dedrobium - Orchid Board

angelaaloisio · #1 09-13-2011, 04:37 PM

I have a dendrobium I got from trader joes. The main stem does not seem to be doing much of anything, However some of the offshoots have spider like white things growing from them. They do not look like flowers, so is it a new plant starting itself from the main one. Should I separate them? If So how? And then what do I do? I can send photos to an email but not post them directly as they are on my phone
Thank you

Bud · #2 09-13-2011, 05:56 PM

pictures can really be nice.
i cant imagine the white spiders you are talking about from the offshoots...are you describing roots?

angelaaloisio · #3 09-13-2011, 06:23 PM

I imagine so, but they don't look the other roots that are in the pot. Possibly because they are new offshoots of plants. Where would you like me to send photo? I can send it over from my phone

Junebug · #4 09-13-2011, 08:46 PM

I think what you're describing is a new growth, or cane, with emerging roots. The roots start out as little nubs and get longer like the ones in the photo. It's better to leave new growths alone and let them grow. The new growth will eventually produce spikes and blooms. It adds to overall size and health of the plant. Don't remove old leafless canes until they completely shrivel and turn a yellowish brown color. They serve as a vital energy reserve for the plant. It will retard growth if you remove them too early.

angelaaloisio · #5 09-13-2011, 09:08 PM

So they do look like the picture but all white with no green at all and not quite as thick. There is one like that on the bottom like a new growth, then there is one on the middle of the plant as well.
Should I cut off the tips of brown leaves

Bud · #6 09-13-2011, 10:23 PM

you need to listen to Junebug...leave it alone. Let it be...just continue caring for it the way you were doing...You must be doing something right for the plant to grow new babies.

silken · #7 09-13-2011, 10:35 PM

I think you are talking about keikis that are new growths coming from higher up on the canes. The new growths at the bottom should be left alone, It's how the plant maintains itself as old canes die off. If you have keikis (babies in Hawaiian) they will eventually grow enough roots and a small plant that can then be gently removed. Maybe you can find a way to load the photos from your phone onto the computer or borrow a digital camera. then we could see for sure.

Junebug · #8 09-14-2011, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angelaaloisio

So they do look like the picture but all white with no green at all and not quite as thick. There is one like that on the bottom like a new growth, then there is one on the middle of the plant as well.
Should I cut off the tips of brown leaves

I'd leave the leaves alone. They'll drop when they're ready. Sometimes the tips turn brown from dehydration or as part of the natural aging process.

Your new roots might be a little dry. The green part on the root tips is active growth and at this stage it should be there. Those new roots might benefit from a little daily misting until they bury themselves in the medium.

Another possibility for no green tips could be snails or slugs. They appear at night to feed, often going unnoticed until the damage is done. Snails love to munch root tips. To check for them, try laying some sliced potatoes all around the top of your potting medium just before evening. Then check the undersides of the slices early the next morning. If you find snails, remove them and destroy them or give them to someone else, because you don't want them munching on your orchid roots.

RosieC · #9 09-14-2011, 10:16 AM

If it's from the base of the plant then it's part of the main plant and not a separate plant.

When a plant get's a lot of growths with both old and new 'canes' then it is possible to split the plant into two with both halves having old and new canes, but you don't want to split off just new ones.

If the growth is part way up the an existing cane then it is a kekik. These can either be left or removed, but if you want them to survive on their own it's best to have plenty of root on it first. I removed some recently from one of mine and potted them up on their own, but they had been growing since early in the spring and had plenty of root growth as well.