more keiki questions

[fzzdk]

i believe the keiki on my sad, dying den is actually sending out a new pseudobulb? there was a little bump at the base which has elongated and gotten a bit pointy at the tip. i can't see it all that well because it's underneath the sheathing and i'm scared to pull the sheathing away in fear i might damage this new growth.

is it possible to have a keiki still attached halfway up a cane to start producing its own pseudobulb or is this a spike? should i separate the keiki at this point?

[tom499]

Could do with a picture, sounds quite complex.

the keikei is going to need some roots of at least 3inches long and a few leaves before it can grow nicely, try and make sure it has these before cutting the stem.

[fzzdk]

Originally Posted by tom499

Could do with a picture, sounds quite complex.

yeah... i figured a picture would be asked for since i'm at the office and can't take one :P

Originally Posted by tom499

the keikei is going to need some roots of at least 3inches long and a few leaves before it can grow nicely, try and make sure it has these before cutting the stem.

it has about 6 leaves, it's about 3 inches long. most of the roots are .5 to 1" long, there's one root that's burrowed into the mix and i have no idea how long it is.

[fzzdk]

since i can't take a picture, here's a quick sketch of what the growth looks like, as far as i can tell through the papery sheathing.

[fred]

I would say with the drawing you have posted it looks like a new groath.
I wonder if other members agree with me on that one.

[tom499]

yes that would be a new growth

if your keikei is that well developed i would suggest cutting the stem and planting it on its own.

[fzzdk]

Originally Posted by tom499

if your keikei is that well developed i would suggest cutting the stem and planting it on its own.

how do i go about removing it without damaging the roots? the roots are growing out every way from the base of the keiki and wrapping around the shriveled stalk of the older plant. do i cut the wrinkly stalk and sacrifice it to the new plant or do i need to somehow get a knife between the roots and the older plant?

[tom499]

you wanna cut the stem that holds the old plant to the keikei.

if the old plant is dead as you say, you may wanna just take it out its pot carefully, untangle the roots of the keikei and the old plant, then replant the keikei.

[fzzdk]

it's actually growing directly out of the psuedobulb of the parent plant, that's where my confusion is coming in.

old pictures can be found here (this is before the parent plant met its untimely end):
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/att...e-img_0048.jpg
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/att...e-img_0049.jpg
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/att...e-img_0051.jpg

the parent plant is in the mix too deeply when these were taken. the keiki is actually about halfway up the plant.

[tom499]

hmmm thats quite a problem indeed. you'd really have to hack up the old one to free the baby, and then you'll have a major wound to keep clean till it heals.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If you're sure the parent is a goner, I would cut the parents cane and leave the keiki on the cane. If there is any green quality in the parent cane, any food value for the keiki, you can leave as much of the parent cane as you can find room in a pot. Then you pot up the keiki with the parent cane burried in the pot, as it was before, putting the keiki's roots just into the mix. Make sure that the eyes on the base of the keiki are free to grow out of the mix. I have done this with a goodly part of the old cane sticking out of the bottom of the pot for a few months, and later just cut off the cane even with the bottom of the pot.

[jerrymeola]

I think the parent plant looks fine.

It is common for dens to grow keikis near the base of the plant, and while they can be removed, many commercial growers would just leave it and allow the roots to grow into the pot. (Den keikis have no value commercially, but fun for the hobbyist)

I have had den roots grow up a den 12 inches. Bare roots on dens are not a problem.

[fzzdk]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

I think the parent plant looks fine.

it did look fine. those pictures were taken about 2 months ago before it started turning really wrinkly, dropped all its leaves, and turned more yellow and orange than green. it was my first orchid and a rescue, and i fear i killed it with love (and by love, i mean water).

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

If you're sure the parent is a goner, I would cut the parents cane and leave the keiki on the cane. If there is any green quality in the parent cane, any food value for the keiki, you can leave as much of the parent cane as you can find room in a pot. Then you pot up the keiki with the parent cane burried in the pot, as it was before, putting the keiki's roots just into the mix. Make sure that the eyes on the base of the keiki are free to grow out of the mix. I have done this with a goodly part of the old cane sticking out of the bottom of the pot for a few months, and later just cut off the cane even with the bottom of the pot.

am i going to need to worry about the old cane rotting in the mix and taking my new plant out with it? i'm going to have to plant the old cane parallel with the bottom of the pot and completely under the mix to allow the new keiki growth to be on top of the bark (as it's come out of the bottom of the keiki, straight towards the bark). i haven't separated the keiki before now because i figured it was still getting nutrients from the old cane and didn't want to rip it off and risk it dying.