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The renowned botanist C. L. Blume first described this particular genus in 1825. Its name is derived from the Greek words dendros meaning tree & refers to its epiphytic habit, & cheilos which means lip & refers to the lip of the flower. Dendrochilums, which are epiphytic by nature, are native to Indonesia & can be found in Burma, New Guinea, Java, the Philippines, & Borneo & most of their neighbouring islands. These plants tend to grow in clumps, with a single leaf on top of each pseudobulb. The flowers are small & neatly arranged alternately, along a thin threadlike stem, in many ways resembling a chain, hence them being referred to the “Chain Orchid”. LIGHT These plants will do best in moderate light, around 50% shade on the brightest days & shouldn’t get direct sunlight particularly during the summer months, as their leave will burn readily. TEMPERATURE Dendrochilum like an intermediate to warm temperature range & shouldn’t drop below about 8OC during the winter months for their best performance. During the hotter months as the temperature levels rise so should the humidity level be increased. WATER Keep these plants moist, & don’t allow them to quite dry out completely in between waterings. During the winter months they will only need to be watered every week or so. Watch that at this time of year that the media doesn’t become sodden, as this is likely to set off rotting in the roots. During the warmer months you will need to water every couple of days, just be sure the media never gets completely dry before the next watering. AIR MOVEMENT As with most orchids these plants appreciate a gentle air circulation around them. The air movement aids greatly transpiration of the leaves during hot weather, thus helps with the cooling of the plant. Air movement during cooler weather also helps prevent rots setting in due to humid still conditions, but they don’t appreciate strong draughts. FERTILISER After flowering has finished, a weak feed of a high Nitrogen fertiliser every second watering will help to produce strong new pseudobulbs. As the pseudobulbs start to mature a half strength potash type food such as “Phostrogen” will benefit the flowering. Once the pseudobulbs have matured the feeding can be held off for about six weeks as the plant will have a bit of a rest period, watering however should be kept up as needed. POTTING Dendrochilums don’t like to be repotted too frequently, so ideally even three years or so is ample. They are however, very sensitive to their media decomposing & will suffer rapidly. If you see signs of this, tip them out & clean up the roots by removing, carefully, all the old mix & then repot into a pot that is just big enough for the next couple of years growth. A fine bark mix is best as it allows free drainage & air movement, while supporting the plant well. |
| Dendrochilum glumaceum Culture |
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