Coelogyne & Dendrochilum Orchid Care Guide

Since 2021, Coelogyne has included the chain orchids formerly known as Dendrochilum, along with Pholidota and several smaller genera. Most growers still know these plants by their old names, and the culture has not changed with the label. This guide covers the former Dendrochilum species we grow, Coelogyne chinensis (formerly Pholidota), and traditional Coelogyne such as C. ovalis. For the background to the name change, see what happened to Dendrochilum.

What these plants are

All are Asian epiphytes with pseudobulbs, which store water and give them more resilience than pleurothallids or Masdevallia. The chain orchids come mostly from the mountains of the Philippines, Borneo and Sumatra, and form neat clumps of single-leaved pseudobulbs with arching or hanging chains of small flowers in two rows. The traditional Coelogyne species we grow come from the Himalaya, southern China and Indochina and tend to have larger, fewer flowers.

Potting and mounting

Use a pot that only just fits the clump – for young plants, a small clear pot such as our 100mm clear orchid pots is usually plenty. Chain orchids flower best when slightly pot-bound and resent sitting in a large volume of wet mix. A fine to medium bark with a little perlite and sphagnum suits most; small plants can go into sphagnum alone. Many chain orchids also grow well mounted on tree fern or cork if you can water often. Species with a creeping rhizome and spaced pseudobulbs, such as C. ovalis, are easier in a wide, shallow pot or basket where the rhizome has room to travel.

Watering

Water freely while plants are in active growth, letting the surface of the mix just begin to dry between waterings. Pseudobulbs give you some margin, but chain orchids do not want a hard dry rest – reduce watering a little in winter, but do not let them shrivel. The Himalayan Coelogyne are different: once the new pseudobulbs have matured, a drier, cooler winter helps set flowers.

Light

Bright filtered light. Leaves should be a light to mid-green. Too little light is the most common reason a healthy-looking chain orchid fails to flower; too much shows as yellowing or scorch marks. See why your chain orchid won’t flower for more on reading the plant.

Temperature

These plants come from a wide range of altitudes, so temperature needs vary more than in most genera:

• Cool to intermediate: high-altitude species such as C. tenella, C. javieriana, C. saccolabium and C. cobbiana. Keep them out of sustained summer heat.
• Intermediate and adaptable: C. wenzelii (in red and orange forms), C. lagarophylla and C. chinensis, which tolerate cool nights and warm days. Australian growers report C. wenzelii handling winter lows around 5°C.
• Cool winters: C. ovalis, which benefits from a cool, slightly drier winter.

In the Dandenong Ranges most of this group grows well in a sheltered shadehouse or unheated glasshouse, protected from frost.

Humidity and airflow

Aim for 60% humidity or more with steady air movement. Chain orchids with fine, grassy leaves show dry air quickly as browning leaf tips; a hygrometer in the growing area tells you when humidity is dropping before the plants do.

Feeding

Feed with a balanced orchid fertiliser at half strength every second watering while plants are growing, and reduce in winter. Flush with plain water monthly.

Repotting and dividing

Repot as new growths start and new roots appear, typically in spring. Divide only into clumps of several pseudobulbs: chain orchids flower from mature clumps, and single pseudobulbs can take years to build back to flowering size.

Flowering

In most of the former Dendrochilum, the flower spike develops with the new growth, so a season of strong new growths is a season of flowers. Avoid damaging emerging growths when repotting, watering or moving plants. Mature clumps can produce dozens of chains at once.

Common problems

• Brown leaf tips: often natural ageing of older leaves, particularly in C. wenzelii; also caused by dry air, hard water or salt build-up.
• No flowers: too little light, weak new growths, or a clump that has been over-divided.
• Shrivelled pseudobulbs: underwatering or root loss. Check the roots.
• Scale and mealybug: check leaf bases and the sheaths around pseudobulbs.

For seasonal culture in Australian conditions, see how to grow Dendrochilum (chain orchids) in Australia.

Browse our current range of Coelogyne and chain orchids, including the species covered in this guide.