On 8 Mar 2003 16:16:32 -0800, (Ted
Byers) wrote:
..........snipped.................

But the roots are the key. Coming from a garden centre, you can have
no idea what shape the roots are in unless you repot. Sometime, you
get lucky and find that the plant was well potted and that the medium
and the roots are in perfect condition. Often that is not the case.
If the roots are in good shape, you won't need to bother with the
rooting hormone, but if there is significantly less healthy root than
there is green tissue, you should apply the hormone to the healaty
root and that part of the cane that was below the surface of the
potting medium, since you want to stimulate the existing healthy root
to grow, and you want to stimulate the meristem in the bottom part of
the cane to produce new roots.

That said, I am interested in hearing what advice people will have
regarding getting dendrobiums to rebloom. I have rebloomed phals and
cattleyas, but not my dendrobiums. They are, at present, a large mass
of reasonably healthy green tissue (and all had lots of healthy roots
the last time I checked).

HTH

Ted

I agree with Ted - Roots are the key. But Dendrobiums Like
(strike that) LOVE TIGHT shoes. They want to be in such as small
pot it is difficult to repot. If they have too much space they
may grow to fill it before blooming or they may sulk and do
nothing. So, Pot them in a pot a size smaller than you want to
use. Or right back in the same size they came from.

As to Ted's problem with blooms, if they are sending out keikis,
not blooms, it is too moist for them. They may need a touch of
dry weather. Just skipping them every other watering in the fall
until you get spikes should help. Also they are not known for
loving low light like Phals. Give them almost Cattleya bright
light if possible. Remember to mover slowly into brighter light
if your plant has been shaded.

Good Luck.

SuE
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