Dendrobium kingianum

[toddybear]

D. kingianum is the oldest orchid in my collection...over 20 years. the plant has been divided many times and two years ago decided to go into major keikei production. As an experiment, I decided to mount a few keikeis and I have been very encouraged by the results. D. kingianum is a weed, pot-grown or mounted!

 

[JeanLux]

Like weed, but not as easy to flower!? Good idea to put it on wood: Grape-wood?. Jean

 

[goldenrose]

I like this species, I love your photos!

 

[likespaphs]

neat! in one greenhouse where i work, we threw a piece up on the wall near the mist bench and that puppy grew and bloomed until someone didn't realize what it was while weeding....

 

[Heather]

How do you grow these? I mean, how warm?

 

[Ron-NY]

Very nice!!

I have about a 1/2 dozen kinggies. I just love the fragrance. I grow them bright with low nitrogen fertilizer only (this keeps the # of keikis down and flower count up) I leave them outdoors for a fall cool down, I leave them out until just before the first frost. Then they come in to a cool but bright spot and a dry rest until they spike. As soon as the spike breaks it's sheath I again begin watering. I grow them in S/H culture. This culture was taught to me years ago by Dr. Wilford Neptune, who has done quite a bit of kingianum breeding here in the US.

 

[toddybear]

Exactly Ron....I let them grow cool and dry in fall...down to about 10 C (50 F) and only water once every 3 weeks or so. By December the spikes are forming. Once they reach about an inch or so I resume watering and increase the heat a bit...up to 65 F. Following that routine, they flower with abandon...often 2-3 spikes at a time. Even old previously-bloomed canes will bloom a second time.

 

[MoreWater]

One of the true gems of orchidaceae

but... I failed to bloom mine yet again I've narrowed down the problem to lack of light when they come in (my cool spots don't have light) but have yet to fix the problem (by installing yet another light...). I so miss the flowers but I like the foliage so I guess it's ok. Hoping I'll get my act together this year, ready to give it the winter treatment.

 

[Heather]

Sounds like something that would do well for me. Perhaps I shall have to start looking for one....I'm starting to get the bug again now that I know what I should and probably should (right now) not grow.

 

[Elena]

Lovely!

Mine's been a in bloom for a while now from numerous canes. Love the fragrance. To think I fished it out from the bargain bin a year ago, half dead :clap: It was my second orchid.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

D. kingianum is a weed, pot-grown or mounted!

Yes, but what a lovely weed!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Great! I have no luck with kingianum...grows like mad, but very rarely blooms. I give it full sun, no water from mid-nov to late Jan, minimal fertilizer in the spring when its growing. Oh well......Take care, Eric

 

[NYEric]

I have a couple of nice sized kingianum/delicatum I got from eBay but I can't really cool them down here. I wasn't sure if I should slow the watering down but will try now. Thanx.

 

[Berrak]

I deivided mine in two parts this spring.

One in S/H - Greenmix
One in normal substrate - mix bark, perlite, spaghnum etc.
They were outside the whole summer in east direction.
Then they have been fairly cold beetween 10-15 C and 1 m below a
150 W Metal Halide.

Both are spiking now - I have not kept them dry.

 

[NYEric]

Maybe that's why Eric M's didn't bloom? I will keep fertilizing and watering but I can't get the temp drop. It will be interesting. Thanx.

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

I won a kingianum last night at our society meeting (door prize).

It's potted in spaghnum, which I thought was maybe weird; shouldn't it be in a bark mix? (I'd ask the grower, but I don't know who donated it for the door prize). Our climate is so dry that it's possible they need to be grown that way here, but I'm not sure. I may have to seek out someone here who knows, but I'd still like to hear what you guys think.

Also, I'm wondering when I should stop watering it for the rest period and if I should do so abruptly, or gradually....

 

[Bolero]

Nice photos, lovely little flowers.

You must have the right conditions!

 

[NYEric]

I'm going to take some photos of my dendros and maybe hang them out the window to cool down this year.

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

What medium do you grow your kingianum in Eric?

 

[NYEric]

Mixed stuff, The roots in some dendro [not king/speciosum] hybrids seem to like Coconut chips but I have kept the kingianum/speciosum hybrids in the bark they came in plus some other stuff. One problem I'm having w/ them is they are very branchy and top heavy and fall over every other day!