Three-color Dendrobium Orchid - Characteristics, origin, and growing methods

Blog | 15/07/2025 by Orchid

Three-color Dendrobium Orchid is a beautiful, fragrant wild orchid species that is very popular in Vietnam. Learn more about planting and care techniques here!

Three-color Dendrobium Orchid (scientific name: Aerides falcata) is probably a very familiar name to orchid growers in Vietnam, right? This is one of the most beautiful and favorite wild orchid species in our country. With elegant flower colors of three colors: white - pink - purple, along with a sweet fragrance, impressive curved flower shape, this orchid has become a "national" orchid species in every home.

In today's article, let's explore with wild orchid information about the origin, morphological characteristics as well as techniques for growing and caring for the three-color orchid from A to Z to help you successfully "conquer" this beautiful orchid!

Origin of the Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium orchid

Learn about the origin and distribution of the three-color orchid.

The three-color Aerides falcata orchid, also known as the three-color Aerides falcata, is native to tropical regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia, typically in the following countries:

India, Nepal, Bhutan
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, Vietnam

In Vietnam, this orchid species often grows in mountainous areas at an altitude of 300 - 1200m above sea level, concentrated in Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and some northern provinces such as Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Son La,...

Tam Bao Sac orchid is an epiphytic orchid, often clinging to large tree trunks in humid forests or evergreen forests, where humidity is high, light is scattered, and the climate has a clear difference between the dry and rainy seasons.

The name “falcata” in Latin means “crescent-shaped” - referring to the characteristic curved shape of the petals and sepals.

Nowadays, this orchid species is widely propagated through tissue culture and seeds, especially popular in the ornamental orchid industry in Thailand and Vietnam.

How to recognize the Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium orchid

Images of leaves, stems, roots and flowers of the three-color orchid.

Let's learn in detail about the characteristics of the stem, roots, leaves and flowers of the Tricolor orchid to help you easily recognize them among hundreds of other orchid species in the genus Tricolor orchid.

Close :

Single stem orchid, upright stem, grows straight, tall, no branches
Average height from 30 - 50 cm, can reach up to 70 cm if properly cared for
Cylindrical stem, green or purple in color, clearly divided into segments, stem eyes are where roots and leaves grow.
Hard, succulent stem

Roots :

Aerial roots grow strongly and spread widely.
Roots grow from the stem nodes, long and large, the outer layer is silvery white, the inside has a green core.

Leaves :

Growing on both sides of the body, long, thick, slightly narrow and flat, V-shaped
Length from 20 - 40 cm, leaf width from 2.5 - 4 cm
The leaf tip is usually split in two.

Flower :

Grows in drooping clusters, 15 - 30 cm long, flowers bloom close together
Each cluster blooms from 20 to 40 small flowers.
The flower has a structure of 3 sepals, 2 petals, oval petals, slightly curved, light pink color.
The flower lip has 3 lobes, the middle lobe is purple, the base is white.
The main colors of the flower are ivory white - light pink - purple, the reason for the name "Three precious colors"
Flowers have a sweet, pleasant fragrance that spreads far in the early morning.
Flowers bloom from May to July and last from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Techniques for growing and caring for the Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium orchid from A to Z

Instructions for growing the three-color orchid.

If you are new to growing the three-color orchid, please refer to the detailed instructions on growing and caring for orchids shared below.

How to grow three-color orchid

Planting orchids with the right technique will help your pot of Tam Bao Sac orchid grow well, have many roots and bloom regularly. Find out more details below.

Prepare seedlings :

Choose healthy tam bao sac seedlings, no signs of pests or diseases, many roots.
Priority is given to potted plants for experienced growers.
Choose a mature plant or keiki that has roots longer than 3 cm.
For trees harvested from the forest, preliminary treatment is required by pruning old roots, soaking the tree in a fungicide solution, stimulating roots, then leaving it in a cool place for 2-3 days before planting.

Select and process the substrate :

Prioritize choosing driftwood such as pine, longan, star apple,...
Terracotta pot or plastic pot with multiple drainage holes
Filling medium: Crushed charcoal, large feather shells, coconut fiber, forest moss,...
Substrate treatment: Soak in clean water, lime water then dry to kill fungi and bacteria.

How to plant tricolor orchid in pot :

Spread a layer of charcoal and large pine bark at the bottom of the pot to help drain water better.
Place the orchid root in the middle of the pot, using bamboo sticks or string to secure it.
Cover with dry moss or coir around the base to keep moist (cover with a thin layer)
Hang the pot in a cool place for the first week before moving it to a sunny place.

Grafting the orchid onto wood/cork board :

Use wire to fix the orchid root close to the substrate, roots facing down, avoid breaking the roots or crushing the stem.
You can put a layer of moss or coir between the roots and the substrate to keep it moist.
Hang the wooden board or coir in a cool place without direct sunlight for the first 10 days, just spray lightly to keep moist.
After 10 days, water and care as usual.

How to care for the three-color orchid

Here are detailed instructions on how to care for the three-color orchid to help the plant grow well, bloom beautifully, have a long-lasting fragrance, and durable color. Let's take a look.

Maintain proper lighting :

Tam bao sac is an orchid that likes diffused light and mild sunlight, so maintain 60 - 70% natural light.
If the temperature is above 35 degrees Celsius, cover with a layer of mesh on top.
Do not plant orchids in low light as it will affect their ability to flower.

Watering properly :

Dry season: Water twice a day
Rainy season: 1 time/day or every other day depending on weather conditions
Note: Do not water at noon or in the late afternoon, do not let water accumulate on leaves overnight, use clean water to water, do not use water contaminated with alum.

Fertilize - nutrients at the right time :

Principle: Dilute - Even - Right Time.
Development stage: NPK 30-10-10, 20-20-20 with dosage of 1g/1 liter of water, fertilize once every 10 days.
Flowering preparation stage: NPK 10-30-20, 6-30-30 with dosage of 1g/1 liter of water, fertilize once every 10 days.
Post-flowering stage: Combine B1 + organic fertilizers such as earthworms, banana juice, fish manure, decomposed cow manure, etc. to help the plant recover.

Active leaf pruning to prevent disease :

Regularly trim old roots and yellow leaves to prevent fungus from spreading.
Spray fungicides once a month. You can use Ridomil Gold, Physan or Nanoo silver copper according to the dosage printed on the package.
Maintain a well-ventilated environment, do not let the substrate get waterlogged,...
Do not overuse chemical fertilizers, should combine with organic fertilizers for best results.

How to stimulate the growth of tricolor orchids

Although the orchid can still bloom naturally, if you want the flowers to bloom beautifully and in season, please refer to the following super effective way to stimulate flowering.

Determine flowering time:

Suitable time is from the end of dry season to the beginning of rainy season, usually April - May.
Stop fertilizing with nitrogen-rich fertilizer 3 weeks before flowering, take care of healthy plants, develop roots, and green leaves.

Tighten water properly:

Stop watering for about a week to create dry conditions to stimulate flowering.
Then water again with reduced frequency to create a dry season for the plant to differentiate flower buds.

Flower size:

After 1 week of tightening water, you can use flower stimulants such as Atonik, B1 + NPK 10-30-20, RAK. Dekamon 22.43L….
Use a diluted dose of about 1ml/1 liter of water, only stimulate about 2-3 times, each time 1 week apart.

Tips to help stimulate flowering:

Hang the orchid pot in a cool place with a large difference between day and night temperatures.
If you grow orchids in a place with little light, you can use artificial light.
Combine with homemade solutions such as banana juice, fermented rice water to increase potassium, natural trace elements for orchids.
Do not stimulate flowers on weak plants, sick plants or plants that have not yet developed stably.

Price of Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium Orchid

Currently, the Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium orchid is sold in Vietnam at many different prices, depending on the age, condition and origin of the tree. You can refer to some of the following prices:

5 Tam Bao Sac Dendrobium orchids on Shopee: 59,000 VND
Big tree with no flowers, sold on Tiki: 114,000 VND/tree
Large-sized three-color wild orchid, with buds or flowers available: 900,000 VND/plant

Questions and answers about the Three-color Dendrobium orchid?

What month does the orchid usually bloom?

The three-color rosewood usually blooms from March to July, with peak season being April to May.

Is the three-color orchid fragrant?

Yes, this orchid has a light, sweet fragrance, is extremely pleasant and has the ability to spread far every morning, bringing a very relaxing feeling to the player.

How is the three-color orchid propagated?

There are two ways to propagate the Tricolor orchid: separating the shoot (keiki) from the mother plant or sowing tissue seeds. However, the tissue seeding method is only applicable in laboratory conditions.

Is the tricolor orchid easy to grow?

Yes, although it is a wild orchid, the Tam Bao Sac orchid is quite easy to grow, you just need to master the basic techniques that we shared above.

Image of the beautiful orchid Tam Bao

We invite you to fully admire the elegant beauty of the three-color orchid - a species of orchid that stands out with three tones of white, purple pink and pleasant fragrance shared right below. Guaranteed you will feel "fluttered" at first sight .

A bush of three-color orchids grows on a jackfruit tree.

The tricolor orchid clusters are in full bloom.

Close-up of the face of the three-color rose myrtle flower.

Buds and flowers of the three-color orchid.

The clusters of three-color orchids are catching the sun.

The fragile beauty of the orchid.

Through the above article, orchid-vn.com has shared full information about the orchid Dendrobium tricolor , hoping that through this you have understood and know how to grow and care for this orchid species properly to obtain beautiful, fragrant orchid pots. With its characteristic color and sweet fragrance, good adaptability, the orchid Dendrobium tricolor is worthy of being in the orchid collection of any hobbyist.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section regularly to refer to and learn more effective orchid growing experiences!