Question
Hi,my son just gave me my first orchid and I am not too sure if this is the name, but here is what the tag said: LV 280 D. Rinnapa, X Jaqueline Concert. The flowers are a deep reddish purple.  I have no experience with orchids and would like to know what the basic care is.  I have  read that some orchids need direct sunlight, while others thrive in shade.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks and have a happy holiday season:-)

Answer
Hi Jennie,

Congratulations upon receiving an orchid from your son.  Thanks for providing the orchid's name, that helps quite a bit.  

What the tag information tells me is the following: LV 280 is either the hybridizer or nursery code for the orchid plant.  D. Rinnapa x Jaqueline Concert tells me it is a Dendrobium orchid and that it is a hybrid or cross between Dendrobium Rinnapa and Dendrobium Jaqueline Concert.  It also tells me that this plant has not been registered and given a unique name of its own.  To register a new orchid hybrid requires sending an application along with supporting information along with $15.00 to the Royal Horticultural Society located in England and, if there is no record of this hybrid having been made and registered previously along with the requested name not having been used before, it is accepted and registered as such and they publish the new name along with the hybridizers name.  

Now for how to care for your orchid.  It is one of the evergreen Dendrobiums and should never be allowed to go completely dry between waterings.  But this does not mean keeping it constantly wet, rather it means to allow the potting mix to become barely moist before watering again.  This can be between several days to several weeks depending upon season and where you are growing it.  Temperature between 55 to 85 F, humidity above 50%, direct morning sunlight but indirect or shady in the afternoon, along with some light air movement around it would be helpful.  Feed it a balance type orchid fertilizer but at 1/8 to 1/4 the amount suggested on the container as dendrobium orchids do not require much to grow and bloom.  

Hope this has helped.  Good luck.  

Happy holiday!!!

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.