reblooming a dendrobium kingianum

[waldo]

My grandmother gave me a nice sized dendrobium kingianum, I saw this plant flower 3 or 4 years ago but it hasn't since ( hence why I now have it) I understand it needs a cooling period to bloom correctly? I still have a month or two of cold weather here and I am considering putting the plant in a back room in a window where there is no heat. Will this be enough of a cooling down? Is 30 deg F to low for it? I'd really like to see this girl flower again. Thanks for any advice.

[Piper]

I'm not a dend. gal, but this might be helpful:

http://www.nhorchids.org/pages_growing/kingianum.htm

Julie

[bench72]

great information there about these little beauties Julie!

I just want to add that it is imperative that in winter you try and give it as much light as possible! Stick it next to a window... the cold won't hurt it and the extra sunlight will ensure your new growths are mature enough to flower in spring!

cheers
tim

[Piper]

Yeah, Tim-O!

I can't believe this guy has 36 different clones of a Dend. king. Gosh, his obsessiveness makes mine look prosaic! (No, no, no - not the same as Prozac!) And that's no mean feat!

Darn! I feel so...ordinary... That's a new one for me!

Julie

[Gin]

W. Neptune is the Dend. King you can count on his info . Thanks for the link Gin

[waldo]

great info, thanks.

[Philidiotum]

I have found that with my kingianum, I get it to bloom only if it gets good winter light, complete drying out between waterings, and no fertilizer from mid Aug. until Spring. Any nitrogen simply seems to produce an abundance of keikis but no blooms.

[orchid-man]

I have been watching this thread to see what you all come up with and it is quite interesting.
Here in Auckland they grow like weeds and there are as many varities as there are growers.A lot of people have them growing in there gardens,thats right in the soil,and it does not seem to matter whether they are in the shade or full sun for them to flower.To get them to flower it is best to grow them fast in the spring to fall.In early to mid fall a good temperature drop for about a week will inishiate the spikes.It is also possible and does happen regulary that you get spot flowering through out the year,due to a temperature drop starting unused flower nodes.