The description "Dwarf-Orchid-Rainbow" is useless. Google that and you will find nil useful culture info.
That plant looks like some sort of Dendrobium, maybe follow culture instructions for Phal./Hard-cane/ Type Dendrobiums in your climate zone.

Arthurm. I know what you mean. Dwarf Orchid Rainbow is useless. I wrote the seller in Thailand, but she doesn't know. lol

I did Google, but different orchids and an unrelated plant picture/info popped up.

I don't understand what you mean, 'type Dendrobium in your climate?'
I live in IL...orchids are non-hardy here..

Thanks, Toni

Toni, sorry for the jargon....
The orchid Genera Dendrobium is found in Nature from India through SE Asia to Australia. I'm guessing that the orchid is a Dendrobium type that needs similar conditions to
(Phalaenopsis Type or Intermediate Type or Hardcane types) rather than other types of Dendrobium such as Softcane or Australian types.

It has never snowed here so that is why it best to find some complete culture notes written for Northern USA rather than me guessing at what to do in winter etc.

Some useful information in the post titled
Newly repotted dendrobium orchids- yellowing leaves?
It is down the page a little

Arthurm..thanks.

So you think my orchid is Dendrobium?
And Dendrobium care is similar to Phalaenopsis?
If so, that's great. Most of my orchids are Phals.

Trying to find indoor/tropical/succulent plants in IL is difficult. Believe me. I've Googled, Bing'd and searched through other Internet sources..most info is very basic, as are plants like Dracaena, 'Corn Plant,' etc.

Most neighbors don't have indoor plants, so no help there either. :)

AWW, you're in Austrailia I see. Just noticed your location..You're very very lucky. :)
Beautiful plants and wildlife there.

Thanks for the thread..I'll check it out..Toi

Oakhill Gardens is in IL, I've never been there in person but I have ordered from them on line and have spoken to the at shows in my area, very nice people.

I agree that your plant is most likely a Dendrobium.

Just to make things confusing someone went and named one type of Dendrobium " Phalaenopsis". They are very common in cultivation and were used in many of the hybrid Dendrobiums and are often referred to as Phal type Dendrobiums but they aren't related to or even have the same growing conditions as a Phalaenopsis.

Dendrobiums are a large group of plants with a wide range of growing conditions so you will have to make some assumptions. My first guess would be that it is a hybrid and hybrids tend to be more adaptable. I would start with intermediate temps and moderate to bright light. If you don't see active growth cut back on water, you could get away with watering every 10 to 14 days.

From there watch how it reacts, it might drop it's leaves in winter it may do nothing at all until spring. When it starts growing again water it more. The new growth should be the same size or bigger than the old one, if not you will need to tweak your culture a bit, maybe warmer, more light or some fertilizer etc but don't make big changes.

Leave the old canes in place even if they loose their leaves. Keep the pot small and the growing media chunky.

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This is a typical "phal" type Hybrid Den. One parent is Dendrobium phalaenopsis.
It is all a guess without names. Guessed that because your plant came from Thailand that maybe you should follow culture for the warm growing Dendrobium types.
Have a look at the pics in the set....they are all Dendrobiums. It will give you an idea of the variation and the confusion that causes.

So, find some culture notes and as Lumpy suggests observe what happens with your orchid during winter. I'd suggest a little more light and a little less water than a Phalaenopsis.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid Society Dendrobium set

Hi Tony! Always good to hear from you. As far as your orchid, I've never seen a variegated Dendrobium!

Dends need more light than Phals, so find your sunniest window. If it isn't spiking or flowering, it probably is resting and you should cut back on water until you see some growth. Usually early Spring you will see it wake up.

Arthur and Lumpy gave good advice. BTW, Oakhill is one of the best orchid nurseries, you must check it out. They have very good plants.

Hope all is well. Lets chat!

Here is a link that might be useful: Toni's Orchid

Hello All,

Lumpy..Checked Oakhill.
The problem w/most sites is Orchid pics display flowers but no foliage. lol.

Oakhill has beautiful ORchids..
What size are their, let's say, 18.00 orchids? Seedlings or adult?

It's too cold to order anything now, but there's always spring. :)

Two pics, taken today, of Rainbow/Dendrobium orchid.

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I think the long journey was a bit too much. Some leaves were frost-bite upon arrival. Gray/black.

How could someone mix up a Den and Phael? lol. There's no similarity whatsoever.

I have a basic Orthos plant books w/pictures and info. Problem is, I don't know how accurate Orthos books are.

To be honest, I'd like a couple more variegated and/or fragrant type orchids..As I asking for a miracle? lol

What about humidity? Den is on a saucer w/pebbles, (little water not making contact w/roots,) and misting. 4-5' away is an indoor fountain.
Our humidifer is not working properly..guess it's time to buy another.
If it requires a lot of humidity, would placing in a small terrarium help?

Den is potted in ORchid mix, only watered with SuperThrive once upon arrival since it was bare root and VERY dry. I just checked..bark was really dry, gave it a drink..

Larry, thanks for your help.
Ever hear of Hausermann's ORchids in IL?

Anthurm...Of course, seller sent 'generic' instructions. This is the second purchase from her...the first was a special, 5 bareroot Garadenias..What a dissapoinment! Another online fried also bought Gardenias from this seller...he ended up tossing them.

Anthurm, I don't understand the process of breeding orchids. lol. So, is your 'beautiful' orchid a Phael or Den? It's flowers are totally different from Phaels. At least those I've seen..plus bi-color..very pretty.

I have two options..my orchids are in the front plant room..windows face west and north, plus artificial lighting. Placed 4-5' from an indoor fountain..The room is on the cool side.
Or, it can go in the LR...window faces south, but not very bright, 'especially this time of year.'
A lamp sits before the window which is on 14 or so hours per day. LR is warmer..
Humidifer, 'isn't working right.'
Added a new filter just last week..so it's not a dirty filter. Sigh.
Thanks for your help..

JANE!!! Hi!! How are you??? How is the new location? Do you like? Lucky, lucky..:)

I've never seen most variegated plants, but they exist. Some are sold on Ebay, including tropicals and succulents..Searching is the answer. Maybe not a good idea buying overseas, especially in winter. No heat pack is offered either from the orchid seller.

In your opinion, do you think it's normal foliage is browning and dropping? Should I be patient or complain? lol
Please read what I wrote above regarding light, etc.

For some reason I can't open the link, Toni's ORchid..Computers!!! lol

So, tell me what you've been up to? How are your plants doing? Anything new? How's the family?

I sent you an email last spring, but it came back, said undeliverable.

Also, haven't seen you around. Now, you're here in Orchid Forum..:)

Jane, happy I found you..hope you're well. Thanks for orchid help,, too..hugs, Toni

Someone once suggested that upon arrival to soak the dry
rootball for several hours or longer in a solution of
a couple of drops of Superthrive, a teaspoon of sugar and
liquid seaweed, and other stuff. I lost the recipe. Since yours is planted already you might soak the whole shebang for a couple of hours.

Hi Orchid...When the Dendrobium first arrived, and I saw how dry the 'plug' was, I let it soak about an hour.
I added Superthive but no sugar or seaweed..Don't have any seaweed, however I do have sugar..lol.

After adding bark, etc, I filled up the sink w/2 drops of dishsoap, then let it sit until medium felt moist.

Hopefully, by spring it'll perk up. I hope so, after all that waiting.

Thanks, Toni

Foliage? Who cares about Foliage?

Oakhill and most other places, will list plants as S - seedling, NBS - near blooming size or BS - blooming size.

This is because orchids will take a few years to be mature enough to flower, so maturity is more important than size. Some orchids will be 2" at maturity while others 12" or bigger. $18 for Oakhill sounds like a NBS in a 4" pot.

I would put it in the warmer room. The light might not be bright enough for it to flower but I think for now it would be best to let it get used to being in its new environment. I wouldn't fertilize and let be a bit dry until you see new growth. The leaves are no big deal, the canes are more important, that's where the energy and water are stored, as long as they are green they are OK.

James

I'm with Lumpy "who cares about foliage". It's the quality of the flowers that counts.

Now, getting back to Dendrobium phalaenopsis. It is an orchid that occurs to the North of Australia in a tropical climate. Note that the first word Dendrobium is the Genera and the second word phalaenopsis is the species. Nothing at all to do with the Genera Phalaenopsis.

Dendrobium phalaenopsis has nice round shaped flowers, so the hybridists got to work crossing it with other Dendrobiums so that they could introduce different colours, maybe increase the flower size and so on.

Now the Phal. Type Den. thing that has caused the confusion here is because that description occurs in orchid catalogues. The "phal. type" has nothing whatsoever to do with the Genera Phalaenopsis. It is a shorthand way of saying the growing conditions required and the expected shape of the flowers (round). It also tells people living here (Sydney, Australia) not to bother buying
any of those orchids because they are difficult to grow in this climate.

Morning,

Guess I'm on my own here. I care about foliage and foliage color.

With over 300 plants, mostly green, the last few years I've acquired a love for various color leaves. Variegated.
Of course flowers are very important, too.

My concern is keeping Den alive after its long trip.

Lumpy, when you say canes, do you mean stems? Also, I'm assuming stems/canes should remain firm.
I don't fertilize during winter.

Art. Guess I must research to understand Orchids..
To be honest, I know nothing about their history or habitats.

I'm familiar with the basics, but that's where it ends. :)

Thanks for your help...Toni

I was refering to the stem. They are storage for the plant, most of the time they will drop their leaves after a year or two but will still provide food and water to the new growth. They should stay firm but will wrinkle as they age. As long as they are green don't cut them off.

For the most part they are pretty tough plants. The biggest hurdle to get over will be the transition from Thailand to Illinois. I would expect ot see a new shoot to start around March and a flower with any luck in the fall.

James

Toni, have you contacted the seller and ask her if your plant is a dendrobium? I have never seen a variegated dendrobium.

Follow Lumpy's instructions. Don't cut the thick stems (canes) and don't overwater. Put in a bright place and let it get dry. You should see signs of growth early Spring.

Florida is challenging. Except for orchids, most of what I grew up North doesn't grow here. Its a whole new learning curve. Don't know the plants growing here at all. Haven't a clue what to plant...so I keep buying orchids. They seem to like the heat and humidity!

Jane

Morning,

James, don't worry, I won't cut stems..lol.

Yep, I was worried about the long trip. Thankfully, temps weren't below freezing, but still cold.
Notice some foliage has frost-bite?

Jane..Yep, I contacted the seller, asked the name of the Orchid, and she said, 'Dwarf Rainbow Orchid.' lol.
Don't think she speaks much English.

So, you're saying, if new foliage grows by spring, Den is alive?

Jane..do you ever stop at GW's, FL's Forum? I sometimes go there to browse. Most interesting.

Did you bring your plants with when you moved? They should be doing great with FL's warmth and humidity.
I'd have a zillion plants if we moved there..lol.

How about citrus? Hibiscus, and Gardenias!!!??? Toni