Dendrobium anosmum

[ohanahana]

[Hawaiian Sunshine]

Originally Posted by Nokomis.FL

My anosmum has 3 old canes covered in keikis. What's the best thing to do with these, pot them individually or put them all into a large community pot? There's probably about 20 of them.

TIA.

If the keikis have roots and are at least 2 inches long, I would plant them individually. I plant my keikis using New Zealand sphagnum in a 2-inch clay pot. If you have some time, take a look at a slide show that I made of Den. anosmum (called honohono in Hawaii). The slide show is 8 minutes long. Here is the link:

Photodex - Online Content Sharing - View Content

[ohanahana]

hawaiian sunshine! THANK YOU for the fantastic education!!! i left my old canes on--should i leave them for now or cut them? there's a tiny keikei on one of them now...

[Hawaiian Sunshine]

Originally Posted by ohanahana

hawaiian sunshine! THANK YOU for the fantastic education!!! i left my old canes on--should i leave them for now or cut them? there's a tiny keikei on one of them now...

As shown on the slide show, I usually cut the old canes when the new growth is about 2-3 inches long on the plant. I store the old canes on a tray and give them water and sunlight until new keikis appear.

[ohanahana]

i can't believe i didn't mention that my "new" canes are about 24" long. no new growth except for a keikei on one of the old ones. i was wondering whether it was too late to cut off the old ones--sorry!

[Hawaiian Sunshine]

Originally Posted by ohanahana

i can't believe i didn't mention that my "new" canes are about 24" long. no new growth except for a keikei on one of the old ones. i was wondering whether it was too late to cut off the old ones--sorry!

Although there is no harm in keeping the old canes on the plant, I would remove them for aesthetic purposes. It is not too late to cut off the old canes. The canes may not produce as many keikis if you had done it earlier.

[isurus79]

I actually chop all my keikis off (leaving the canes intact) right as they get their first root buds. I then plant them in the same pot as the parent. It'll give you a specimen plant a little more quickly, if that's your thing.

[ohanahana]

thank you hawaiian sunshine~~! i ordered some dolomite and nutracote--can't wait

Originally Posted by isurus79

I actually chop all my keikis off (leaving the canes intact) right as they get their first root buds. I then plant them in the same pot as the parent. It'll give you a specimen plant a little more quickly, if that's your thing.

steve--why do you leave the old canes on instead of cutting them off--is it to grow keikis? why can't the keikis stay on the old canes and just grow into a really massive plant? a specimen plant would be my thing!! your orchid photos are beautiful by the way

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by ohanahana

steve--why do you leave the old canes on instead of cutting them off--is it to grow keikis? why can't the keikis stay on the old canes and just grow into a really massive plant? a specimen plant would be my thing!! your orchid photos are beautiful by the way

I leave the old canes because they provide energy for the plant. Old canes are like fat on a grizzly bear (or any other animal that hibernates) in that it keeps the plant going during the dormancy period and provides energy for new growth. Remember, keikis grow naturally on a plant that hangs down over tree trunks and branches. They attach to the tree and branches and form new plants (actually, clones of the parent). When we grow them in captivity, we can't recreate this scenario, so if you let the keikis grow, your parent plant will probably become an unwieldy tangle of canes and roots pretty quickly!!

FYI, This is just my personal preference and cutting off old canes to create new keikis is very common practice for these types of Dends. Mel (Hawaiian Sunshine) is a very accomplished grower and please don't think that I am trying to take anything away from what he has said previously! I'm just offering another perspective on what to do with keikis! Good luck and do be sure to post pics!!

[ohanahana]

steve--thank you so much for your help--i appreciate differing methods and am still considering yours and hawaiian sunshine's--THANK YOU!! and i will post pics as soon as they bloom--please bloom....