This is a copy of a question I posted to the Propagation forum. I hope re-posting it here isn't a violation of the rules -- it's just that I'm not sure which is the appropriate place to ask the question, since I really am a beginner at this.
I've had this small Dendrobium chrysotoxum for about six months now, and just noticed this growth. I presume a new pseudobulb this high up on an old pseudobulb is what is called a keiki. I gather that I could separate it from the existing plant and grow it separately, but I suppose I should wait at least until it has leaves of its own. The original parent plant broke in half, and I had to repot the two halves. They're in four inch pots with coconut husk chips for potting material.
My question is, what alternatives do I have? The old plant has pseudobulbs about three inches long; the other half about the same size isn't showing any growth yet, and there is another with pseudobulbs more than six inches long that seems to be growing new roots but hasn't yet shown any sign of other new growth. My wife's nephew assures me they all produce the same kind of flowers, but I haven't seen them in bloom yet. I'm really hoping the larger specimen grows some new pseudobulbs from the rhizome. It has about eight pseudobulbs already, five of which still have leaves, but there are traces of two old flower stalks on each of the old pseudobulbs, so I don't suppose those will produce any more flowers.
I'm just thinking that if I do separate this keiki from the parent plant it will need four or five years to grow large enough to flower. I really need some advice on this one.
What should I do with this keiki?
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