Questions about my dendrobium orchid
I've had my orchid over 2 years now but am still very much a noob. ___ I'd read somewhere to cut the stem after the blooms died so I did that - and it didn't bloom at ALL last year :( This year it sent up 2 stalks, one got about 2 inches long and something happened to the tip, it whithered and browned and never got any bigger or produced any flowers. The 2nd stalk made 5 flowers that lasted well over a month :) I have no idea what kind of orchid it is, I think from the reading I've been doing maybe a variety of dendrobium biggibum? Maybe?
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...ids-bloom.html
Before mine started fading it looked a WHOLE lot like Raymond_Jesus 2nd pic in his thread here (the red/brown/green)
If this helps any here is a little timeline of flowering this year:
7/30/09 started flower stalk
8/18/09 5 flowers buds formed - not opened
10/18/09 1st of 5 flowers dropped
10/19/09 2nd flower dropped
So I've managed to keep an orchid alive 2 years! and flowered once! Whwohohoh! I have no idea what I'm doing, ahahhahaha. Do I cut the stem? where? do I stop watering? for how long? do I repot? when? If I cut the stem can they be rooted into new plants!?
So far no roots are clambering out of the pot, though I have seen some peeking recently so I imagine it's getting snug in there. I only water with aged water drained from my fresh water fish tanks when I do water changes, I think it REALLY likes that. I gave up on the misting thing and instead keep it in a bowl full of water and slate so it's not sitting IN the water in cool weather. In the summer I had it outside in an open top terrarium with the pot nestled down in the dirt. Unfortunately I lost a couple of new leaves out there when a slug found it. I think it may have been a slug that damaged the tip of the other flower stalk :(
Sorry for so many questions, I HAVE been reading and trying to do research on my own but with so many varieties and not knowing what I do have I'm not sure which set of directions to follow for best results.
Any suggestions?
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...ache/13554.png
As you can see "assorted dendrobium" isn't helpful
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...ache/13555.png
Fading flowers are close to colour of wandering jew plant (purple), tho they were a bit more brownish red before.
I put the small clay pot there for size reference, it's a 4 inch pot.
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...ache/13556.png
Another flower pic
http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...ache/13557.png
2 small leaves on flower stalk, cut here?