Den. Nobile - Buds to flowers or to keikies

[pychou77]

It's known that winter rest with reduced watering/fertilizer, large day-night temperature difference, and sunlight are needed to get some orchids to bloom.

But now I have a Den. Nobile (NoID) with two canes putting out buds a few months ago, and then strange things happened. On the older cane, all the buds bloomed, while all buds on the younger cane turned into kiekies.

Since both canes get the same "treatment", there must be some other factors determine how buds develop.

Does anyone have an explanation for that? TIA

BTW, I was able to get other divisions of the same orchid to bloom easily without winter rest. This particular plant was given to a friend two years ago and returned to be rescued (from "sunburn"). At that time the new cane just started to come out.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

This was one article I found about Dendrobium nobile hybrids, but it may not answer your question(s) directly:

Deferring flowering of nobile dendrobium hybrids by holding plants under low temperature after vernalization - ScienceDirect

This is another one, again, it may not answer your question(s) directly that is easily understood in laymen's language:

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Vernalization- and Cytokinin-Induced Floral Transition in Dendrobium nobile | Scientific Reports

[Roberta]

It is possible that the new cane was responding to the stress of "toasting" and so did the keikis. If you leave them on the plant, the keikis may bloom too, making an even better performance. I wouldn't worry about it...

[pychou77]

Thanks for the info and comments.

Propagation through seeds (flowering) to get to a better location is how many orchids response to stress (e.g., from poor growing environment). In favorable growing environment, orchids have a better chance to propagate through keikies.

(I wouldn't get too excited when an orchid in poor condition starts to put out flowering buds. Usually, it's time to check for things like root rotting.)

So, the old cane, which had experienced sunburn, produced flowers, and the new cane experienced only TLC produced keikies.

However, the behavior of the old cane suggests that orchid might have a "Brain" or at least some memory of bad experience that's not erased even after the same TLC received by the new cane.

Just when I thought that it's unusual, things even more bizarre are happening.. .

Apparently, the old cane might have a change of heart, and one of the flowering node starts to grow roots! (See first photo.)

And that's not all.. . One of the keikies on the new cane seems to have a flowering bud coming out. (See the last two photos. A bud on the second node of the keikie.)

I don't have an explanation for those behaviors, but it seems to be an orchid confused by the drastic change in caring it received. On the other hand, some creatures in the animal kingdom are capable of changing sex, depending on the environment.. .

[pychou77]

Yeah! One of the young keikies is in FULL bloom!

Buds on one cane all bloomed while all buds on the other cane developed into keikies, I thought, was unusual. Now one of the keiki is in FULL bloom.. .

So, did I break the world record of cultivating a keiki to bloom at such young age?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It is known to happen.

Dendrobium kingianum has been known to have keikis bloom even while the keikis are still on the mother plant.

[pychou77]

Darn!.. .but thanks for the info.. . But wouldn't it be a world record to have all buds on one cane to bloom and buds on one cane to grow into keikies and then bloom?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

It is known to happen.

Dendrobium kingianum has been known to have keikis bloom even while the keikis are still on the mother plant.

Happens quite frequently for me. I tend to leave keikis attached, they bloom and make a very nice display. (For both D. nobile and D. kingianaum)

[pychou77]

Thanks for the comment. Now here is a question that I really like to know the answer.

This particular Den. Nobile blooms easily (kept at 53-65F in winter some sunlight), but my other Den. Nobile (Red Empress) produced nothing but keikies with same treatment. I have tried reducing water/fertilizer this past winter, but same result.

I have seen pictures of those Den. Nobile (Red Empress) in bloom, and the canes all seem dehydrated. Does that mean the water need to be cut till the canes look like that? TIA

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Check the roots.