Dendrobium Berry 'Oda' is Dendrobium kingianum x Dendrobium Mini Pearl.

Dendrobium Mini Pearl is Dendrobium canaliculatum x Dendrobium bigibbum.

So called Hot/ Cold breeding.

Needs to be underpotted in a free draining mixture. Here latitude 34S I would use a composted pine bark and small pebbles mixture. Zone 7b?

yes Zone 7b. Any tips on how often to water and how to fertilize?

No idea about growing an Australian Native orchid in zone 7b. Generally, the idea here is no fertiliser at all in winter and reduced watering.

All three species get cooler in winter, Dendrobium kingianum is cool tolerant down to just above freezing. The other two species grow in a much warmer climate with is a pronounced wet summer.

I grow some of those hot/cold Dendrobium crosses outside all year in a shadehouse. Coldest winter night temp about 3C.

You need advice from the real orchid growers in northern USA.

So, why didn't I say do this, do that and you will get your orchid to flower? Many years experience on this forum and I know that the usual result with Den. kingianum grown as a house plant is lots of leaves and no blooms. Perhaps the other two species in the breeding will break the Den. kingianum dominance and you will get blooms.

A few more days and spring will be here.

Todays weather, approx temps down the yard in the shade house.

Minimum 6C Humidity about 99%

Maximum 24C Humidity about 25% The wind is a gentle breeze coming from the west..origin of wind from the southern ocean near Antartica, air warmed up and dried out.

So we get the winter drought theory, only problem with that is that heavy rain can fall at any time of year and it doesn't seem to affect blooming.

Summary. Average winter's day Sydney, Australia.

Minimum 7C Maximum 17C. Sunny. Here is latitude 33/34 South.

Information Overload.

To bloom well the plant likely needs a dry cold period. Try putting in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. Do give it some light though. Do not freeze it! Bet it blooms like mad and after the cold.

Back in the "olden days" when I worked in a large orchid nursery, we had many of these "cane type" Dendrobiums. They sold really well in spring/summer while in bloom. Our trick was to leave them outside under light shade until the first frost - Zone 7- Then on that first frosty morning we would bring them into the big greenhouse and hang them high above the other plants and give them no water. They would look terrible, but bloom their little heads off. When they dropped the blooms in the early summer after a rest they would get fertilizer/water and get taken back outside where they were kept growing hard all summer. In late summer we would begin to reduce the water to encourage leaf drop, and repeat the cycle again.

So Billsc, you are talking about Dendrobium Noble rather than Berry Oda? And, I do think they are very similar but Oda doesn't drop leaves, as best as I can tell. I have had mine for only about 2 months but I did have Nobles for many years.

I have a kingianum x speciosum. When I got it from a local grower it was planted in moss perched atop a packing peanut, had three tiny canes two of which were blooming!. I planted it in medium sized bark and it grew several new heathy strong canes. I did not give it a deliberate dry winter but watered a bit less and it sat in a SE windowsill. It gave a single spike with 3-4 blooms. Since then I have moved it to a mix of bark and lava rock. I may try to give it a better dry winter treatment this year to get all these new canes to bloom this winter/spring.

Mines flower no matter if I water or not.

In fact, I don't like the bone dry method because the roots on mine will die off before they can take in water again then rot away.

I have one that has been growing outside all summer and with all this every day rain has been flowering non stop.

I guess they do what they want to do.

I did notice when they cool off and are left to dry between watering, they like that too. Not left to bone dry for days on end.

Den.kingianum x speciosum is registered as Dendrobium Delicatum. There is an overgrown mass (mess) of the plant in the yard About 10 foot x four foot of plant.

The rainfall in Sydney, is erratic, about 48 inches per annum on average. Drier in winter, but heavy rain can fall at any time.

Lowest ever temp in the back yard is about 2C. Forget about putting the orchid the fridge.

If we get a cool night, the day will be sunny and the temperature will lift.

Mike is on the money, cooler and drier, but not bone dry and no fertilizer from mid Autumn till early spring.

The correct name of the other orchid discussed in this thread is Dendrobium Berry 'Oda'

'Oda' is the clone name given to a particular beautiful clone of Dendrobium Berry.

Dendrobium Berry was hybridised and the name registered by 'Oda'