Dendrobium discolor is found in northern Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. It grows directly on the coast in mangroves or behind dunes, where they can have salt spray as well as on cliffs and rock faces up to an altitude of 550 meters.
Dendrobium discolor also called as The Antler Orchid, The 2 Different Color Dendrobium, Callista undulatum, Dendrobium arachnanthe, Dendrobium broomfeildii, Dendrobium discolor f. broomfieldii, Dendrobium discolor subsp. incurvata, Dendrobium discolor var. broomfieldii, Dendrobium discolor var. fimbrilabium, Dendrobium discolor var. fuscum, Dendrobium discolor var. fuscum, Dendrobium elobatum, Dendrobium fuscum, Dendrobium undulans, Dendrobium undulatum, Dendrobium undulatum var. albertisianum, Dendrobium undulatum var broomfeildii, Dendrobium undulatum var carterae, Dendrobium undulatum var. fimbrilabium, Durabaculum albertisiana, Durabaculum arachnanthe, Durabaculum fimbrilabium, Durabaculum fuscum, Durabaculum undulatum, Durabaculum undulatum var broomfieldii, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by John Lindley in 1841.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM DISCOLOR ORCHID PLANT
Dendrobium discolor is found in northern Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. It grows directly on the coast in mangroves or behind dunes, where they can have salt spray as well as on cliffs and rock faces up to an altitude of 550 meters.
It is a warm to hot growing epiphyte or lithophyte with few to numerous, cylindrical, 1-5 m long and 3-6 cm wide stems that are leafy in the upper two thirds and carries distichous, ovate to elliptic, leathery, obtuse, 6-16 cm long and 3-5 cm wide leaves.
The Antler Orchid can bloom at any time of the year, with the maximum occuring in the spring on an axillary, arched, to 60 cm long, densely 10 to 80, fragrant flowered raceme arising from the upper portion of an old cane as the new growth arises. The sepals and petals are brown in colour, the petals being darker and both having a paler margin. The lateral sepals and the petals are about | of an inch in length, the dorsal sepal being shorter. The petals are undulated. The labellum is short with incurved side lobes and a short, pointed middle lobe.
Some varieties: Dendrobium discolor var. broomfieldii - the canary orchid (greenish yellow to bright golden yellow flowers); Dendrobium discolor subsp. discolor - the golden antler orchid (light brown to dark brown, sometimes yellow to yellowish brown flowers with mauve to purple markings on the labellum); Dendrobium discolor var. fuscum - the brown antler orchid (relatively small, reddish brown to dark brown flowers with mauve to purple markings on the labellum).
DENDROBIUM DISCOLOR 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 discolor 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 25-26 ° C, night 21 ° C, giving a daily difference of 4-6 ° C. In winter, the average day temperature is 27-30 ° C, night 16-17 ° C, giving a daily difference of 13 ° C.
Humidity:
The Antler Orchid need the humidity of 80-90% throughout the growing period (i.e. from the time the first shoots of Spring show themselves until the last pseudobulb in Summer has grown to its maximum). In winter, the humidity drops to 65%.
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 discolor grows best 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:
Water must be literally poured on throughout the summer season right up to the time when the season's growths have reached full development; with the coming of autumn the quantity of water should be appreciably diminished, but this plant should not be allowed to dry out, and even in midwinter watering should be continued by giving the compost a good soaking once a fortnight-choosing a bright, clear morning for the purpose.
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 discolor 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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