not have any problems.
    You were asking about cutting off the flower spike - I assume you were asking because you just re-potted it, and were concerned about the stress. As long as you didn't break too many roots in the process, it should be fine. Cutting a flower spike does put more energy into the plant, though. Are there any new growths or roots forming?
     
  3. Rhynno

    Rhynno Active Member

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    Thank you Kevin! The plant lost a lot of roots when it was repotted. Also, some of the leaves on the small stalks are yellowing and look like they'll fall soon. It sounds like it's probably best to cut the flowers then hey?

    Thanks for the help!

    Ryan
     
  4. kevind76

    kevind76 Active Member

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    That might be a good idea. Best to put more energy into the stressed plant, rather than the flowers. Are there still lots of flowers on the spike? When you cut it off, put it in a vase of water - they should still last quite a while. The stalks are the pseudobulbs. These types of orchids are deciduous, so the leaves will eventually fall off.
     
  5. Rhynno

    Rhynno Active Member

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    Even the phalaenopsis varieties are deciduous? I never knew that, ty. Yeah, I'm gonna cut it first thing tomorrow. There are still a decent amount of flowers (some are pretty small) so I hope that they'll still open for me in water. Thanks again :).
     
  6. kevind76

    kevind76 Active Member

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    Yep, they're deciduous. I'm not sure of the dictionary deffinition of 'deciduous', but they way I''m using it here, is that the leaves can stay on for a year, or maybe a few years, before falling off. And, they can re-bloom on the same cane (another name for the pseudobulb), whether or not it has leaves.

    The flowers should still open after being cut.
     

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