Dendrobiums

Dendrobiums are sympodial orchids (growing horizontally annually) and produce pseudobulbs, or “canes” which grow up from the stem of the orchid, and act as reservoirs for water. These orchids produce around 4 to 20 blooms per stem, with an average flower size of 1-3 inches. The production rate of flowers depends largely on the variety that a grower has. In Fiji, most of the dendrobium orchids that are circulating in the country come from a group called the ‘’uniwai series’’ which is a hybridized orchid bred in Hawaii by the university of Hawaii. These varieties have been bred specifically for the cut-flower market with the potential to send out more than 20 stems per plant annually, a vase life of more than 3 weeks and multiple blooms (25) if cultivated correctly. Unfortunately, they are restricted in colours as they only range from purple shades to white.  Fiji also has other hybridized dendrobiums brought in by collectors over the years and native species which are spread out in more dense rainforests in Fiji’s interior. Majority of these orchids love filtered light with around 50% shade during the hotter parts of the day/year. Watering depends largely on the type of media used and how much rainfall your area receives. On the western part of Fiji which can be dry and where SSO is located, we need to water 3 times a week because we use crush metal (gravel) as our media. Media used depends on each grower but you will find that majority of Fiji use crushed metal. There are also options like coco husk chips and tree fern bark (Balabala).