Dendrobium nothofagicola

Also known as: The Nothofagus Dendrobium in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

General Information

The Nothofagus Dendrobium is a small sympodial cold to cool growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae. It is named after the Type of Tree.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Each new growth has numerous leathery thick, elliptic leaves that grow to 2-11cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.8-6.5cm

Care Notes

These orchids live in environments that receive constant moisture, high humidity, and are surrounded by other plants such as ferns and mosses which not only attract moisture but compete for it as well.

As a consequence they can be difficult to keep healthy in an artificial environment where a constant balance has to be maintained between providing constant moisture to the roots, but also allowing them to not become soggy and dry quickly as they would in the wild. For this reason it's important to take into account the size of the plant, the health and fragility of the root system, and also think about your watering habits. If you water frequently you can use a media that drains more freely, if you water less reliably you will need to find a media that offers retention and keeps humidity around the roots without being soggy.

Because these orchids like high amounts of water, other plants such as ferns and weeds may start to grow alongside the orchid, whose roots can make the media quite dense, effectively strangling the orchid's roots, it's best to pluck them out before they become a problem. Fungus and bacteria can be an issue as well, but usually are a sign of overwatering, smell the media occasionally to check, and increase airflow, reduce watering, and adjust temperatures accordingly (often bacteria only flourish in warmer temperatures, fungus less so). 

 

Climate

Grows at high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 127mm to 343mm per day, heaviest in September and lightest in January. Temperature ranges from 8C to 21C, highest in May (10C to 21C) and lowest in December (8C to 19C).

Watering

These orchids prefer a constant supply of moisture, with a slight drying out between waterings. Saucers can be placed under pots to retain moisture during hot weather, however the saucers should be removed or let to dry every 1-2 weeks to prevent rot. Keep an eye on the plant especially in hot weather and look for cues of under/overwatering and adjust accordingly.

Keep moisture levels up during hot weather as the plant is prone to dehydration

Fertiliser

Apply liquid based fertiliser per recommended directions. They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, followed by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears, and a balanced fertiliser in other times. These orchids can also tolerate slow release fertiliser applied 1-2 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

Use balanced fertiliser year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round.

Potting

Due to the growth nature of these plants they are best mounted onto cork, tree fern slabs, or even trees if the climate suits. Water regularly especially in hot weather.