Sounds good. The answer to the question on the Dendrobiums depends on which type of Dendrobiums you have. For example, keikis will bloom on Den. kingianum, but you have to grow other types on for quite a while before they will bloom. There is an FAQ about keikis.

Think i've read here that some real orchid growers (Those that live in the frozen north) have a staged retreat indoors, different times indoors for various Genera.

Good question! I'm also interested, especially in how to ensure that no bugs come indoors. Since I live in Canada, we do not have access to systemic bug killers so it is more difficult. I am trying to dunk each orchid into a pail of water and leave it there for a while to get all of the insects out of the pots. I don't know how long to leave the orchid in the pail of water. I wonder if I should put some dish detergent into the water?

Me too!!! I'm so excessively thrilled that my orchids that have been outside all summer are mostly all putting out spikes! Truly deserving of excessive exclamation marks!!!

I even have some orchids in the front of the house (facing east) and there are two there that have spiked (in addition to the three in the backyard that are spiking)

My poor husband is nearly deafened from all of my squeeling.

Of course now i need a way to bring them all in without bringin in bugs (which make me squeel in a bad way). I like this bucket of water with soap business. It seems like a good campaign.

Well, for me it's a two stage process. I just did stage 1 yesterday. I hauled all 120 plants from outside, up 3 flights of stairs to my upstairs sun-porch. Hopefully the plants can stay there for the next month or so before I bring them inside for the winter.

I'm always amazed at how relatively bug free my plants are after a summer outside. There may be a stray ant or spider and a few sow bugs, but that's about it. Just to make sure, I examine each plant, clean it up a bit and then do a two step Malathion treatment. I'll spray all the plants except my Broughtonia (I guess they don't like Malathion) twice - one week apart. I'll also pour the Malathion solution though all the pots. That should take care of the sow bugs. Since I've had a problem with bush snails in the past I will also sprinkle each pot with a granular product containing Metaldehyde. I've heard this is very good at killing these critters, but since it's quite toxic I don't want to use it when the plants are inside my house. If you don't have bush snails, there's no need to use that one.

That's about it.

Kevin

Thanks, I've also found that the bug population is not too great after the summer. However, I am plagued with scale both indoors and out and I generally squish them..ugh! Any suggestions for this?

hello, I am trying neem oil this year. I hope this works although I have never had too much a problem with bugs: what I find problematic are scales, aphids, whiteflies, etc which has nothing to do with outside.

sue

I'm finding crickets running around on my plants. Many have eaten root tips and leaves. I'm worried they may eat buds and munch sheaths. I hate them!

I too have been amazed by the amount of growth this year by all the orchids...the Vanda, all 8 phals, 3 catts, and 2 dendrobiums, are all in spike right now. The others are shortly on their way. The best is that they are spiking outside and it is so nice and refreshing to see the orchids in a "natural" (hanging from trees) habitat. I usually spray the orchids with a little soapy water and then rinse with a lot of RO water before I bring them in.

This year, I am determined to get the dendrobium nobile-type to re-bloom, I am going to treat it like a cymbidium (except keep it a window of an unheated spa-house). The humidity from the spa and the cold/dry nights should be perfect...we shall see.

Lizkunte, dendrobiums really love the great outdoors, dont they ? : )
Yes, the keikis will bloom even if left on the mother plant long enough to mature. They're not going to wait for us to cut them off first. Somehow the keikis that've grown and matured on the mother plant seem to bloom earlier. Possibly because they have the advantage of sharing in the mother plant's nutrition, etc.
I'd advise you to cut them off the mother plant and plant them separately when the keikis are about 3 inches big. This way you dont have to worry about damaging the roots later.

I forgot to mention ... the dends I have whose keikis bloomed while still on the mother plant, are all phal-type dendrobiums.

I like to bring my intermediate lovers (phals and catts, etc) in when the nights are starting to get cool before the first frost, but while the temps are the same inside as they are outside. That is, before the heat comes on. The dendrobium nobiles stay out much longer, as they can take lots of cold, and bloom much better after several weeks of chilling. This advice came from Dr. Wilford Neptune and the Yammamoto site. I did it last year and was rewarded with lots and lots of flowers, even on the old canes.

Yeah, a summer's outside growth is wonderful. Nothing beats it, unless maybe a vacation in FLA. It's a genuine pleasure to tot up all the gains.

I love this time of year. Today is a glorious day, pure perfection with breeze, blue sky, a few clouds and temperatures about 72-74 so far. I opened every window.

We have at least a month of nice warmish day-weather left, tho the nights cool down a lot, already in the 50's, and the shade gets longer every day now.

I brought all my small and summer-blooming phals in after 4 days of warm gloom and thunderstorms. The rest are still outside waiting for spikes. Found a few tiniest spike nubs on some phals yesterday.

Hmmm... I see no spikes on any of my plants, although they do look good and healthy. Lot's of growth outside during the summer. So, those of you who have spikes,...on what plants are they? Also, my dendrobiums are all phal types. Can I actually leave them outside just until that 1st frost (even if it gets down to the mid 30's?? About moving all the rest in -- Catts., mostly, can they stay outside until just before the first frost, too??? Does the cold snap aid Catts. in spiking? Do any need to be slowly acclimated to the indoors (like houseplants, tropicals, etc.) or can they just come in one day??? mehitabel, I noticed that you said you don't see spikes yet either. Which plants are they? Also, if my plants are actually going to bloom, will they spike now? I'm getting nervous now... everyone's spiking but mine! Actually one has started to bloom...Onc. Twinkle Fragrance...but it's the only one. I'm concerned about scale, too. Lot's of scale before I moved them outdoors. The good predators ate them all off the plants over the summer. I hope there are not a few lingering in the folds just waiting to come indoors and INFEST like they did last year. It got soo bad, I had to discard some plants -- it was hopeless. I'm still dealing with mealy bugs inside now on the Phals. Stubborn. Nothing is working, but I keep on trying. Good luck to everyone with the spikes! Liz

I can't believe it! I see spikes everywhere and multiples! This is my first year with orchids and the summer outside is definitely the key.

* My beallara has at least 5 spikes
* I have a cat with a sheath
* Oncidium Saint Dawn Gold has 2 spikes
* Phal type Dendrobium (NOID) has a spike
* My phrag Don Wimber just spiked
* Psychopsis Mendenhall - I think I see a 2nd spike
* White Phal hybrid has a blooming spike
* Burrageara Nelly Isler - multiple spikes
* Sharry Baby Red Fantasy - another 2 spikes (this thing just won't quit)

The rest of my plants don't show spikes yet, but they have multiple new growths, some not yet mature. My Cym Peggy Sue Five has 4-5 fully developed new bulbs and another 5-7 smaller new growths. It has developed a couple of, what look like phal root tips, sticking up between pbulbs. I'm assuming these are air roots? Does anyone have any ideas, do these get air roots that are thick and look like that?

Does anyone have info on when Dialaelia Snowflake Northland blooms or when I should expect spikes? Also, does this spike only on new pbulbs or will the old ones bloom again?

What fun!

Susan

Liz, a couple of days ago I moved all the oncids, and found nearly every one of them had been working on spikes without me knowing it. They definitely respond to the lengthening nights.

A few catts have fat sheaths, some at the splitting stage.

Some phals set spikes earlier this summer, a lovely surprise, but no new spikes since then. Phal spikes start in the "v" of a leaf. Sometimes roots start there, but roots and spikes look different from the beginning. What I call a "spike nub" is the tiny start of a spike just breaking thru, maybe 1/8" big.

Susan: Dail Snowflake is very beautiful. It blooms in late winter-- around Feb here as I recall. I can't remember when I first noticed spikes on it. Expect spikes only on mature, new pbs.

PS when I want to find out when catts might bloom, I check out Santa Barbara Estate Orchid website. Their "orchid of the day" features a blooming plant. By checking thru a year of that you can get an idea when to expect blooms. There will be some variance-- their orchids are responding to California weather.

The dendrobium phalaenopsis type can take nights down to 60, but the dendrobium nobiles like much colder nights. According to breeder Yamamoto, the den nobiles should be kept outside for 25 days of 55 or less nightly for better bloom. Wilford Neptune recommends bringing them in around Nov. 1. I did this last season and was rewarded with lots of buds and blooms.

Liz, you should be seeing spikes on your den/phals. They spike from new and old canes. Look for small nubs on the sides of the older canes and in the center two leaves on the newest cane. Do not leave them out in the cold. They are warm growers. The info you received is for a different type of den - nobile. They need the cold, not the den/phal type. All of mine have multiple spikes (mine are older). I bring them in at night.

Most winter-flowering Phals should be spiking now. Oncids are a mixed bag. Have a twinkle with 7 spikes (which I hear will finally bloom in Nov.)I have to check the others. Snowflake, good luck! I've had one for years and haven't gotten it to flower.

Bring your Den/Phals inside at night.

Curious, how low can you let the nobiles go. I have one Yamamoto and an Australian hybrid (have to look up the name and ask Arthurs advice) and a bunch of noid nobiles.

Jane