Should I pot up this Dendrobium?

[rosie]

Following on from my earlier post....an update. Pic.1 is Dend. now, Pic. 2 is photo prev. posted in March early this year. We have just come into Spring here in Oz., shouldn't this Dend. be starting to show signs of flowering, or is it still immature? In same pot as when purchased. It was purchased in Nov. 2010. So I have had it nearly 12 months. Am I being impatient. The plant looks healthy enough with lots of roots.

[Jose R. Nieves]

Rosie:
You still have some time to think about what pot and media to use, as soon as a new growth appears its time to repot. Reed type dendrobiums grow almost anywhere and yes they tend to fall when in small pots. I had many 4" square pots with dend's and onc's and they kept falling so I made a 4' x 8 ' frame with pressure treated 2" x 4" s and placed on top a lattice panel whose holes are a perfect match for the pots (see pic).
Hope this helps you and others.
Jose

[opaline]

We are all guilty of being impatient and I confess to it all the time. Like the icing on a cake and a step closer to our reward. You can buy bloom boosters (variation in NPK quantities) but their is a for and against debate with them, however lower nitrogen and higher pottasium and phosphorus will encourage it. General fert (high in nitrogen) is e.g 30.10.10. The 30 would be less than the other two to encourage blooming. Your plant is very strong and healthy and a bit more time to let it mature is all you need. Some dendros like a cooler, dryer, fertilizer free rest for 2 or so months and this triggers strong bloom. Hope it blooms for you soon.

[rosie]

Great idea Jose. Thanks

[rosie]

Matt, thank you for your reply. I have had this Dend. in a rest period, we have a saying over here, "from Mother'sDay to Father's Day" (i.e. early May to Sept.) is a rest period for some of the Dends. No fertilizing in this period. I might try boosting with a bloom booster fert. and see how that goes!!

[angela]

I would say "do not repot" Dens. like to have their roots firmly in the pot. Your pot seems to be quite adequate. The canes just need to mature a bit more.
Good Luck

[kiwiorchids]

I would repot, but only if the medium looks as if it is breaking down. Looks as if your dendrobium is nice and snug in there Perhaps you could repot it, but do it into a terracotta of the same size, because the great thing about that is you can just shatter the old terracotta pot the dendrobium is in and place the whole lot (because the roots will still hold the pot pieces) into a larger terracotta pot and the roots will have a ball!