Dendrobium Nobile keikis not putting out roots?
 

Hi, I have a pretty big dendrobium nobile which i bought with 3 canes -- one flowering, one a new growth and the third covered in keikis (around a dozen). I've had it around 6 weeks now, and the keikis are getting pretty big (the largest ones are around 20cm) -- but none of them have thrown out any roots. Is this normal? most of the pictures i've found of D. Nobile keikis have roots at a much smaller size, as did my other, smaller D. Nobile when it produced a keiki last year...

Any help much appreciated, cheers :)

Can't say why, but I do have a Den Nobile that has some keikis with roots, and some the same size with none, just like yours.

What I have notice with my Nobile Dens. is that the ones with keikis that have no roots for a while, as the mother cane starts to shrivel a little, then the keikis start to put out roots. If the mother cane is plum they take more time to develop roots. This is more true of my Den. Nobile-Violer Fizz 'Luna' And Den. Nobile-Victory Moon 'Athena'.

The interesting things is that both of this are from Akatsuta Orchids, the ones with the keikis that put roots at an early stage are from Yamamoto.

They can take up to a year to develop roots.

Removing Nobile keiki requires a different technique. Do not try to cut the keiki off the stem with the roots. It has less chance of success.

You cut the original cane with one inch of cane above and below the keiki. bury the cane piece with the roots. The keiki will feed off the cut cane piece and be stronger for it.

That old cane will not flower again so cutting it will not cost you any flowers. Othe bare canes without keiki will continue to flower, but not canes with keiki.

I bought a Dendrobium parishii keiki and that was how mine came, still connected to the old cane. I just potted the whole thing up and it's doing great. The old cane stabilizes the new plant too.

Ah, I have been cutting mine off, but having said that, I haven't lost any yet. Mind you, your way does sound better.

Give it some time. It will eventually send out some roots if it wants to live.

There is no relationship between the condition of the mother cane and the willingness of the keikis to develop roots of its own.

I have a whole bunch of keikis on one of my nobile hybrid (which is strange because I never get keikis and I don't want them!!!), three of them started their own roots very early one while one or two are still rootless and they are already mature with fat canes of their own.
All their mother canes are as fat as can be! Go figure! lol

Thanks everyone, I guess patience is, like so often, the key here. Might as well put the kettle on, then. :lol:

Umm... think I have to disagree here -- both larger canes of this plant just flowered again -- one of them after I'd separated the keikis (they're doing fine, by the way), and the other still with keikis attached.

Yep, surprised me, too. :scratchhead:

I don't know much about these but good for you. I was thinking they bloomed on old canes. But dunno.