Dendrobium farmeri heralds the arrival of spring
A widespread species from Nepal and Bhutan, to northeastern India, eastwards to Indochina and south to Malaysia, Dendrobium farmeri is an epiphytic species from 300 to 1000 meters and is among the most popular dendrobiums due to their ease of maintenance. In their native habitats it is one of the many plant species that bloom at the onset of spring. This plant was given to me by my friend Ravan Schneider, who used to be an intrepid explorer of the mountains in northern Mindoro. Not a few orchids have since been named after him. When he moved back to Germany, this was one of those plants he left for me.
Due to their wide altitudinal distribution, these plants are quite adaptable in a range of conditions, although I read that plants from Myanmar do not flower in the uniform climate of Singapore. This may be an artifact of the Myanmar plants' preference for higher altitudes. Nevertheless, I maintain my plant, which is mounted on a slab of wood, exposed to the elements where it receives extremes of weather and climatic conditions. By January, I gradually lessen the water I give it until the pseudobulbs shrivel a bit, but am careful not to keep it too dry or it might desiccate to the point of no return. In the wild, these plants are sustained through the long dry seasons by high ambient humidity and frequent dew.
Flower color is very variable in this species. There are white flowered clones, and there are pink ones too, in varying intensities. There is a yellow-flowered variant called D. farmeri var. aureoflava, which occurs from Kanburi in Thailand. The softly downy labellum is always a shade of yellow or orange, and a friend once remarked that the lips of this species remind her of sunny side-ups. The flowers may be non-fragrant, but this species makes up for that by way of sheer prettiness, don't you think?
Dendrobium farmeri blooms on the previous year's pseudobulbs, and so it is imperative that to promote the formation of buds, developing and fully developed growths should be given access to a sound fertilizing regimen. During the growing phase, a fertilizer high in nitrogen is recommended, and by the months from October to December, fertilizers rich in potassium is switched in lieu of nitrogen-heavy feedings. I also use at least two different kinds of fertilizers, plus trace elements. By the end of the winter period (yes, there is a winter period in the Philippines, and no, winter does not always equate to snow; I'll be making a future post on that), nubs appear on the leafless pseudobulbs and elongate rapidly along with the buds.
There are actually two pseudobulbs on this plant that have formed buds; in the first photo above you can see some pink buds peeking on the right side. After flowering, I may have to move this plant to a pot to promote better root run. The orchid has been blooming every beginning of spring for 4 years straight now but remains small. Moving it to a pot should encourage growth so I can get more flowers in the years to come.
And then I'll make another post about it.
Due to their wide altitudinal distribution, these plants are quite adaptable in a range of conditions, although I read that plants from Myanmar do not flower in the uniform climate of Singapore. This may be an artifact of the Myanmar plants' preference for higher altitudes. Nevertheless, I maintain my plant, which is mounted on a slab of wood, exposed to the elements where it receives extremes of weather and climatic conditions. By January, I gradually lessen the water I give it until the pseudobulbs shrivel a bit, but am careful not to keep it too dry or it might desiccate to the point of no return. In the wild, these plants are sustained through the long dry seasons by high ambient humidity and frequent dew.
Flower color is very variable in this species. There are white flowered clones, and there are pink ones too, in varying intensities. There is a yellow-flowered variant called D. farmeri var. aureoflava, which occurs from Kanburi in Thailand. The softly downy labellum is always a shade of yellow or orange, and a friend once remarked that the lips of this species remind her of sunny side-ups. The flowers may be non-fragrant, but this species makes up for that by way of sheer prettiness, don't you think?
Dendrobium farmeri blooms on the previous year's pseudobulbs, and so it is imperative that to promote the formation of buds, developing and fully developed growths should be given access to a sound fertilizing regimen. During the growing phase, a fertilizer high in nitrogen is recommended, and by the months from October to December, fertilizers rich in potassium is switched in lieu of nitrogen-heavy feedings. I also use at least two different kinds of fertilizers, plus trace elements. By the end of the winter period (yes, there is a winter period in the Philippines, and no, winter does not always equate to snow; I'll be making a future post on that), nubs appear on the leafless pseudobulbs and elongate rapidly along with the buds.
There are actually two pseudobulbs on this plant that have formed buds; in the first photo above you can see some pink buds peeking on the right side. After flowering, I may have to move this plant to a pot to promote better root run. The orchid has been blooming every beginning of spring for 4 years straight now but remains small. Moving it to a pot should encourage growth so I can get more flowers in the years to come.
And then I'll make another post about it.
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