About the Sacramento Orchid Society

The Sacramento Orchid Society was founded in 1947 as an educational organization dedicated to providing information on the cultivation of orchids to the greater Sacramento community.

Members and non-members are welcome at our FREE Monthly Meetings that feature expert speakers from around the world, opportunities for members to sell plants to one another, a raffle of plants, and a delightful measure of fellowship and good times.

The Society's very active membership grows an almost unimaginable number of orchid species and hybrids on windowsills, patios, in yards, under lights, and in greenhouses.

Orchid of the Month for November, 2018

Dendrobium bensoniae

By Srini Varadhan

Dendrobiums are a fascinating and diverse genus of orchids distributed throughout east-southeast Asia, Australia and islands in the Pacific. Dendrobium bensoniae was one of my very first orchids, and a rather uncommon one in cultivation.

Dendrobium bensoniae is an epiphytic orchid species native to North-eastern India, Myanmar and Thailand. Its an epiphyte found growing at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 5,000 feet. Because of its rather wide distribution, this species tolerates both hot and cool conditions. Similar to most other Dendrobiums from southeast Asia, this species goes deciduous in winter and requires a cool and dry winter rest to grow and flower well.

Culture: I generally prefer to grow my orchids consistent with their growth habit in nature. When I bought the plant, it was potted in a coarse bark mix. In general, repotting of orchids should be done when they are dormant. Once the plant went dormant in winter, I carefully removed the plants from the pot and mounted it on a piece of cork bark. This plant grows actively from Spring through Fall. In nature, the plant grows high in the tree canopy and experiences substantial rainfall during the Summer. Therefore, I grow this plant in a very bright location in my hot-warm greenhouse with substantial air movement. During the summer months, the plant gets watered very well on a daily basis. As is the case with most of my other orchids, my fertilizer regimen consists of about ¼ strength balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer containing all the micronutrients with a pinch of Epsom Salt in a gallon of reverse osmosis (RO) water on a weekly basis in late spring and summer, during the active growth phase. With the onset of Fall, dormancy sets in and the plant starts to lose its leaves. Around this time, I reduce watering and fertilizer and completely stop watering and fertilizing around late-November. In the winter months, the plant only consist of canes and shows no activity.

Growth Habit: During the active growth phase, the plant grows one to two canes each about 8-20 inches long. I have had this plant for the past 4 years and each year the canes have grown progressively longer with the latest one, about 20 inches long. The leaves are arranged alternatively on each cane. In the Fall the canes lose their leaves completely. I keep the plant relatively dry in winter with intermittent misting to prevent the canes from drying up. In Spring, the last year’s cane(s) develop inflorescences opposite to the previous year’s leaf nodes. The inflorescence at each node produces between one and three, 2-inch slight fragrant, crystalline white flowers with a gold lip and two prominent dark brown spots. The flowers last for about 3 weeks during which new canes are produced from the base of the plant. Canes from years past remain on the plant and slowly shrivel up as the plant grows.

One interesting thing to note is that in my greenhouse, the plant flowers like clock-work, exactly 2 weeks after another similar Dendrobium, Dendrobium unicum flowers and has been that way for 4 years.

As always, we must adjust all cultural advice we get from any growers, including me, to account for our conditions. Overall, being easy to grow and rewarding, Dendrobium bensoniae is a must have Dendrobium in a collection.