Question
I received a den. eima burana white as a gift.  It's in a pot, but I don't know how to take care of it.  I live in South Florida.  Is this an indoor or outdoor plant?  How much water does it need?  Does it need replanting, pruning, etc.?  Please give me as many tips as possible.  I don't want this beautiful plant to die.

Answer
Hello Alexandra,

Your dendrobium is one of the evergreen types and should grow really well for you outdoors in part sun there in South Florida.  Protect it from your seasonal rains as you do not want it to become too wet.  It loves moisture but not drenched with water.  Allow the potting mix to become barely moist before watering again.  Your temperature and humidity are ideal for it.  

Once the flowers fall off, cut the stem where it grew out from the fattened growth or pseudobulb.  Dendrobiums do not like being repotted very often, wait until the growths begin to hang over the pot edge to repot and only into the next larger size pot.  Dendrobiums do not require lots of fertilizer, so only use about 1/4 the amount suggested on the container.  

Hope this helps.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.