Dendrobium falcorostrum is endemic to eastern Australia. It grows in highland rainforest, mainly on antarctic beech between the Lamington National Park in Queensland and the Hunter River in New South Wales at elevations of 700 to 1400 meters.
Dendrobium falcorostrum also called as The Falcon's Beak Dendrobium, The Beech Orchid, Callista falconirostris, Callista falcorostra, Callista falcorostris, Dendrobium falcorostre, Thelychiton falcorostrus, Tropilis falcorostra, is a species of the genus Dendrobium. This species was described by Robert Desmond David Fitzgerald in 1876.
IDENTIFY DENDROBIUM ORCHID PLANT
Dendrobium falcorostrum is endemic to eastern Australia. It grows in highland rainforest, mainly on Antarctic beech between the Lamington National Park in Queensland and the Hunter River in New South Wales at elevations of 700 to 1400 meters.
It is a small to medium sized, cold to cool growing epiphyte with grooved stems about 30 cm in length, topped with 4 or 5 oblong, obtuse, leathery leaves 10-12 cm in length and about 3 cm in width.
The Beech Orchid blooms in the late winter and spring on a short, axillary almost terminal, arcuate to pendant racemose inflorescence that arise from the nodes near the apex of the evergreen leafed canes, carrying strongly fragrant, white or creamy flowers. The labellum is short and incurved, the side lobes curling inwards, giving the lip something of the appearance of a falcon's beak (from which fact the species gets its name). The lip is the same creamy white as the sepals and petals, but is prettily marked with red or purple spots and blotches, the throat being yellow.
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 falcorostrum like plenty of light, but cannot stand the full noonday rays of the sun (15000-40000 lux, filtered or diffused light is recommended.). These usually do best when placed so that they can get the early morning sun, but are shaded from about 10 a.m. onwards in the Summer time. In the Winter they can usually stand the sun's rays up to 11.30 a.m.
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 Beech 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 falcorostrum 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.
This species can also be grown 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.
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 Falcon's Beak 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 falcorostrum 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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