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Dendrobium speciosum Orchids

gasificada

gasificada

During a mountain hike yesterday I came across some orchids growing on rock on the side of a cliff so I decided to venture down for closer inspection. I don't know the technical term for this but what I found was new plants growing from the old ones.... so I broke a couple off. I probably wasn't supposed to bring any home with me (let alone snap any off) but after risking my life climbing down the cliff AND nearly trodding on a snake in the process, I decided I was entitled to some kind of a souvenir! After a quick google I discovered they are Dendrobium speciosum var. hillii orchids. Here they are:

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Apparently they are both lithophyte (grow on rocks) and epiphyte (grow on living plants) so my question is, if I put these in an orchid growing mix (bark and charcoal) should they still grow?

Here's what I should be expecting if I can get them to grow:

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I hope you didn't plant them in dirt. And the roots should not be covered. Get some real charcoal (it should look like pieces of wood); wash it (rinse with water) and place them on that in the pot. You could also tie it to a rock in a not too sunny a spot. If the roots are covered it'll likely die.
 
Nope, I didn't plant them in dirt... I got a small bag of bark mix claimed to be specifically for Dendrobiums. The pic is of the one with the long roots. You can't see it in the shot but I left maybe a quarter / half an inch of the roots exposed. Should I be leaving none of the roots covered? And if so, how do I make it stand? The second one with much shorter roots I pretty much have sitting leaned against a piece of bark with none of the roots covered.
 
I wouldn't cover the roots at all. What you can do is to soak the long roots in water for a couple of minutes; this will make them very pliable. Then wrap them around on top of the bark mix and use a stick to support the plant upright (tie the plant to it). You might want to consider an orchid pot which has holes all around the body of the pot allowing maximum air flow.
Those are very beautiful plants, good luck. Cheers.
 
I did actually go in search for proper orchid pots today but unfortunately didn't find any. In a few days when I have some spare time, I think I will pay a visit to a specialized orchid nursery and grab a couple. At the moment I have removed all roots from the mix and first thing in the morning I will do as you suggest and tie the plant to a stick and wrap the roots around the surface. Thanks for your help!
 
gasificada said:
I did actually go in search for proper orchid pots today but unfortunately didn't find any. In a few days when I have some spare time, I think I will pay a visit to a specialized orchid nursery and grab a couple. At the moment I have removed all roots from the mix and first thing in the morning I will do as you suggest and tie the plant to a stick and wrap the roots around the surface. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Good idea; I've got cultivated orchids and wild child's as well; they're picky and it's best to come as close to their natural habitat as possible. I'd sure like to see the results, especially if they flower. Cheers.
 
OK, this is odd, one of my orchids produced flowers and they are not what they are supposed to be....

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I've been up on the same mountain before and have only seen the white flowering Dendrobium speciosums up there.

Here is a photo of the cliff face I got them from (not my pic). They are clearly white flowers:

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If you look at the pic in my first post you will also see that the sepals and petals are skinnier on the white flowers and even the lip looks a bit different.

Anyone know why this would be?

I will venture back up the same mountain very soon and see what the go is up there now that they should be flowering too. This has me VERY intrigued!
 
On another note, while I have never been big on sniffing flowers (can't recall ever doing it even once before in my life!), for such small flowers, they sure do produce a strong, sweet and delightful scent.
 
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