Id like to share this with you ... - Orchid Board

evoapril · #1 06-29-2008, 05:25 PM

So last August I bought this orchid. I dont know what kind it is, but it had 2 long stalks. The flowers were very dense on it and could hardly stand up. The bamboo couldnt really hold it up, and I couldnt find any place for it.

I stuck it outside, I live in San Diego CA so it didnt ever get under 50 degrees.

I ended up repotting it because I wanted to make it so the thing wouldnt fall over, it was a big plant in a small pot. The stalks were over a foot long.

The repotting didnt go so well, still couldnt get the stalks to stand up and they just wanted to lay sideways which made the pot really unstable. So I just cut the 2 stalks off at the bottom and descided to repot these. I didnt know what I was doing, but that was what I did.

They never rooted when I replanted them. They kept falling out of the pot. So I just sat them ontop of a shelve and then about a month later I saw what looked like roots coming out of almost every upper segment of plant. A week later I looked again and they started to look like small plants shooting out.

As the weeks passed, I noticed one stalk had a tiny plant coming out. The other stalk was flowering!

Heres pictures of the 2 stalks now, I was wondering if anyone has any advise on what to do from here on. I know I probably hacked the plant up pretty bad so if you wanna give advice on that too Ill gladly take it haha.

As you can see I have them sitting in glasses with maybe 1/2 inch fertalized water sitting in it, hoping for something to happen.

STALK#1

STALK #2

any help will be greatly appreciated!!!! Can anyone tell me the reason this happened? I wanna know why one stalk flowered and the other just had the little plant come off it? ?????

Ross · #2 06-29-2008, 05:38 PM

That's a Dendrobium and some here do this on purpose to increase their collection! As to why some nodes went to flower and others to Keiki is anyones guess (in my opinion.) When the new green shoots develop roots 2-3" long, cut the parent stem into sections. Dry the cuts with some powdered cinnamon and then repot them. Each will become a new plant. As for the flowers, just enjoy them. That will be the end of that cycle.

BikerDoc5968 · #3 06-29-2008, 05:40 PM

This looks like a dendrobium. The way I've read to reproduce these from old canes is to cut a piece and lay it on moist sphagnum moss keeping it humid and warm but no direct sun until roots emerge from the cane. Then replant in bark mix...if stability is a problem, place some stones in the pot first to give weight then your mix. The cane looks somewhat shriveled from lack of water...if you aren't growing any roots, maybe try adding some SuperThrive or KLN to the water(SuperThrive is available at big box stores and KLN online search). I'm sure more knowledgeable folks will add their opinions....

BikerDoc5968 · #4 06-29-2008, 05:41 PM

Ross, you are just too fast for me today!!!!!!
You got me by 2 minutes

Becca · #5 06-29-2008, 07:35 PM

Well this is my thought, sometimes dendrobiums take a while (sometime many months and months) and pout when adjusting to a new environment....I think that the keiki is great....as you will have a new plant to replace the one that didn't make it. Good luck and keep us posted!

maitaman · #6 06-29-2008, 08:01 PM

Nobile type dendrobes will produce a lot of growth and few flowers if they A: do not get enough cool weather in winter and are grown too wet (they need a very cool drying rest period) B: get too much fertilizer. If you are getting both flowers and keikis you are probably in the good growing range.

evoapril · #7 07-01-2008, 06:10 PM

Well heres an update.

A few days after I posted here, some of the flowers seem to be turning yellow like they are dying. I put the stalk in a glass of fertalized water. Am I doing something wrong? Should I take it out of water?

Much help appreciated!

Thanks again!

APRIL
SAN DIEGO, CA

Ray · #8 07-02-2008, 10:37 AM

April,

Do those canes have any roots, or are they simply cut off and placed in water? It looks to me like the plant is doomed, so is throwing all of its energy into carrying-on the gene pool by producing a keiki and hoping to bloom and set seed (which will never happen).

John · #9 07-02-2008, 02:41 PM

Hi, I think what may be happening is that the plant went dormant and then into its flowering stage. Then it will try to root and send off another cane. I would take it out of the water. I would be afraid that if you leave it in the water, it will start to rot. A better way would be to put some sphagnum moss around the end of the cane and try to keep that moist but not wet. Hopefully new roots will develop. Good luck.
John

addictedcountryman · #10 07-02-2008, 02:49 PM

well, i have a dendrobium nobile red emperor prince which is very top heavy. mine came with two metal poles that had brackets that came out to hold the plant. this made it very sturdy. I agree with Ray... it is probably a last attempt to continue. John is also correct. There is a method in which you can cut the cane into segments and dip the ends in rooting hormone powder and place on a tray with moist sphagnum. I would take it out of the water if it has no roots and place the entire cane on moist sphagnum moss, keeping an eye on the keiki. when the roots of the keiki become long enough, 2-3 inches, i would remove and repot.