Pls Help, I Broke My Orchid!!!

[lilsoy]

Hello, i am new to the forum and was trying to take pictures of my miniature dendobium leaves for help on a potential pest. But while taking pictures, i accidentally bumped my orchid and broke the stem/cane!! I just snapped off and it is one of the plumpest most healthy stems on my plant (there are several)!

=(

is there anything i can do to save it? Will my entire plant die now?

[Orchidflowerchild]

Where along the rhizome was the cane that broke? I'd suggest dusting the broken area on the main plant with a little cinnamon to avoid rot or fungal infection, but no, your plant should be fine, overall. Just think about what the plants go through in nature.... They are far tougher than people give them credit for.

-Cj

[lilsoy]

i broke it just at the bottom near the roots... should i throw the broken stem away? or is there any way to reconnect or revive it? =(

feeling very clumsy now...

[orchid_girl]

Welcome to the forum! I don't think by breaking off the stem that it will kill the plant. I am pretty sure though that stem is done for, as you said though you do have other stems on the plant so you should be ok for the blooming. The stems are just for the flowers. More or less an off shoot of the plant for it to bloom. I am sure someone else here can probably give more info about it though.

[Orchidflowerchild]

Depending on the type of dendrobium, you may be able to lay the cane on a bed of moist sphagnum and it may produce a keiki (baby plant) from a node along the cane.

-Cj

[lilsoy]

Please see attched the broken stem... no way to save it, right?

[lilsoy]

oh, thanks orchidflower child! form the picture, are you able to tell if i might be able to save my stem for a keikis?

[lilsoy]

sorry, also could you tell me what a moist sphagnum is?

[Orchidflowerchild]

I'd say you do indeed have a cane-type den, so it should be able to make a keiki from a cutting. Get some orchid moss (long fiber chilean or sommat sphagnum moss). You should be able to find some at home depot or the like. Just soak it in water and then squeeze a handfull so it is just moist, then put that in the bottom of a platic bag, with the cane sitting on top of the moss. Inflate the bag and be sure to open an reinflate it every couple days or so and keep the moss just moist, not wet.

As for the main plant, what is it growing in? Orchids, generally, should not be grown in soil or soil-like mixes, as they need to dry out at the roots, for the most part. Dendrobiums are epiphytes (meaning they grow on trees...air plants) so they like air at the roots. AOS Culture Sheet for Dendrobiums

Check out the culture sheet for general care tips.

Happy growing!

-Cj

[lilsoy]

THANKS CJ!

Just this morning I bought some moss, as I originally thought I might be able to separate my keikis today (although after reading the forum, i think my keikis is still too young and was planning to save the moss for another time)

I think my orchid is growing on some bark or wood as there is a piece of wood sticking out of the pot right near the root of cane i just broke off. There are also some little sticks near the base of the plant and little bits of moss. Is that an ok mix? I was thinking of repotting my orchid before i broke it. If i do repot it, should i use a different mix?

Thanks again for your help and i will try to see if i can regrow my broken orchid and let you know how it goes!

[Orchidflowerchild]

The thing about potting mix is that it all depends on your conditions. I highly recommend having a bag of bambo grilling skewers handy, so you can indert one into the middle of the pot and take it out every day to see how quickly things are drying out in the root mass.

THere really are very few hard and fast rules about orchids, if any. You just have to get all the factors balanced out.

-Cj

[fred]

Hi lilsoy
welcome to the forum
I hope that you enjoy your stay here with us
you will recive some good knowledge here with the members and also within the forum.
Could you also go into your user settings and update your Profile with your Location that will help us to give you the right advice as we are members from all over the globe with different growing conditions.

link for the skewer method
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html

[lilsoy]

sure, i will do that now. i currently live in hong kong and do not run the air conditioner when i am not home so it is relatively hot and humid in my home most of the time. when i am home, i usually run the air conditioner at 24 degrees Celsius