Dendrobium loddigesii is native to Laos, Vietnam, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan and Yunnan provinces of China and Hong Kong...
Dendrobium loddigesii also called as Loddiges' Dendrobium, Callista loddigesii, Dendrobium pulchellum, Dendrobium seidelianum, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by Robert Allen Rolfe in 1887.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM LODDIGESII
Dendrobium loddigesii is native to Laos, Vietnam, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan and Yunnan provinces of China and Hong Kong. In Laos, they grow in the Xieng Khounang area. They are usually found at an altitude of 1000-1500 m, but they were met even at an altitude of only 400 m. In China, they grow in the mountains in the east, at an altitude of about 1370 m of the Yunnan Province, on rocks 240 km southwest of Guangzhou tin he island of Hainan and the Kwangtung Province. Near Hong Kong, they grow at heights of about 1000 m.
It is a miniature to small sized, cool growing epiphyte, lithophyte or terrestrial, which reaching 10-18 cm in height, with tufted, pendant, subterete, striated, several noded, white sheathed, 8-15 cm long stems carrying alternate, fleshy, oblong, acute, 4-6 cm long leaves.
Loddiges' Dendrobium blooms from February through June with the long-lasting, fragrant flowers are found on short to 3" (7.5 cm), single flowered inflorescence that arise from the nodes of leafless canes. The flowers are about 5 cm in diameter and are large in relation to the whole plant. The outer whorls are pale pinkish purple, and the inner lilac whorls. The undulating lip is round and curled along the edges. The pink-purple lip has a yellow-orange shield and white edges.
DENDROBIUM LODDIGESII CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Dendrobium loddigesii needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The light should be diffused or shaded, avoid direct sunlight, especially when the temperature is high. It is difficult to flower under artificial light.
Temperature:
The average temperature of the summer day is 24-25 ° C, the night 20 ° C, giving a daily difference of 4-5 ° C. These plants do not tolerate hot summer weather. In winter the average day temperature is 11-14 ° C, night 7-10 ° C, giving a daily difference of 4-5 ° C.
Humidity:
Loddiges' Dendrobium needs the humidity of 80% for most of the year, but in the fall and early winter it drops to 70%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Dendrobium loddigesii is best mounted on tree fern rootstock due of their creeping, hanging habit. You can attached the plant to a ball made of mesh and allowed it to grow. When the plant was exposed, it had almost 1000 flowers covering the whole sphere. If you grow the plant in a pot, you should choose a flat container and fill it with any quickly drying substrate. Repotting is best done in early spring, when new roots begin to grow.
Watering:
This species must be constantly moist during the growing season from spring to autumn, but when new growths reach maturity in autumn, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.
Fertilizer:
It is recommended to use a 1/4-1/2 dose of orchid fertilizer weekly. From spring to mid-summer, high-nitrogen fertilizer is recommended, and then until the end of autumn high-phosphoric fertilizer.
Rest period:
Dendrobium loddigesii requires a cold (10 ° C), dry rest to initiate flowering. If winter temperatures are low, the amount of water should be reduced and the plants should be allowed to dry between watering. However, they can not stay dry for too long. The lower the temperature, the less water the plant needs. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated.
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