Dendrobium Propagation

[BikerDoc5968]

It's been at least 15 years since my dad planted this dendrobium under a tree in his back yard in SE Florida. Don't know why he planted in the shade of this very large tree, but it is one of the few orchids that ever performed for him...this was a source of great frustration for him, that he just didn't have a "green thumb". Every year new canes would grow and flower. The canes grow to about 3 1/2' to 4'. The leaves stay around for some time after it flowers and the cane dies back like other chids with pseudobulbs. I read that one can take cuttings from the cane of at least 3 to 4 leaf nodes and start new plants. After he died a few years ago, I tried to do this, taking several cuttings and treating the ends with fungicide powder and placing them in mosit sphag, keeping them warm but not one ever rooted. I feel his frustration about his horticultural skills.... what am I doning wrong? I'm pretty sure this is a hybrid, but maybe it is of a class of dendrobium that won't grow from a cutting....any ideas??? I'd like this to survive as a keep-sake....a memoria

Sorry, the picture isn't up to my standard but all I have down here is my camera phone.

[Becca]

Howard....it's a beauty! What about trying KeikiPro or some kind of a keiki past to promote keiki's? Then you wouldn't have to mess with the cuttings.

[Sun rm.N.E.]

If you have not yet seen my water culture method for orchid propogation or saving sick orchids I have posted a picture of a dendrobium keiki that I started a couple of months ago. As you can see lots of new root growth even new branches on old rotting roots that sustained it while the new growth started to develop.

Although I have not been successful with Phals I have not yet lost a Dendrobium. The second picture shows the mother plant, started the same way, now in S/H on top, that has gotten so large that I have to give away soon. The rest in that picture are all growing and blooming in water culture. I have to emphasize that I keep the ambient temperature above 70 degrees F. and I transfer the plants only to S/H so there is less of a shock.

I would like to point out that the only plant I have started from cuttings are Ludisia. With the Dendrobiums and Catts I take keikis or complete pseudobulbs with at least a new growth bud however undeveloped. If you are interested I have lot of posts on this method. Here is one of my summaries on the middle of the page.


http://www.orchidboard.com/community...r-culture.html

[Bob2741]

Doc if you can get me a good cutting I can try it in the cloner for you. You could mail it but not in freezing temps.