Dendrobium kingianum keikis questions

[hypostatic]

So most of my plants shoots have keikis on them. Is there anything special that I need to do? If it flowers again, will it flower on both the mother shoots and the keikis? Oh also, there seems to be sap droplets that develop on the surface of the keikis, is this normal?

I guess the plant is doing well if it has this much new growth? I feel like I treat it like **** sometimes haha. I'll forget to water them for a few weeks until the media (sphag?) is rock hard. I'm surprised it's still alive!

[WhiteRabbit]

Kingianums can bloom on previously bloomed canes, and those with keikis also. Keikis can bloom on the parent as well. They can put on quite a show with both canes of the parent, and keikis getting multiple spikes.
Kingis are known to be "hard as nails" - they can survive a fair amount of mistreatment, but will do even better with consistent care

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by hypostatic

So most of my plants shoots have keikis on them. Is there anything special that I need to do?

No, there isn't. Leave them as is for now. When the keikis get large enough, it will not take much effort to peel them off the mother plant at all. Just do the "gentle wiggle test" to see if they come off easily.

Originally Posted by hypostatic

If it flowers again, will it flower on both the mother shoots and the keikis?

The mother shoots will definitely bloom. Some of the keikis may bloom.

Originally Posted by hypostatic

Oh also, there seems to be sap droplets that develop on the surface of the keikis, is this normal?

It occasionally happens. Sap is the overproduction of sugars.

Originally Posted by hypostatic

I guess the plant is doing well if it has this much new growth?

New shoots or "new keikis"?

New shoots = doing a good job.

New keikis may mean it got stressed somehow.

Originally Posted by hypostatic

I feel like I treat it like **** sometimes haha. I'll forget to water them for a few weeks until the media (sphag?) is rock hard. I'm surprised it's still alive!

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

New shoots or "new keikis"?

New shoots = doing a good job.

New keikis may mean it got stressed somehow.

Well kinianum kekiks all the time whether stressed or not (and it looks like that's what this is). It's true some orchids only really produce keikis when stressed, but others can do it just because they are genetically programmed to do that.

I have an alba and a hybrid and the alba does it all the time, even the keikis I've separated are growing their own keikis. I know others have said theirs do the same thing as well. It also grows a lot of new growths as well.

The hybrid has only produced one keiki.

My alba flowers from the keiki all the time, in fact most years the majority of it's flowers are coming from keikis off the mother.

[Peter1952]

Dendrobium kingianum (Thelychiton kingianus)?? is very variable in both growth habit and flowers. Some strains are more prone to producing keikis than others. To much water in the winter will increase the number of keikis at the expense of flowers in the Spring. Night time temperatures here sometimes spike down to 2C without affecting my kingianums to much. I don't know if they require cool winter temps to encourage flower production though. Good Luck.

Peter

[cbuchman]

My Kiniangum also produces keikis fomr the previosuy growth. It was told that some do this and some don't. My keikis and their parent (and I have multiple generation) all bloom and as a result put on quite a show. I'd just let them be. If one comes off easily or due to my clumsy handling, I just poke it into the pot and it just takes off - doesn't skip a beat. This one is quite forgiving.

[hypostatic]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

New shoots or "new keikis"?

New shoots = doing a good job.

New keikis may mean it got stressed somehow.

They are mostly keikis, although I have seen at least one new shoot coming up from the tangle of plants.

So since no one else mentioned it, the sap isn't a sign of anything bad?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The sap is not a sign of anything bad.

[hypostatic]

So I've been leaving the pot outside for a week or two so far this month. I'm hoping the drop in temperature will promote some flowering =]

[cbuchman]

Try keeping it a little dry until spikes start to appear. The dry cycle helps induce spikes.