Dendrobium aemulum is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales. It grows on trees that retain their bark, especially ironbarks in open forest at elevations of 30 to 1300 meters above sea level.
Dendrobium aemulum also called as The Similar-Looking Dendrobium, The ironbark feather orchid, White feather orchid, Callista aemula, Dendrocoryne aemulum, Tropilis aemula, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by Robert Brown in 1810.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM ORCHID PLANT
Dendrobium aemulum is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales. It grows on trees that retain their bark, especially ironbarks in open forest at elevations of 30 to 1300 meters above sea level.
It is a epiphytic and sometimes lithophytic species with 6 noded, smooth, cylindrical, up to about 9 inches in length stems clustered tightly together, enveloped by sheaths and carrying 2 to 4, apical, ovate, glossy, dark green leaves.
It blooms from mid-winter till mid-spring on a 5 to 10 cm, fairly dense raceme that arises from the upper-leaf nodes of old and new canes and carries 2 to 12, sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers are white to pale yellow, the lower part of the sepals and petals being often tinted pale pink. The labellum is also white to pale yellow. Although moderately sized when spread, the habit of the flower is to droop its petals and sepals, and when grown in a mass this has a graceful effect.
DENDROBIUM ORCHID PLANT 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 aemulum do best in full sunshine (25000-50000 lux), close to the glass where glasshouse treatment is required. In addition to the natural light, you will have to use artificial light lamps.
Temperature:
The average temperature of the summer day is 24-25 ° C, night 20 ° C, giving a daily difference of 4-5 ° C. In winter the average day temperature is 11-14 ° C, night 7-10 ° C, giving a daily difference of 4-5 ° C.
Humidity:
For most of the year, The ironbark feather orchid need the humidity of almost 80%, but at the end of winter and at the beginning of spring it drops to around 60%. Too dry air has a negative effect on the development of the plant: its growth is inhibited, and the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out. The higher temperature, the higher the humidity should be, and the higher the humidity, the more often and longer it is necessary to ventilate the room where the plants are contained, otherwise the probability of rotting and various kinds of fungal diseases.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Dendrobium aemulum grows best on blocks which are pieces of hardwood of suitable length and width (usually about 12 inches by 5 inches is satisfactory), or of palmwood or tree fern trunk, to which the plant is bound with copper wire. When hardwood is used, a little fibre should be fastened to the surface to make it easy for the young roots to obtain a grip. Where tree fern is used, the basal part of the trunk, which is covered with thick, fibrous growth, should be used. Where the roots of the orchid are scanty or weak, a little sphagnum between the plant and the block will encourage quick root growth. Where the roots are plentiful and vigorous, however, this is not necessary.
The Similar-Looking Dendrobium can also be grown on rafts that are formed by nailing (with copper nails) a number of short lengths of beech or hardwood horizontally across a similar number of perpendicular pieces to form a sort of lattice or grating. The raft is covered with fibre or peat with a little green sphagnum moss, the orchid being fastened thereon with copper wire.
You can also grow White feather orchid in pots with staghorn peat as substrate (crocks and charcoal at the bottom of the pot). After potting, keep the plant in a cool, shady place for a few days before placing it in its growing position. Do not overpot. Use the smallest pot that will accommodate your plant.
It does not need frequent repot, therefore, it is desirable to transplant only when it is really necessary, for example, in cases of strong salinization or compaction of the substrate, at its critically high or low pH (the norm is from 5.5 to 6.5) or when the plant grows very strongly and the pot becomes cramped to it (pseudobulbs begin to hang from the edges of the pot). Repotting is best done immediately after flowering when new roots and new growth begin to grow.
Watering:
The Similar-Looking Dendrobium will need heavy watering from the commencement of Summer until the first chill spell of Autumn, when watering should practically cease until the new shoots appear in Spring. Watering is directly dependent on the temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often it needs to be watered. When watering, excess water should flow freely from the pot, since stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pan can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant.
Fertilizer:
It is recommended to use a 1/4-1/2 dose of orchid fertilizer weekly. You can use the balanced fertilizer throughout the year or from spring to mid-summer use high-nitrogen fertilizer, and then until the end of autumn high-phosphoric fertilizer to stimulate flowering.
Rest period:
Dendrobium aemulum need less water in the winter, especially if they grow under the conditions of a dark, short day that occurs at moderate latitudes. They should dry somewhat between waterings, but they should not be dry for a longer period. Frequent morning fogging and rare, economical watering should allow the plant to go through a dry period of rest, while providing it with sufficient humidity. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until new growths appear and a more abundant spring watering begins.
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