Dendrobium Micro Chip

[mrhappyrotter]

Dendrobium normanbyense x Dendrobium aberrans

I've posted photos of this before, and I'm posting again. It's one of the only Dendrobiums that truly seems to do well for me. It likes moist growing conditions and does not appreciate drying out. Currently this is growing in a plastic pot that's set down into a clay pot, with a saucer underneath. The saucer collects water, and the clay pot wicks it up. The plastic pot does not sit in water, though. The inner and outer walls of the clay pot are covered in moss. On the inside, the plant has grown a significant portion of its roots into that mossy mat. In this photo, you can see that I set that whole pot-in-a-pot on top of another clay pot. This was to lift the plant up so I could get a better view of the flowers.

The flowers are very long lasting. This is now in full bloom, however, the flowers actually started opening up in January. And based on past experience, the plant will continue to have flowers on it into May or June. Also, it tends to produce a second, smaller flush of flowers later in the year.

This is fragrant, and fairly strongly so. The scent is peppery and sweet. I usually describe the sweet component as being similar to a smell that I associate with birds nests in which the eggs have recently hatched. But, I don't think that's a scent that most people are familiar with. So, "sweet" it is.

Album

 

[Ozpaph]

it looks super happy.
What a good idea re the pot in pot. Im going to try that.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

it looks super happy.
What a good idea re the pot in pot. Im going to try that.

I'm using this technique more and more, since it does seem to be giving me favorable results. I don't know if it's technically considered a zeer pot, but that's the methodology I based it on.

It lets me be lazy with watering (as long as I don't go overboard) because I don't have to empty the saucer if I over water, since the clay pot(s) soak it up within a day or so. Since it holds humidity around the roots, I can water a bit less without fear of drying the plants out. For things that like cooler conditions, I assume the evaporative cooling affect is also beneficial.

In this photo, the bottom pot is just to boost the height of the plant so it's closer to nose level while its in bloom. The upper pot is the one that sits in a saucer of water, then there's a plastic pot in that which contains the plant. However, I'm hesitant to use the word "contains" here since a large quantity of roots have grown out of the plastic pot and into the moss that's growing on the inner surface of the clay pot.

Another variation of this that I'm using with other plants is to plug the hole of a clay pot using sealant putty so it acts like a tall clay saucer. I then set another clay pot down into that, and then finally set the plant (usually in a plastic pot) down into that. It helps ensure that the roots/potting mix don't sit in water, but still seems to provide access to moisture, humidity and evaporative cooling effects that appear to be beneficial.

 

[Linus_Cello]

I'm using this technique more and more, since it does seem to be giving me favorable results. I don't know if it's technically considered a zeer pot, but that's the methodology I based it on.

It lets me be lazy with watering (as long as I don't go overboard) because I don't have to empty the saucer if I over water, since the clay pot(s) soak it up within a day or so. Since it holds humidity around the roots, I can water a bit less without fear of drying the plants out. For things that like cooler conditions, I assume the evaporative cooling affect is also beneficial.

In this photo, the bottom pot is just to boost the height of the plant so it's closer to nose level while its in bloom. The upper pot is the one that sits in a saucer of water, then there's a plastic pot in that which contains the plant. However, I'm hesitant to use the word "contains" here since a large quantity of roots have grown out of the plastic pot and into the moss that's growing on the inner surface of the clay pot.

Another variation of this that I'm using with other plants is to plug the hole of a clay pot using sealant putty so it acts like a tall clay saucer. I then set another clay pot down into that, and then finally set the plant (usually in a plastic pot) down into that. It helps ensure that the roots/potting mix don't sit in water, but still seems to provide access to moisture, humidity and evaporative cooling effects that appear to be beneficial.

And did the moss show up on its own or did you add it?

 

[mrhappyrotter]

I intentionally farm the moss by moving it from the surface media of plants where it's taking over and planting in the surface media of plants where there's little to no moss growth. However, I don't specifically put the moss on the surfaces of the clay pots. I assume spores from the moss that's already growing on the potting mix fall or blow down, get caught on the surface of the pot and grow from there since the clay stays reasonably moistened most of the time.