Have you seen any growth over the years? The biggest cause of non flowering is light. You need to give your plant stronger light. Can it go outside in summer?

Jane

Light is only a limiting factor if it's not getting enough.

That said, watering on a specific schedule might not be what your Dendrobium needs. Plants really should be watered and fed as needed, and not necessarily weekly. The best way to know when watering is needed is to check the medium for moisture content at the root area, and water and feed as a plant culturally prefers.

Three years is a long time to keep a plant in the same medium. Your Dendrobium may be in need of fresh medium via re-potting. As spring approaches, I'd check the medium around the root area and see how degraded it is, and what kind of shape the roots are in.

There are many factors involved in growing and blooming any plant. Light is only one of those factors, and it's only the most important factor if the plant isn't getting enough.

Granted, many orchids do enjoy a higher amount of light than other plant types, but it's best to check all factors involved before assuming more light will automatically fix any issue.

Your best and most useful tool in growing is knowledge. I would utilize the internet to learn more about the type of orchid I had, and its cultural preferences.

Hope that helps... Happy Growing!

Temperature fluctuations come into play. My dens are left outdoors until frost until November unless frost or below freezing temps are in the works. They bloom yearly. Depending on what kind you have there are some that do not like to be watered during the winter and are onkly given water when they start to bud up. Happy growing.

Too large a pot can also be a factor. Dens like very tight shoes. Also, they don't like a lot of nitrogen. What type of dendrobium is it, a nobile or a den-phal type? There are many types of dens.

If it's a Nobile you probably had many beautiful flowers right on the stem when you bought it and you 'll probably never see it bloom again. They require a dry, cold winter rest. Minimal to no water from Thanksgiving to Valentine day.

Despite doing that, many hobbyists in my area cannot get them to bloom again. If that's what it is, withold water until you see flower buds appearing then water and fertilize heavy. I have gotten them to bloom but never in the show stopping manner you see in the commercially raised plants.

If it's a Phal-type or hard cane Dendrobium it has a stem with leaves and had a spray of flowers emerging from the top. The best thing to do for these is to move to Hawaii. All the hotels fill their lobbies with them they love it there. They don't like Southern California all though people do have some success with them. Maybe a 50% reblooming rate in our group. Need to be kept fairly dry in a small pot and get lots of light and warmth. If the plant has a tag let us know what it says. There are other types of Dendrobiums but I doubt you got one of these at a big-box store.

Nick

Like the comment about the Phal type Dendrobiums. They replace the Cymbidium as the main orchid grown in collections in warmer places in Australia.

As far as the nobile types go they are beginners orchids here in Sydney, Australia.
All this dry winter rest stuff is overdone, many non orchid growers have them as garden plants. No glass-house needed! Just an appropriate place in the backyard. Should be EASY in some parts of California

Garden Plant
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Specialist Grower�s setup
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This doesn�t answer the question in post 1 though I suppose the Phal type Dens might be an easier orchid to grow indoors. The garden where the "Garden plant" is growing is located near the base of a hill and gets quite cold of night during winter and temps get down to near 0C.

Never been able to work of the minimum amount of chilling required for Nobile types to flower though the average winter minimum where the specialist grower has her setup is about 7C.

Should be easy in SOCAL is right. The reality is otherwise, these buggers don't want to bloom and when they do not in the profusion we expect. I have a few atypical Nobiles, Dend Dream 'Ace' being the most floriferous one which puts on quite a show but the typical classic Nobile will not bloom right for me.

Nick

My Nobili stays outdoors until temps dip to 40-45 deg. before they are brought into the GH. No water until they show signs of blooming (usually about 2 ms.)Once buds appear, I water once a week with high potassium, 1/4 tsp.p.gall. (as I do during the summer with lots of sunshine). They are full of buds now.

PHal type dens I have more problems with - not to get them to spike for they all did, but to get the buds to grow and open. Most fall off. Any advise on that?
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Next season I will grow them as usual, but put them into the house as soon as they spike to keep them evenly warm. I just need to come up with more light.

i think the no water thing for the nobile applies more if you are trying to grow them indoors or maybe in a climate very different to where the ancestors grew in the wild. Here, they appear to tolerate heavy rainfall in winter without missing a beat. That said, winters here on average are fairly sunny and the average humidity is fairly low so the plants will dry quickly after a rainy spell.
(I think they do not like glasshouses)

Helga, i have the same problem with the Phalaenopsis type Dendrobiums. They have to be kept warm in winter....cold and damp and the buds abort. If you have marginal conditions avoid the types with a lot Dendrobium Phalaenopsis in the breeding and perhaps try to buy types that bloom in summer.

On the Nobiles, I have tried with and without water, plants side by side in the same year. They do bloom but anemic, not 'covered with buds'. I have basically given up on regular classic Nobiles and am trying some of the Nagamoto clones that are reputed to bloom better and not need the winter dry rest.

Nick

I've found Dends to be repeat bloomers as they mature. I'm speaking of orchids used outside, but they do great. They will bloom all throughout our fall/winter/spring. Growing orchids indoor/outdoor are 2 different animals. We have very windy fall/winter/spring and it's highly important to make sure the orchids don't dry out or they will drop buds very quickly. Growing media is going to play a big part in how often you need to water. If it's a bark mix typically water more, moss water less. Imo Dends are the easiest to get to bloom and I don't even fertilize them. I have some at a clients house that are going on their 3rd bloom cycle since this past fall. They get watered at least once per week and get some direct sunlight. Dends can also take the most direct sun out of any of the epiphytic orchids I've used (Phael/Vanda/Oncidiums).

http://dolleyes.vn/

Lovely ladies, but seeing they have nothing to do with orchids the site owner might decide the post above is spam.

Ahhh-ha. I bought years ago a Yellow orchid that I newby thought was some dwarf Cattleya. I guess its the Dendro-Phal type. Two very early springs in a row outdoors its set buds..and then they were gone.

Best I can do is keep it on the porch out of spring rains. I hope that works. Right now? I have it out getting lots of sun and its thriving.

It can go with the rest of the winter migration of plants that can take our winter temps,just not the rains with it. Adenium,etc...