Old dendrobium canes

[Call_Me_Bob]

Can you propagate with old dendrobium phalaenopsis canes? They are still alive, but they have no leaves and aren't as tall as the other ones. I think i read somewhere that you could divide and they would make keiki or something.

Thank
Bob

[orchidsamore]

Without leaves there is nothing to produce food for the plant. Old canes have a little value for a growing plant but if removed it will die.

[Call_Me_Bob]

I saw some where someone divided the plant and one division was only old canes. And then a while later there were keikis coming from the old canes

[WhiteRabbit]

Yeah I have heard that people have propagated old canes, but might be different type of Dens - nobile, or dendrobium maybe.
But I also know it's possible to propagate old leafless backbulbs of other types of orchids - Cyms being relatively easy, while others may be more hit and miss.

But unless a plant is pretty good sized, it might be better to leave them on the plant for now.

[johnblagg]

Originally Posted by orchidsamore

Without leaves there is nothing to produce food for the plant. Old canes have a little value for a growing plant but if removed it will die.

Not quite right on this ....Old canes while having no leaves are still a store of food the plant can use untill they are very shriveled and positivly dying.


While they dont have leaves they still have the capability in lots of types of dens to produce kekies or even a new cane from the base sometimes..I myself sometimes clip them off above the base and lay them lenghtwise on a pot of medium and get kekies once in a while.

[Call_Me_Bob]

thats cool, i dont think ill be doing anything with them anytime soon, i was merely curious, thanks guys =]=]

[wevans]

I have a den thats a pretty established large plant that has 2 old canes on it. I would really love to get another plant off this den. This plant is kinda mean as to my knowledge had never produced a keiki off the old canes. It just continues to send up new canes.
Can someone advise me on the correct cutting of the old cane, what medium and light requirements I would need to successfully produce roots or keikis.

[stefpix]

you could try in a ziplock bag spray it a bit with water once ina while and some fungicide. high humidity some light. open and air the bag every day or so...

[Rosiefuture]

Hi, I have lots of dens and have had success in getting new plants from old canes. When I've been repotting I often put a few old canes into a pot on their own. If they have good roots and aren't dried up they will often send up new canes.

I have also produces keikis from sections cut from old canes. I cut sections from the canes so that they had two nodes on each. I lined a clear plastic candie box with spagnum moss and lightly sprayed it with water. I then layed the cane section out on the moss and pressed them down slightly. Then I just put the lid on and placed the box on my window sill but not in direct sun. I checked them every week or so and some of them did die off but several of them put out keikis after a month or so. I potted these up and they are still growing happily.

To my mind hard cane dens seem very ready to propagate from old canes.

Marion

[Call_Me_Bob]

good to know