# Dendrophylax lindenii



## tomkalina (Jun 27, 2013)

Here's a change of pace from our usual slipper orchid photo postings. In bloom this morning, this plant is ten years old and purchased originally from the "old" Oak Hill Gardens in Dundee, IL. I self pollinated the middle flower in hopes of getting a few flasks to offer next spring. Enjoy!


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## Evergreen (Jun 27, 2013)

That is just amazing, well done!


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## likespaphs (Jun 27, 2013)

good growing!
i don't grow this but have heard they are tricky
any hints?


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## goldenrose (Jun 27, 2013)

10 years! You're so patient! Well done! Gorgeous!


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## tomkalina (Jun 27, 2013)

It's actually bloomed before, Rose, but not this well. As far as culture, it grows on a grape vine stick attached to a piece of cork bark, with the roots hanging freely in the air. It gets watered every day or two with our Lake Michigan water and fertilized weekly with K-Lite at 120 ppm TDS, giving approx. 15 ppm N feed rate. There are a couple of fans mounted about 15 ft from the plant, running at low speed to provide gentle air movement. Once this species is established, it's not that difficult to grow....


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## Rick (Jun 27, 2013)

Very cool Tom!

I've only seen these flowers in person once before, and they are really neat to see up close.:clap:


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## tomkalina (Jun 27, 2013)

The flower fragrance at night is similar to Brassavola nodosa. Given the length of the nectary on D, lindenii, I wonder if it's one of the species that are moth pollinated.


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## streetmorrisart (Jun 27, 2013)

A great blooming of one of my favorites. It's pollinated by Cocytius antaeus.


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## eggshells (Jun 27, 2013)

Beautiful!


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## tomkalina (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi Robin,

Thanks for the pollinator info. Similar to the story about Darwin and the hawk-moth pollinator of Angraecum sesquipidale. Looks like our moth is rare as well.


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## naoki (Jun 27, 2013)

tomkalina said:


> It's actually bloomed before, Rose, but not this well. As far as culture, it grows on a grape vine stick attached to a piece of cork bark, with the roots hanging freely in the air. It gets watered every day or two with our Lake Michigan water and fertilized weekly with K-Lite at 120 ppm TDS, giving approx. 15 ppm N feed rate. There are a couple of fans mounted about 15 ft from the plant, running at low speed to provide gentle air movement. Once this species is established, it's not that difficult to grow....



Wow, so you started from those tiny seedlings on a grape vine stick? I kept them for a year (also from Oak Hill), but they didn't grow at all and they stayed as 0.5-1" seedlings, and finally died. I've gathered info about their culture, but nothing worked for mine. Did you have to do something special to get the juvenile to survive (you might not remember any more)?


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## tomkalina (Jun 27, 2013)

I think I neglected it for about a year. It hung between our Myst. capense and Cat. aclandiae and received exactly the same treatment I described for it's current culture, except it now gets K-Lite instead of Peter's 30-10-10 as a fertilizer. I've heard that many growers found them difficult to grow, but this ones seems to like our conditions.


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## Chicago Chad (Jun 27, 2013)

Fantastic Tom! I was at Oak Hill before they had to cut the huge one they had attached to the metal bench. From what they said, they shipped it with the wire frame and all.

The problem I have had with them when they are young is keeping the plant from developing mold when it is without air movement and the reduction or flat out loss of root growth when they have any.

And as you mentioned, toying with the thing, most likely makes the situation worse. I think having a large growing area, with gentle air movement is key. Myself and many other terrarium growers try and fail just with this aspect alone.

Kudos.


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## NYEric (Jun 27, 2013)

Very cool!


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## JeanLux (Jun 28, 2013)

Great growing Tom :clap:!!!! Beauties!!!! Jean


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## Fabrice (Jun 28, 2013)

Just a wonderful bloom for a mythic orchid specie.

Congratulations!


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## The Orchid Boy (Jun 28, 2013)

Awesome! What are your temps and humidity like? How drought tolerant are they, like a phal, a catt?


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## tomkalina (Jun 28, 2013)

Temps in the greenhouse vary from season to season, as do the light levels. In winter, the night temp doesn't go below 64 F, and the day temp climbs to 70 F or so if it's sunny. If it's a cloudy day in winter, day temps are the same as night temps (64 F). In summer, day temps can climb as high as 84 F, depending upon the outside temp and humidity. We have a small swamp cooler, and the greenhouse goes into shade around 3 pm, at which times temps drop. Watering all the hanging plants daily, including D. lindenii, provides a summer humidity of 60-70%, while winter humidity generally runs about 50%. Since this species is native to South Florida, the humidity levels should be as high as you can get them year round as long as there is good air movement.


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## Ozpaph (Jun 28, 2013)

A beautiful orchid - thanks for sharing.


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## Rick (Jun 30, 2013)

tomkalina said:


> I think I neglected it for about a year.



I saw a note on growing one of the other leafless plants and neglect seems to have been the key to growing that one too.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 30, 2013)

Good job, Tom!


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## Jaljala (Jul 1, 2013)

Very nice, Bravo!
I wish I could keep these alive at least the first year... (


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## gnathaniel (Jul 2, 2013)

Gorgeous plant, Tom!


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## biothanasis (Jul 2, 2013)

wonderful!!!


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