Is this a Spike a Keiki or Other, on my hardcane Den?

[RosieC]

Ok, so my Dendrobium (phalaenopsis type) is growing something and I don't know what it is.

I've never re-bloomed a Den, so it could be a spike for all I know, but it doesn't look like I would expect for that.

I bought this Den just over a year ago in flower, then at Christmas I noticed the start of a new cane (shown in the first pic).



This has grown all year and is now about twice the height of the original cane which has been pushed to a sideways angle as this new one grew.

It had stopped growing and seemed to have terminated.

About a month ago I put it outside in the sun-shine for the afternoon (being careful that it was not burning). I had heard from Hedge that her's had done well and spiked with outside sunshine here in the UK and while I thought it was too late to get flowers I decided to give it more light when I could.

A week or so later I noticed the start of a tiny new growth. Since then it has gone outside on a couple of sunny days including this afternoon.

This growth is noticably extending...

So any idea what it is?

[Baz in Oz]

Flower spike!

Baz

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Baz in Oz

Flower spike!

What color are the blooms supposed to be?

[RosieC]

A flower spike...

I was not sure because of the sort of ridges accross it. I really hope that's what it is because it's really pretty.

It's a Dendrobium Polar Fire, but while that's quite common on UK websites it's not a registered name.

Anyway, here is the pic from last year.

[camille1585]

You had that one as an avatar for a long time I remember! At least I THINK it's a spike. I have one Den phal, but it's a mini so I don't see as much detail as you. The spike is miniscule when it appears.

[RosieC]

Yeah, that pic was my avatar for a while.

I hoped it was a spike. We shall see, it should become more clear as it grows.

If it is, then it seems the day in the sun triggered it. It was a very hot day and I had to keep moving it backwards and forwards between the sun and the shade to avoid burning it. I kept testing the leaves to see if they felt at all warm and moved it to shade at the slightest sign of warmth. I avoided sunburn, and if I did manage to trigger a spike that will be even better.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Yeah, that pic was my avatar for a while.

I hoped it was a spike. We shall see, it should become more clear as it grows.

If it is, then it seems the day in the sun triggered it. It was a very hot day and I had to keep moving it backwards and forwards between the sun and the shade to avoid burning it. I kept testing the leaves to see if they felt at all warm and moved it to shade at the slightest sign of warmth. I avoided sunburn, and if I did manage to trigger a spike that will be even better.

Rosie, I'm pretty sure you have a spike. I recently had a dendrobium behave the same way with a growth that started out keiki which eventually evolved into a spike. For a while I called the growth a speiki. It was the lavender Dendrobium mishap (broken cane) that you recently commented on.

[Blueszz]

Rosie, I rebloomed several of these Den's this year. I grow them indoors year round. As I'm in NL and you are in the UK, we have about the same light.
Mine got during the summer sun thru a South faced window until about 1 pm. They were about 40 cam away from the window and the sun hitted them from an angle. On of the Den's I kept more in the shade as late March it got burned by sun.
Currently all my Phal. type Den's are *in* the windowsill from my South faced window and take full sun since two weeks. OK, not exactly true, one is in flower and spiking at the same time and I keep that one a bit more back from the window to make sure the flowering cane is in the shade. Another Den is even double spiking from the same cane.
The one that I didn't give as much light as the others didn't flower and I hope it will decide to put out a spike for me now it gets plenty of light.

The one that is double spiking has a growth on an older cane that might be a keiki. I'm not sure yet. It's much fatter than the spikes on this years cane.

As far as I can tell from your pictures your plant is growing a spike. I notice much better growth from spikes when the plants get sun *plus* the warmth from the sun.

I would say, give them plenty of morning sun next year but watch out for sunburn from about half March.

Nicole

[RosieC]

Well I'm now pretty sure that it's a spike

Just hope it will fully develop and flower now that the temps have significantly dropped here.

[quiltergal]

Yea! Nice growing Rosie!! That's a really pretty Den. Haven't seen one like that here in the US. Can't wait for pictures. I think your spike will be longer and have more flowers than the last time it flowered. The size and vigor of the plant is significantly better looking, so you should have a better show!