I just bought Den unicum with Keiki!

[philthy]

I just got this today and have wanted one for a long time. It arrived in bloom and has roots growing below the flowers. The place that I ordered it from said it should probably be watered every two days because it is in a very small pot. Keiki roots lightly misted. They also said to remove keiki once the flowers are done. I have read that these don't require much water in the winter and they are quick to rot. Does this sound right?

[vanda_obsession]

VERY pretty! love the colors!

where did you get that beauty from?

[edgy]

Nice one Philthy!

[linda01]

So those roots are the baby and after it's done flowereing, you remove the baby and pot it? How pretty and interesting !

[trinigirl]

It's a beautiful color, and the bloom looks big in comparison to the size of the plant. Good buy!

[-k-]

It sure is a beauty!
From my understanding they should be kept evenly moist and do not require a period of rest.

[heatherm]

I do not know what is the correct thing to do in this case, but it is a lovely plant and bloom. I think the keiki can stay until you find out what the conditions the plant really likes.

Heather

[orchids4me]

Its gorgeous Philthy!
I'm really happy to see one thriving in a pot I've only ever seen these mounted. And was wondering if they did well potted.
Thanks for sharing it
Emmaye

[katrina]

I have an unicum and yes, they need some dry time in the Winter.

Natural habitat consists of dry and wet seasons. Give it lots of water...LOTS...from mid-late Spring through until Autumn. I try to never let mine dry out during this time. In the Autumn begin reducing the water but don't let it get too dry between watering until late Winter. At that time, give it a 2 month (or thereabout) complete dry rest.

In it's natural habitat there is so little moisture during the late Winter/early Spring that even dew is uncommon.

Because I grow under T5's which tend to be extremely drying...with this type of dry rest orchid I will cut off water and watch the pbulbs. If they begin to shrivel too much, I will lightly drizzle just a little water around the edges of the pot and/or let it sit in just a teeny bit of water from time to time. You may not see the same drying/shrivel if you grow in an environment that is less drying and/or contains more humidity.

During this 2 month period (or around 2 months), they are very prone to root rot so be careful. Better to have them go a little wrinkled than to risk the roots.

Hope that helps.

[philthy]

Thanks Katrina! The lady that I spoke to said that it should probably need to be watered every two days right now. Since it has a flower on it now, does that mean that the dry rest period is over? Would you recommend misting the roots on the keiki? Also, the cane next to the flowering cane looks like it has the potential to bloom. If it didn't bloom this season, is it possible that it would next?

[-k-]

That's interesting, I also own one of these, got it a few months ago; I recently spoke to someone at our last orchid society meeting who also grows these without winter rest??? Now I am a bit confused!!!

[katrina]

Ok, disregard my dry rest advice. I looked at your pics again and you do have some immature growths there. I would go ahead and water it but allow it to dry just a little between the waterings. If you start to see any trouble, check the roots.

This plant comes from an area that has distinct wet and dry season w/transition periods in between...so, like my others of this kind...I do my best to mimic those conditions. In nature though, the newest growths would be mature going into the Winter so w/yours I'd do a little watering for fear of losing the new growths. And then I'd hope it would get organized properly w/my seasons so I could do the whole dry rest thing next Winter.

Some of these dry rest dens can refuse to bloom w/out the proper rest. I have a couple right now that because I can't give them the proper cool down (and/or temp differential from day to night) w/that dry period...I might never see blooms.


-K- Hmmm...that is interesting. Do you know how they are growing it? Mounted? Potted? Lights? Any other details?

[philthy]

I was just thinking about that earlier as well, they are being grown in Seattle and their winter was intense this year. I'm assuming that they grow indoors since there is not consistent sun shine there. It appears that they grow them in small pots with large bark considering the size of plant. Since I live in Southern California and grow indoor, I'm sure there will be some shock in it's new home. I do keep all my orchids on moisture trays and the grow area stays between 50%-60% humidity. seattleorchids dot com is their website

[-k-]

Originally Posted by katrina

-K- Hmmm...that is interesting. Do you know how they are growing it? Mounted? Potted? Lights? Any other details?

They grow them mounted the same as mine, which currently has some small growths that show no signs of distress and no signs of slowing down growth. For that reason I've been watering every few days to keep evenly moist, not too soggy and not too dry. It's a small little plant and since I only recieved it a few months back I don't expect blooms for another year (if I can keep it happy)
Seems I've a bit more to consider regarding the proper culture for this one, I thank you and appreciate your insight I want to make sure I do right by this little guy so I can get some beautiful blooms like philthy has displayed!

Sorry philthy, didn't mean to hijack your thread!

[katrina]

Mounting does make a big difference vs being in a pot. Even mounted, I would reduce the watering vs it's active growth period due to the propensity toward root issues.

I have a couple of "winter rest" plants that are mounted and I do water a little bit but the way I do it is I think "dew". I give it a little bit of "dew" every few days or so. Keeping it on the dry side but not totally dehydrated. At the same time I watch for too much shrivel...a little is acceptable to me but too much and I feel I'm setting the plant back.