Dendrobium grow in all three temperature ranges and their requirements vary in season:

– warm for example Dendrobium phalaenopsis

– medium temperature for example Dendrobium thyrsiflorum, Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium nobile hybrids

– cool for example Dendrobium nobile (only winter)

According to your possibilities in temperature variation you should choose the corresponding Dendrobium to avoid failure.

Dendrobium needs more light than Phalaenopsis or Lady’s Slippers. This especially applies to flowering times and bud formation. Therefore please observe the following rule: as bright as possible but no direct sun at all. The brighter it is(please be aware of direct sunlight) the more careful you have to be that it does not get too hot. Please ensure both: a sufficient cooling by movement of the air and an adequate amount of water.

Humidity should be at least 60 percent of relative humidity. Dendrobium likes to get sprayed in the morning with soft water which has room temperature. Please make sure that the plant will be dry again until the evening to avoid pathogenic germs such as fungus.

In nature you will always find air movement. A slight wind is always blowing but it is very different in a room. Often there is no air circulation which leads to unregular heat distribution especially in winter when all windows are closed. Therefore, during the whole year, a fan is best suited to move and mix the air. We recommend fans from the American based company Vornado. It is sufficient to have them run 15 Minutes per hour (in winter) and 15 Minutes per 90 Minutes (in summer).

Together with movement of the air, fresh air is very important to ensure a adequate level of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. However there should be no draught at all!

If they grow new bulbs, please ensure a sufficient water and fertiliser supply. At the end of bulb maturity (they reached their maximum size and get thick), please reduce the water amount slightly (Dendrobium phalaenopsis) or completely (Dendrobium nobile) to avoid growing a new bulb and to encourage flower formation.

For Dendrobium nobile, please do not water at all from autumn and put them in a cool place until all buds are mature in early spring. The bulbs should not shrink – if this happens, temperature is too high.

Dendrobium is easy to water from below however at the beginning (refer to our recommondations) after repotting them into the Orchitop, you should water them from above so that the small roots do not moulder and they can get used to the new conditions. You will find our recommondations for watering here

Please use a commercially traded fertiliser from April to September and read the dosage instruction carefully.