The Wanneroo Orchid Society

         How to Grow Hardcane Dendrobiums The Easy Way

        1. Give them plenty of light. Right up to the point of sunburn, then back off a little. That means increase the shade. They like lots of light, it helps them to flower.

        2. Don't worry about humidity. Whatever your humidity normally is, will be just fine. If it's good enough for your cattleyas and

cymbidiums, then it's good enough for hardcane dendrobiums.

        3. There is no need to fertilize. They will grow quite well without fertilizer. (They do in the wild)

        4. Don't bother about repotting hardcanes.  The roots will leap out of the pot and go where they want anyway. So repotting shouldn't be a worry.

        5. Don't worry about water quality. Tap water will do just fine. Or bore water. Or dirty dishwater if you must.

        But pay attention, because this is THE REALLY CRITICAL BIT.

In winter ;-   Do Not Water Overhead. Keep The Rain Off.

                     Do Not Allow Them To Stay Wet.

                     Keep Them Away From Cold Winds.

                     Always Allow The Pot To Dry Out Before Watering Again.

        COLD + WET = ROT

If you take this advise, your hardcane dendrobiums WILL grow. I

promise.

I know people who grow them like this all the time. Grown this way, they often don't flower at their best. But they will grow and they will flower.

   How To Grow Hardcane Dendrobiums So they Flower Better.

       The information on light intensity in (1) above, is quite relevant. Hardcanes do like lots of light and there are some types that will even grow in full sun. (But don't try that just yet).

        Around 50% humidity will suffice for hardcane dendrobiums, but 60% to 70% would be even better. Forget about humidity above 70%. It's more trouble than it's worth. At that level you get condensation form on the ceiling which drips down on your plants. That's a real no-no. And they don't need that much humidity anyway.

       If you fertilize in the growing season, (the end of winter, spring and into summer) they will grow GOOD. A fertilizer high in nitrogen makes for strong healthy canes.  After they mature, (around mid summer to mid autumn) change to a low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer. This is not really difficult - just read the back of the packet where the ingredients are. There are plenty of fertilizers around, so pick and choose.

      Fertilize once a week or once a fortnight, very weakly from the time new growth starts until flowering. After flowering there is often a

dormant period until the new spring growth appears. No need to waste fertilizer when there is no growth.

      A word of warning.

Some hardcanes grow BIG. Like, 2-3 meters tall (you have heard of Jack and his beanstalk)  If you have one of these, either have a high ceiling or ease up on the fertilizer. Most hardcanes are medium size (under 1 meter) and some are miniatures (under 30cm) so buy you hardcanes according to your ceiling height.

Continued