Dendrobium Tobaense - spike or keiki?

[Mochaboy]

I'm still fairly new to orchid growing, but my wife and I have built up a nice collection of 7 babies.

I bought this Dendrobium Tobaense for her for christmas, and after 4 comfortable months of growing, I happened to see this bud appear near the top of the cane



And a close up:


I'm not sure what we're seeing. Searching through google, the only reference I found to the general location of spikes was "at the axial point of the leaves" which this clearly is not.

After about a month of doing nothing - today was the first day I saw it crack open. Don't want to get my hopes up, but I was hoping a more seasoned den. tob. grower could key us in on what we're seeing

blog post HERE

Thanks in advance!

[RosieC]

Hi and welcome to Orchid Board.

I'm afraid I'm not sure, apart from the hairs it reminds me of something one of my Dens is growing just now though. I'm pretty sure mine is a spike as the last spike started off similar.

While there is no leaf at this point it does look like there is a node of some sort which might have had a leaf in the past.

It'll be exciting to watch it and find out what it turns in to... keep us updated

[Mochaboy]

Much obliged Rosie. We've got a pretty robust macro photography setup so rest assured...there will be more photos.

I never thought watching plants grow could be so exciting!

[calvin_orchidL]

Definitely a spike!! Congrats...in my (limited) experience with the formosae/nigrohirsutes, they don't form keikis that far up a cane unless stressed somehow, although don't take my word for it. You can see the bud beneath the sheath now...and you will LOVE this flower. I got my tobaense to bloom for the first time just a few weeks ago and I stare at it every day.

Care to share your growing conditions? Light/temps/potting material/watering? I'm still trying to get the hang of this one, and yours looks quite robust!

[Mochaboy]

Calvin,

I just a got a pleasant chill up my spine reading your comment. If what you say is true - we're going to get an early christmas present. I knew it wasn't blooming time, but I didn't think we'd get activity this soon (fingers crossed).

I'll get photos of the setup, plus I have more photos on the home computer that I will post, but here are the particulars to answer your question:

* On a drawer by a *north facing window, our entire collection gets nothing but 100% reflected light since that's all we have available in our apt in nyc
* we supplement that light with a compact fluourescent that extends the photosynthetic period to about 14-16 hours out of the day. I'd guesstimate we pump about 7-10k foot candles on any given day depending on cloud cover
* temperature ranges from 70-80 degrees
* humidity level between 45 and 60 RH. We have a humidifier going almost 24 x 7 in this growing area
* we have a nearby window open to provide some airflow, but this is something we're looking to improve
* we've been feeding a diluted mixture of miracle gro (orchid club said it didn't matter what we used, just use something, use it often, but in little amounts)
* water about every 5-6 days...we soak the medium for about 4-5 minutes in a pot of water
* growing medium is basic orchid bark (I will check the bag and get the exact mix)...we repotted the orchid immediately after we received it...
* since we started on the fert regimen, the roots have been going absolutely bonkers. The roots are even growing roots and the more roots there are the more nutrients this puppy can suck in
* we did have an episode about 3 days ago. We detected what we think were virus damage on 3 of the leaves...so the leaves had to be amputated <cry>...patted the wounds with some cinnamon and we haven't seen any further degradation.

More pics as soon as I can get them exported...and thank you so much for the pre-confirmation Calvin - we're keeping our fingers crossed!

[Mochaboy]

Got some more photos for the developments on day 2:

You can follow along on my blog here:

vineur.com



And a close up


I'm seeing 3 distinct structures emerging, but I still have my fingers crossed!

[shadytrake]

This one is on my want list. Can you tell me where you purchased it?

[Mochaboy]

We bought the den from these guys:

Orchid Web: Dendrobium tobaense $35

I'm pretty sure I've seen them cheaper...one note of caution, it's tough to buy blind, and one of the things we had to do immediately was replace the growing medium they sent it in with some fresh orchid bark. They responded pretty well to the change, but there was some root damage that we had to tend to.

Looking back, buying blind's a bit of a crapshoot and given the opportunity we'll select from available stock in the future rather than leaving it up to chance. Although, increasingly I've been seeing orchid growers on ebay post photos of the ACTUAL plants they're selling, so that's pretty helpful.

Wherever possible, look up a orchid shows in your area (New York Botanical, and Longwood Gardens) - hell we just had two here which was what prompted the 4 latest additions to our little family.

Collectively, the wife and I took over 600 photos from both shows, and we're still editing them down...(will get those online hopefully soon).

Oh and Calvin...this our humble growing area:


Nothing fancy at all, but we try to make it work

[calvin_orchidL]

You have great intuition - being able to see the plant and the status of it's health is *key*, which many people miss. I recently got another tobaense from another vendor, and it was not in very good condition at all. This is not an easy orchid to grow (according to most people I've spoken to at least) and it's worth investing in a healthy plant.

I'm very excited for you! The bud takes quite a while to develop once out of sheath, but when it opens you'll be in for a treat.

You have excellent macro photography, by the way! What do you shoot with?

[shadytrake]

Thanks. That is where I saw it too. I haven't purchased from them before so was curious as to your plant condition.

I've been hoping that it will show up at one of my regular vendors so I can purchase a group of TCs to save a little on shipping.

I see there is a flask available online but I have too many flasks on reserve at Troys right now. Don't need to add another. Plus the flask is $50 and the yield is estimated at 5 plants. That's pretty small.

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get one. I haven't purchased an orchid all winter. It is time.

By the way, is that an Epidendrum Hokulea in your window? It looks just like mine and mine is blooming right now too.

Here is a pic of my shadehouse at the beginning of winter when we just closed it up for winter. Now I have a bunch of orchids spiking and blooming.

GH Pics - Orchid Board Galleries