Den Baby Cane not doing good...

[chrono]

I lost one new baby cane to rot, so I stopped misting and sprinkling water from the top of the pot. I also stopped fertilizing.

Now, another baby cane is not looking too good. It's about 1 inch big but seemed to stop growing and the newest leaf is turning black.

The 3rd baby cane has also stopped growing and remained a bump for several weeks now.

What am I doing wrong? The mother canes are all solid, and still have all their leaves (4 to 6 leaves each). Please help me. I am so devastated think that I will be loosing these 2 baby canes too.

[fred]

chrono

sounds like it to me that the new growths recived to much water

if the young growths get to much water they will rot and turn black.

It just might pay to remove the rotten growths.

can you post a pic so we can see ?

[chrono]

Sorry, no digicam. All my previous photos were taken on 35mm film.

So, contrary to the fact that young plants need more water, the baby dendrobiums need less water? I was told that my baby cattleya and oncidiums are water hogs.

I will remove the rotted (black) leaf. Will the rot spread/continue? Is it too late even if I cut down the watering schedule?

[kmarch]

I'm with Fred, snip off the black leaf and sprinkle with cinnamon, stop the misting and increase air flow (perhaps with a small fan), but do continue normal watering. Does the plant get cold at night? If so move it to a warmer location and make sure the growths or leaves are never wet at night (in other words only water in the morning).

[chrono]

I never misted this new cane so I don't understand why it is rotting. All watering (by dunk and soak method) is done in the mornings 1x a week only. Night temps run about 72 to 75 degrees C.

[kmarch]

Have you treated with something like Physan?

[chrono]

What's Physan?
Where do I get it?
How do I use it?
What's its purpose?

[kmarch]

Physan (the name it's sold under in the US) is a disinfectant that is often used with orchids. It kills fungi and bacteria, both of which can cause rot. A plant may be sprayed with it for leaf rot, soaked in it when repotting to reduce the possibility of root rot after repotting, or even watered with it. It is usually bought concentrated and diluted for use.

[chrono]

Is this available at the big stores like Home Depot?

[kmarch]

Give them a call or stop by next time you go by one.

[chrono]

Thanks.

Also, is my night temps too cold for the dens?
Should I also treat my other orchids near the den with Physan?

[kmarch]

I dont' know what your night time temps are. In an earlier post you mentioned 72-75C which is about 160F so I think something got confused there. Also it owuld be helpful to know what part of the world you're in.

It sounds like you could use a few good culture sheets too. Go to www.aos.org and download cuturesheets for the plants you have.

I should clear up a point of confusion regarding "baby" orchids. There are seedlings, very young orchids, only a copule of years old. Seedlings generally do benefit from a little more moisture than adults of the same type. But a new tiny growth on a mature plant (which is what I think you are describing) is not a seedling. It is a new growth on a mature plant and mature plant culture is what should be given.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by kmarch

I should clear up a point of confusion regarding "baby" orchids. There are seedlings, very young orchids, only a copule of years old. Seedlings generally do benefit from a little more moisture than adults of the same type. But a new tiny growth on a mature plant (which is what I think you are describing) is not a seedling. It is a new growth on a mature plant and mature plant culture is what should be given.

So Kevin, are keikis, baby orchids and not seedlings?

[kmarch]

sandra, a "baby orchid" is a seedling. I'm not fond of the term "baby orchid." I'd rather use orchid terminology as (as we have seen) coloquialisms can lead to confusion. But anyway (enough about my issues), if a keiki was small, I would not remove it from the mother plant and I would continue to give the mother plant mature plant care. If the keiki was mature enough to remove, I would remove it and treat it as a mature plant. It may not yet be blooming size, but even so that's how I'd handle its care.

I have noticed that keikis usually seem more advanced than seedlings of the exact same age. I have keikis on my Den fimbriatum, less than a year old that are significantly larger than a 1-year old seedling. So keikis seem to be an exception to the rule whichis why I think I'd treat a keiki, one mature enough to remove, like a mature plant.

Does that make sense? I did a bit of thinking out loud there.

[sandra]

OK Kevin, thinking out loud here myself.....

....so, a keiki is a keiki ....is a baby orchid?.....when it's still attached to the mother plant and a seedling which was once a keiki is the same thing only unattched, unless it was grown in flask and then it's a baby orchid that was never a keiki? Have I confused you?

Say that fast 3 times.....

[kmarch]

I'm afraid your last post horribly confused me so I'll just start from scratch:

A keiki is a small plantlet that grows off a mature plant. Here are some pics of keikis:

Epidendrum keiki
Phal keiki
Dendrobium keiki

A seedling is a small plant grown from seed.

Both are immature and sometimes called "baby orchids" but they are different and I would care for them differently. thisis why I don't like clling them "baby orchids" because you never know which is being spoken of, keikis or seedlings.

[chrono]

Oh dear. I had a typo with regards to the night temperatures. I meant 72 deg F.

Okay, to use the new terminology I learned today - I have a new growth off a mature cane. Is there a shorter term than all these words for it?

[kmarch]

If you just said "I have a new growth" people would know probably what you're talking about. I find, especially when giving customized cultural advice as in a case such as yours, it always helps to be very specific.