Dendrobium kingianum keiki care

[Edwin Reffell]

I planted a small keiki in a bark mixture last week. The roots are now green but all but one leaf have dropped off and the remaining one has gone white at the tip so I expect that leaf will also drop off. What can I do to get it to form new leaves and develop into a healthy orchid? I have it on a table in front of a sunny window facing south during the day and move it to my bedroom at night where it is cooler. Perhaps the place on the table is too hot and the sun we had until yesterday too strong. What temperature is best for an ailing keiki? If it is advisable I could put it out on my glazed balcony when it is the right temperature there and shade it from strong sunshine when we get it. Should I mist the leaf and if so how often? When should I water the bark? I have considered misting the bark every day as the roots do not reach the bottom of the pot. Would that help? Thank you for your kind help.

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[Bloomin_Aussie]

Sounds like it either got burned or is affected by mites.

[Edwin Reffell]

There are no mites that I can see. Will it die?

[calypsoB]

My experience has been that the keikis need more moisture than the adults. It may put out another shoot to help keep it alive.Good luck!

[silken]

I had good luck planting a number of kingianum keikis in moss and keeping it just damp. I grew them in intermediate temps and light until they grew good roots and some have new growths. This took about 6 to 9 months.

How much root did these keikis have when you planted them? I feel plain bark is not enough for them. Also bright south light is likely too much light. They likely don't need to be cooled at night either.

[Edwin Reffell]

It had very few, white, thin, dry roots which are green now. I shall move it to my sitting room which faces north and west and not move it. Also I shall mist the bark every day so that it is not dry at the top of the pot where the roots are. Does it harm the plant if you mist it too?

[silken]

A light misting on the plant early in the day should be OK. So long as it doesn't sit on the leaves for real long. Is there good air movement there?

You could add a bit of SuperThrive or seaweed to the water that you use to mist the bark and that would encourage root growth. I found mine slow to get going, but once they did they had awesome long multiple roots.

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[Edwin Reffell]

There is no air movement there but I air the flat every day by opening the balcony door and the doors to every room in the flat. The balcony door is open all day and night unless I go out but I close the other doors after 5-10 minutes of airing. If it would help I can leave the doors to the living room open all day too. Is there some special kind of seaweed that helps root development? If so what kind of shops sell it? I have never seen SuperThrive here. Is it a special kind of fertilizer or what does it contain that encourages orchid root growth?

[Bud]

I wait until the keikis of my plants develop long roots up to five inches in length and I just twist it off the mother plant. I use seedling mix and really care for it as a seedling until it is well developed and is used to my environment, then I incorporate it to the pot of the mother.
Seedlings need extra care than the adults.

[silken]

I agree with Bud that keikis and seedling orchids have slightly different requirements than mature plants.

I wouldn't worry about opening the doors extra or anything. Just don't leave plants sitting with wet leaves for long periods of time or fungal problems can arise. SuperThrive has vitamins and hormones that stimulate growth, including root growth. Seaweed (kelp) is often found in hydroponic stores and has hormones as well that really seem to help stimulate root growth in orchids. They are not plant food. You could get any rooting hormone but some are known to be a bit too strong for orchid roots and may cause more damage than good. Seaweed seems very benign in that way.