Here is a dendrobium orchid that a friend gave me two years ago. Back then it only had one cane, now it has three, however it has never bloomed. I don't even know what color it should be. It began simply, I just put it on the window sill and hoped for the best... nothing happened. Next I began fertilizing it with something that is supposed to encourage blooming...nothing happened. Then it was summer, I put the orchid in the sun room, and eventually it grew a second cane. I thought for sure it would bloom now that it had two canes, but no. Time went by, and I did some research and discovered that dendrobiums like a lot of sun, so I put a grow light over it... nothing happened. Then I discovered that most orchids need high humidity, so I put a pan of water with gravel under it... nothing happened. Eventually it grew a third cane, this one was the biggest of all the three, but nothing happened.



Here is my latest attempt: behold the Orchidarium.
A 29 gallon tank with a glass lid, and two grow lights: one fluorescent and one incandescent. It also has a little fan to create gentle breezes. There is also a digital hygrometer/thermometer to record high and low readings and allow me to make adjustments such as sliding the lid on or off by 1/4" to 2" to either remove humidity or preserve humidity. There is also a space heater underneath the tank that cycles on and off during daylight hours to keep the day time temperature around 75 F. The humidity varies between 60 and 75 %. Still, nothing...

My only hope is that with the onset of summer and higher daytime temps and also I will increase the hours the lights are on, will trigger the blooming response. My good long-time friend David suggested I just buy an orchid that is already blooming.

That would be cheating, and it would offer me no degree of satisfaction.