Dendrobium nobile with multiple issues

[CJ Green]

Hi,

Yesterday I bought the floral equivalent of a cute little pound puppy. I've been wanting a Dendrobium nobile, and while we were at the florist, my husband (the enabler) saw one with a sign that said, "I'm a little funny-looking. Will you adopt me?" So I now have a project on my hands. I'm posting pictures and would love any feedback at all. Here's what I see: First, it desperately needs repotting; the media is old and broken-down. There are a few good roots, but they're trying to escape. Second, The long cane with the flowers is actually a keiki, I think; looks like it has roots which were unfortunately trimmed short. Third, one leaf has a black spot on it and a couple other leaves have dark tips. Fourth, there's a green spike coming up--a new cane, I guess. And last, of course the plant wasn't labeled, but a quick internet search makes me think it's a Dendrobium "Christina Princess."

I don't have a good pot to put it in but I will repot as soon as I get one, and probably use Kelley's Korner all-purpose mix. I've already wrapped a little ball of sphagnum moss around the roots of the keiki and clipped it in place. I think if the roots grow, I'll remove the keiki but then pot it in with the larger plant, because I think it will look better with more canes. And I'm going to put it outside for the summer. I would love to hear from any of you about what you would do, or any comments you might have (except for "Why did you buy that, you idiot!")

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I wouldn't worry about that black spot unless it starts growing.

That's a basal growth in the second pic. I wouldn't really call that a keiki. Keikis usually grow on the upper portions of the canes. I really wouldn't use moss to cover the roots. It can get too wet and rot them out.

It's a good thing you decided to repot, the potting media did not look good from the photos you posted.

Overall, the plant's still got plenty of good roots to work with, it should bounce back quite easily.

Just grow in moderately bright indirect light.

[bil]

Whoever trimmed the roots and cut the cane was a butcher, plain and simple.

My immediate action on getting a new orchid is to repot it asap. I have no faith that the vendor will have potted it correctly, and looking at yours, I see media that bothers me badly.

What I do with dens is mount them, but if I were potting this I would use a pot that was about 8 inches wide, and only three, or 4 at the MOST inches deep. That's to allow the roots to breathe. You have a new shot coming, s it is doubly important that you repot soon so that te nnew rots from that grow into the new media and settle down.
D Nobiles are more thirsty than D phals, fr example, so I would make a rope of sphag moss around the outside of the pot, only about 1.5 inches diam, I would wash the old media off all the roots, but do not cut any roots, even if they are dead. Spread the roots out, stick the plant in the middle of the pot, and fill the pot with fine bark that has been sieved to remove fines, so that all the roots and the moss are covered. The plant will probably try and flop over, so put three rocks anound it to hold it upright till the new roots grow.

The wide shallow pot will give the roots plenty of space to grow, which will mean future growth will be more rampant.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Btw, these are keikis.

Photo #1 is a Dendrobium tangerinum keiki.

Photo #2 is a Dendrobium kingianum keiki.

[CJ Green]

Thanks! It's good to hear that about the black spot. The part that I think is a keiki is actually the cane with flowers on it. In the third picture, on the left is a cane that was cut off with a smaller cane growing out of it. At the bottom of that smaller cane are what look like short roots--I think they were trimmed. Those are what I covered with moss. But I can uncover if you think they'll grow alright without it.

[bil]

PS "if the roots grow, I'll remove the keiki"

If you do, harvest the whole cane, and don't remove the keiki from its parent cane.
I always find growth is better that way. I'd also stick it in another pot..

[CJ Green]

Interesting, thanks! So if you would harvest the whole cane, it sounds like I could just leave the keiki on the cane as is?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by CJ Green

Thanks! It's good to hear that about the black spot. The part that I think is a keiki is actually the cane with flowers on it. In the third picture, on the left is a cane that was cut off with a smaller cane growing out of it. At the bottom of that smaller cane are what look like short roots--I think they were trimmed. Those are what I covered with moss. But I can uncover if you think they'll grow alright without it.

Oh, ok. I didn't see that. Sorry. That is a keiki, (a large one).

I'd remove the moss and spray it wet until the roots turn green.

Let me look at it again to see if I should advise removing it or not.

---------- Post added at 08:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 AM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

PS "if the roots grow, I'll remove the keiki"

If you do, harvest the whole cane, and don't remove the keiki from its parent cane.
I always find growth is better that way. I'd also stick it in another pot..

What bil said is true on both accounts.

But I'll go into a little bit more detail. It won't be long though.

There are two ways to go about this keiki thing.

1) Remove the keiki itself.

2) Remove the cane with the keiki.

If you choose method #1, I think it'd be a difficult ride because of how short the roots are. I'd wait until enough roots grow longer to try this. I think the keiki is easily removable without cutters at this point. All you have to do is gently tug at it. If you find that the keiki comes off easily, it is ready to come off of the mother plant. If it is stubborn, leave it alone to grow further. At one point in time, it will come off easily.

If you choose method#2, make sure the cane supporting the keiki has roots itself! If the cane supporting the keiki does not have roots, leave it alone. If it does, you may use a pair of sterilized cutters and remove only that cane. from the base. You may then pot the entire plant up, and continue to grow until the mother cane dies. Once the mother cane dies, you can then harvest the keiki and continue to grow it this way. By this time, I think the keiki would have grown roots long enough to grow on its own.

[CJ Green]

Thank you--that all makes sense. I will see how the roots for that mother cane look when I repot the plant. I think it's going to be a nice challenge to see if I can get this plant into good shape!

[bil]

Originally Posted by CJ Green

Thank you--that all makes sense. I will see how the roots for that mother cane look when I repot the plant. I think it's going to be a nice challenge to see if I can get this plant into good shape!

Interesting. I harvest the cane by cutting off at medium level. So, I wouldn't do that till the keiki has some growing roots. For me, I don't expect the mother cane's rots to do much good once transplanted, I just treat it as a 'battery pack' to keep the keiki going.