How to care for Dendrobium speciosum; the amazing native Australian orchid.

This week Plant Lovers, my Dendrobium speciosum has BURST into bloom so it's time to celebrate with a care video! In this video I'll cover all the care tips I've learnt from growing it in my conditions and some suggestions if you're trying it in pot culture indoors all year. My plant was a FB marketplace BARGAIN and I made a video when I bought it and repotted it which you can see here: • Re-potting a (hopefull...
You can see where it lives outside in this video: • Orchid Grow Space Tour!
And I mention my Debrobium delicatum a few times and you can see that video here: • My Dendrobium kingianu...

[@kat1984]

I live in a desert in the US. Your recommendations remind me of caring for a cactus outdoors. Full sun, water when it looks a bit shriveled and just let it go. Very few non- native plants make think they could live outside in my harsh environment.

[@helloplantlovers]

Yes - probably just a tad more water than a cactus but they are remarkably tough!

[@christinenorton2510]

I think you have now become a expert, well done its gorgeous.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@RareRootsOfJoyMelbourne]

My first Dendrobium speciosum cost me $90. An absolute steal, it’s almost criminal. My second was a little more at $120 but her 13 flower spikes of 2022 again make me feel like I got away with highway robbery 😂 I also have three other speciosum hybrids but they are much smaller. Good for the table when in bloom 👌🏼💚 With both of my large specimens, the spikes came in earlier than yours (I think) because it was in full bloom in late September and the blooms are going over now. I’m about to cut the flower spikes so they can focus on vegetative growth. Maybe put them into a show next year. Last week I bought a seedling of Dendrobium Speciosum hillii - one of the 13 natural occurring variants. When in bloom, hillii has all white blooms. It’s SO tiny it’ll be a while before she blooms but I’m 44, totally into foliage and while I don’t have much patience at the best of times, I’ll be so pleased to have grown her from bub size, provided nothing bad happens to her 🤞🏼 Great to see yours doing so well! 😊 - the only thing that I would not do just personally, is allow the dead leaves in the pot. In my humble opinion, you are begging for pests there. So keep a close watch.

[@helloplantlovers]

13 spiikes!!!!!! Wowser what a sight that would be!

[@terryviljoen7475]

Mathew I absolutely love your video's. I live in the Western Cape where our conditions are more or less te same. I learn so much from you! Thank you so much!

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for finding me! Yes - very similar climates!

[@craigkirkpatrick2536]

I splurged on one of these for $100 in Autumn this year, it had only four spent canines but lavished love on it with new potting medium placed it in a fabulous morning to midday lit spot and…it has recently produced six new robust canines with massive glossy leaves. I’m just so pleased with myself 👏

[@helloplantlovers]

Well done!!!! If it was a division you might even get flowers next season!

[@suethompson6497]

Wow! Wow! It’s like a Jurassic age remnant, massive proportions for an orchid! Well done for blooming it. Could just about see you behind the yellow froth of blooms😅.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

Two spikes is better than zero and those blooms are a nice rich yellow, simply gorgeous. There are two subtypes (well, more than that but generally divided into two). The larger, taller plants as you have and those with shorter, fatter pseudobulbs. There is an orchid nursery just a bit north of me (25 km or so) that has a specimen that is upwards of forty years old and the canes on it are probably half again as tall as yours. Absolutely massive plant, with multiple cultural awards, that he occasionally takes divisions from for sale. Depending on where it originated, speciosum can vary in fragrance intensity, some of them will bowl you over the fragrance is so strong. The one drawback, as with kingianum and delicatum, is the blooms are generally short lived. Here in South Florida, you get a week/ten days out of them and that is all. But what a glorious week it is.

[@helloplantlovers]

Such a spectacular show - mine are lasting well - I might get a month out of the blooms at this rate.

[@patsfreund9164]

What a beautiful orchid! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about cultivation of these beauties. Always look forward to watching your videos.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@lisascenic]

Thank you for your delightful videos. I am growing this plant in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. I keep it outside in bright shade, because this plant is like a vampire. If a ray of sunlight touches it, it shrivels up and turns black. Right now, mine has three spectacular bloom spikes, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m growing some of this plant’s keikis, which is kind of an absurd endeavor, considering how long it will take for them to mature. Maybe I’ll stick some of them in my fruit trees, to see what happens…

[@helloplantlovers]

Good luck with the keikis! Odd that it burns in the sun!

[@greenthumb1658]

Woooooow! What a splendid bloom!

[@helloplantlovers]

Isn't it! Thanks for watching!

[@jackbell4540]

Your lucky to have plants that size available even though they are expensive. At the annual orchid show and sale in Edmonton a couple weeks ago tiny 3 cane seedlings were $35. At 2-3 inches tall they are as you describe 15 years away from flowering. Very impressive specimen. If I ever find a division I'll know what it likes!

[@helloplantlovers]

Good luck - you never know what might turn up!

[@michelleslifeonrepeat]

Great talk, I enjoy your knowledge. Have a great week.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@elleneisenkolb8689]

Thank you so much for this informative post. Oh I am so glad I decided to buy one at a recent orchid show. What a lucky find, I had no idea being a complete novice ( I won’t be vulgar and talk money, but it was a lot cheaper here in Adelaide 🤭). I’ve shifted it several times already and now I am armed with better information, think I can settle on its final spot. Your posts are always a delight to view over breakfast 😊.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thank you for watching and good luck with yours!!

[@MarianoGrande73]

It's amazing how well Aussie Dendrobiums do here in Buenos Aires Argentina being pretty much the same latitude as south Australia, I have a hybrid named Dendrobium Australian Artist (Speciosum - Kingianum - Tegragonum) from SVO, which is amazing too. Cheers

[@helloplantlovers]

Oh I loved Buenos Aires when I visited! - reminded me a lot of Sydney climatically so I'm not surprised the Aussie Dendrobiums do so well there! Thanks for watching!

[@lr7550]

Lovely blooms! How rewarding they are. The speciosums have well and truly finished here in the West but so nice to see they are still going down in Melbourne for you to enjoy! My Grandiflorum and var. Curvicaule speciosums outperformed themselves this year with 5 spikes each. Looking forward to your next video, hopefully more online shopping orchid hauls??? 😄

[@helloplantlovers]

Funny you should mention that but I AM feeling a shop up coming on!

[@victoriatroya7652]

Amazing plant! Your video is motivating me to out and buy one! Let’s see how I do with it in Ecuador! Thanks for your tips!

[@helloplantlovers]

Good luck! They are fabulous - thanks for finding me!

[@sue5061]

I have a huge speciosum that was given to me for free it was spectacular this year I don't do anything with it, it gets morning sun then shaded by fence from afternoon sun. I had seven spikes on it.

[@helloplantlovers]

Excellent! To be honest I don't do anything with mine either - once they are in the right spot off they go!

[@wildflowers477]

Gorgeous !

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@giardinodialberi8751]

Thanks so much for this well-crafted video. I just found Dendrobium Pegasus 'Wedding White' which is about 62% D. speciosum. Also, your grand book looks wonderful; I too am a book lover and might have to request what they call "Inter-Library Loan" where my local library puts out a request to other libraries for such treasures as this; takes about a month.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching and good luck finding the book!

[@wandashaw3551]

Hello Matthew, she is absolutely breathtaking!!😍😍🤩🤩😘😘

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@matadaniel6520]

Sooo beautiful Matthew 😍 you are such an expert now- love your videos & commentary - you must sell me a division when you decide to divide I am in NZ 👍

[@annanguyen4343]

Love this Australia golden arch so much. Thanks for sharing

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@jadengo2100]

Hello, from Melbourne

[@helloplantlovers]

Hello back!

[@sandrasouza8766]

Oi amigo vc também é amante das orquideas linda não conheço está especi d dendrobim estou apaixonada muito linda. Vc está d parabéns 🎊

[@helloplantlovers]

¡Gracias por ver!

[@sommerfuglen01]

Hi Matthew I can’t believe you posted this video just as my first speciosum is on its way in the mail. I’m relieved to learn I “splurged” for a more established plant for good reason. No one has time to wait 10-15 yrs. Do you think they benefit from year round sun, or more sun in a particular season? Thank you!

[@helloplantlovers]

Good shopping! Well....it can certainly take year round sun though the leaves will show burn and stress marks BUT you'll get great blooms! Or....mostly sun with late afternoon protection. Or...strong winter sun and as much as you can get for the rest of they year - which is my scenario. More sun = More blooms (but worse leaves)! Good luck!

[@sommerfuglen01]

Got it. I’ll try all of these combinations 😁. Hope mine can be as beautiful as yours one day.

[@vypham8248]

Magnificent! May I ask how is this plant doing this year?

[@helloplantlovers]

Well! Not as many flowers as this time - but looking good!!

[@Sandra-lk5yt]

Great info, thank you

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@christiannilsson3653]

found a plant in germany so soon i got one in my home

[@helloplantlovers]

Good luck with it!

[@besottedorchids3605]

Mathew, I hope all is well with you and yours. We r hearing of flooding in Melbourne

[@helloplantlovers]

Thank you - well it certainly rained!!! I'm luckily on the crest of hill so we're fine but some parts of the city were certainly swamped. But its a glorious sunny morning today!

[@carolesykes7955]

Hi again Matthew, another really informative video although I don't think it would like our normally wet and windy weather in Wales UK 😀. Can I pick your brains about the winter rest for Kingianums please? We're well into autumn now and I bought a few this year and I don't know how to introduce them to the rest so I don't shock them. At the moment they're in a sunroom and temps are 19-28.5C Outside in a cold greenhouse it's 10.5-17.5C They were last watered a couple of days ago. Should I let them dry out and just put them straight out? Another option is an unheated room in the house at 16.5-20-5C so should they go in there first and then outside? How low can they go and still be happy because in the garden it can freeze in midwinter. Would the intermediate temperature be low enough for a proper winter rest? Sorry to be so longwinded 😄

[@helloplantlovers]

Hi Carole, Hmmmm...difficult as I only really know my own conditions. But I would suggest: they are tough so don't worry about shocking them too much in your conditions; mine don't get a winter rest, they are outside so do get rained on in winter - moral of that story is that they do need watering in winter, just less often than summer; and I would try a cold greenhouse if the winter night minimums stay above freezing. Good luck!

[@kingsarm]

Hi Matthew so glad I listened and learned what species of orchid I was given as had no idea until I saw your video. You are so informative and now I have a question. My Dendrobium is just finished flowering with one spike. Do I cut that spike off at the bottom or do I leave the spike on. Thank you in advance from here in Queensland.

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching! Once the spike has finished you can cut it off - it won't re-bloom.

[@kingsarm]

Thanks very much I do appreciate.@@helloplantlovers

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Very informative video and gorgeous blooms, thanks for sharing. I bought a seedlings three years ago and it's growing so fast but its other yet big enough to bloom! When I heard you say it might take up to 15 yes to bloom, I sighed 😕! I live in UK so even if I wanted to buy a big plant I couldn't, however I'm optimistic it will bloom in few years for me. I decided to keep it I the sun in garden in late spring with my cymbidiums to encourage her to bloom. Does it need a bit of a cold like cymbidiums to initiate the spikes too?

[@helloplantlovers]

Hi there, Speciosum comes from warmer parts of the country but still with a marked winter change in temps, just not that cold! So yes, the change in day length and temps prompt blooming but it's not an orchid that will thrive in a cold winter. So in the UK I'd definitely keep it in the brightest spot you can find inside over winter. The seedlings will take a while to bloom though unfortunately! Good luck though - fabulous when it does flower!

[@sandychan7406]

Thank you Mathew, a very good video that i learn a lot and now know why my never flower, not enough Sun and never take care of them. May i ask how often you need to repot them as mine never get repot 😅

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching! There's no rule about re-potting. They can be incredibly pot bound and still flourish. So I would only repot if the plant was literally breaking the pot! In the wild they grow in very constricted conditions so being root bound is quite important for them.

[@sandychan7406]

@@helloplantlovers Thank you for the information. Will try to move to another position and hopefully get some flowers

[@helloplantlovers]

@@sandychan7406 Good luck!

[@karlawoods2098]

Thank you

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@joseluisrodriguez673]

Hello! I am Jose Luis from Barcelona, ​​Spain. Could you tell me when it is better to transplant or repot the Dendrobium speciosum? Congratulations on that spectacular bloom. And thank you very much for sharing your experience. Take care of yourself

[@helloplantlovers]

Thank you for watching! Spring is a good time; after it's flowered and just before it starts producing new growth. Good luck!

[@joseluisrodriguez673]

@@helloplantlovers Thanks you very much!!

[@jaybudd1617]

Beautiful orchid. How is your Phaius doing? Just got a hybrid this fall. I live in Indiana, USA. US zone 5. So I grow indoors.

[@helloplantlovers]

Hmmm...well there is a tale to tell there and I've made a video so watch this space!!

[@dawnmarie52]

It's like a tree❤😂🎉

[@Palletknifepaint]

I have two in large pots , I saw one mounted at a nursery . I was wondering if this is a good idea - it looked terrific . I have a large tree fern backing board I could use - just wanted some advice

[@helloplantlovers]

The thing is these orchids get massive and heavy! I'd think more of mounting it in the fork of a log than on tree fern board - whatever could support it's weight. They are grown in the forks of trees around here. Dendrobium kingianum would be a better type to classically mount as it's not such a big and heavy plant when mature. Good luck with yours!

[@Palletknifepaint]

@@helloplantlovers true! Thanks I’m just going to repot them after your advice…thankyou

[@AL-ru3nk]

Hi my mum and dad have a huge orchid of this kind in their front yard. Its massive so I grabbed a few and potted them. Now they have bud sand some flowers already but the buds started out green and now some are turning dark yellow to brown and the other ones in the pot the buds went dark brown to black and started falling off and eventually died. I water once a week but just the top of the soil i dont soak it. One pot is in the full morning sun the other is in the shade. Is it too much water or not enough. Im worried they will all die :(

[@helloplantlovers]

Hmm...if you divided the plant while it was in bud it's not unusual for the flowers to drop. As long the main plant is green and healthy you should be fine! Good luck.

[@ESW206]

I get a lot of sunlight I’m in Southern California…but how much water does it need?

[@christiannilsson3653]

i use rice water ore akvaruim water when waterchange and it seems like that all orchids i got

[@helloplantlovers]

Thanks for watching!

[@annanguyen4343]

Where I can buy this Australia golden arch? Please Thanks

[@helloplantlovers]

I'm not sure where you are. Online you will tend to find seedlings which can take upto ten years to get to blooming size. In Melbourne, where I am, the best bet is to find local orchid sales in spring when they are in bloom. You can find a list of those vents here: oscov.asn.au/ If you're not in Melbourne then try and find a similar organization in your region. You can also sometimes find them in florists and garden centres when they're in bloom here in Australia. Good luck!

[@lucytran-nguyen8042]

My big plant was exposed to Canberra frost. 😥

[@helloplantlovers]

Did it make it??

[@SL-ur7vt]

Does sane cane rebloom?

[@helloplantlovers]

Yes - each cane can continue to bloom for years until it dies.

[@SL-ur7vt]

@@helloplantloversthank you so much . I just buy one but not sure when I will get flowers.

[@ScottTreacey]

The dreaded dendrobium beetle needs to be kept away!

[@helloplantlovers]

Luckily we don't get it in Melbourne!