Bamboo orchid (Dendrobium nobile), an orchid with a stately habit
Dendrobium nobile
- Exposure
- Half-shade
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Semi-evergreen
- Family
- Orchids Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Bamboo orchid Dendrobium
- Species
- Bamboo orchid Dendrobium nobile
Do you dream of an orchid with an upright growth habit and fragrant blooms? The Dendrobium nobile will make you happy. In the wild, the bamboo orchid grows on tall trees, from the mountainous regions of the Himalayas all the way to Vietnam. With its shrub-like appearance and hyacinth-like scent, this flowering perennial has everything to please you.
How can you identify the Dendrobium nobile bamboo orchid?
Dendrobium nobile is an epiphytic, rhizomatous orchid. This plant, which rarely exceeds 50 centimeters in height, has an upright growth habit.
Dendrobium nobile owes its nickname, the “bamboo orchid ,” to its green, fleshy pseudobulbs, which serve as a reminder of reed stems. Called canes, they support the leaves and flowers.
The leathery, alternate leaves appear to be folded in half along the midrib. Lanceolate in shape, they measure five to ten centimeters long by two centimeters wide. The semi-evergreen foliage lives for an average of two years.
Unlike the hybrid Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium, the bamboo orchid does not develop a flower spike. The seven-centimeter-long flowers are arranged along the canes, either singly, in pairs, or in groups of three. In the botanical variety, the sepals and petals are white with pink or mauve tips. The labellum, which has a brown center, features white or yellow in the middle and a purple border. However, Dendrobium nobile hybrids are also found in white, yellow, pink, purple, or orange.
The bamboo orchid is non-toxic to humans and pets. The plant is even used in Chinese medicine to treat all sorts of ailments. For example, it is used as a pain reliever and in ophthalmic preparations. However, its use should be restricted to knowledgeable herbalists.
Our care tips
Bamboo Orchids are easier to care for than they appear. They need only be watered regularly and fertilized most of the year. If your Bamboo orchid is an indoor plant, it will nevertheless need to spend some time outdoors to flower again.
Watering
Bring water to your Bamboo orchid when its substrate is dry. Water the substrate with non-calcareous water at room temperature, preferably rainwater.
Moisten the growing medium without wetting the leaves and flowers. If you notice water stagnating in the heart of the plant, gently wipe it away with absorbent paper.
Misting
To provide your Dendrobium nobile with the necessary humidity, mist its foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature. If filtered water is not available, you can collect rainwater and use it for misting.
Repotting
Every year in the spring, repot your Dendrobium nobile to give it more space.
As a reminder, repotting should never be carried out during the flowering period. It would be fatal to buds and flowers.
Bamboo Orchids are epiphytic. They don't need potting soil, but a highly draining mixture. You can buy orchid substrate that's just right for them. You can also prepare your own growing medium by mixing peat, sand, perlite and bark.
Get a plastic perforated pot two centimetres larger than the previous one. It doesn't need to be transparent. Moisten the necessary amount of substrate as you prepare your Bamboo orchid for repotting.
Carefully remove your plant from its previous container. Remove the substrate and, if necessary, cut off any dead roots. If your Bamboo orchid has dried-out canes, do not repot it. Keep four vigorous canes in your pot. If there are more, you can divide your plant.
Bamboo Orchids the new pseudobulbs all grow in the same direction. To give your plant more room, place the old canes towards the back, against the wall of the pot.
Fill the pot with substrate until the rhizome is covered. But be careful not to bury it too deeply! It should be flush with the underside of the growing medium. You can also install a stake to support the stem.
The month after repotting, stop fertilizing and watering. Instead, mist the surface of the substrate daily.
Fertilization
Fertilize your plant all year round, except in midsummer.
Fertilize your Bamboo orchid with a low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as an orchid fertilizer.
Prune
The dried-out canes continue to act as a reserve for the plant. If they get in the way, you can cut them off at the base. Use a clean instrument to prevent the spread of disease. However, always keep at least four canes.
Taking cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
In Hawaii, keiki means baby. This term refers to the offshoots produced by bamboo Orchids.
Keikis appear at the end of canes. They are generally a sign that your plant is suffering (too much or too little water, low humidity, lack of light, etc.).
Cut the keiki under a knot using clean, sharp pruning shears. The larger it is, the greater your chances of success. Ideally, the roots should measure seven centimetres and the young shoot should have at least one leaf.
Re-pot keikis in a substrate suitable for epiphytic orchids. You can use a commercially available growing medium or make your own mixture of peat, sand and perlite.
For a month after repotting, mist the substrate rather than watering it. You can also place the pot on a saucer filled with clay balls to increase humidity.
Diseases / Threats
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Semi-evergreen
- Exposure
- Half-shade
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting methods
- In potsIn tubs
- Tags
- BeginnerFloweryCold-sensitive
- Origins
- South AsiaSoutheast Asia
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11a (4.4°C ≤ T° < 7.2°C)
- Leaf colors
- Dark greenLight green
- Flower colors
- WhiteRoseYellowOrangeViolet
Discover plants from the same family
Moon Orchid
Phalaenopsis amabilis
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
