Den Keiki question

[heatherbear10]

I've got a noid den that I picked up about a year ago at the local grower's market for $5. It hasn't done anything in that year, and I was thinking it was pretty much dead, as it just has 3 bare stalks, but in the past few weeks it's put out a Keiki about 12-18 inches up on one of the bare stalks (nearly at the far end of the stalk).

Question is: Should I chuck the mother plant once the Keiki is ready to be potted up? Stalks are just looking worse and worse, shriveling and yellowish/brown but the keiki is growing like crazy, 1-2" roots in just a week or so. Maybe the mother plant will shoot up some buds? Doesn't look like it, but you can never be sure!

Thanks all!

[Tobi]

Hi HeatherBear,
The exact same thing happened to me when I was first growing orchids. I had
a Den. NOID that was shooting out keikis like crazy. This usually happens when
your Den. is not getting proper culture care. (Too much water and/or improper light conditions).
If you want to remove the Keiki, wait until the roots are a least 2-3 inches
long. Check the culture sheet on Dens. because the mother plant can come
back and produce new growth and flower with proper care.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If the Den has not produced a growth at the base by now, it may not have any eyes left at the base. You have several options:

1. leave the keiki on the parent plant until it has some roots (especially if the parent has roots), then:
a. remove the keiki and pot up.
b. cut the cane below the keiki to a length that will allow for the bottom of the cane to be burried in the potting mix.
c. cut the cane at the base of the parent plant, and pot up by making a hole in the bottom of the pot for the extra cane to stick out.

2. cut the cane now and:
a. lay it on its side half burried in some potting mix so the roots can reach the mix right away.
b. pot it up as in 1. c. above.

The more cane you leave with the keiki, the faster will be the progress to blooming size.

[heatherbear10]

Thanks to both of you. I'll let it grow a little more then pot it up and we'll see what happens to the mother plant. I had one that looked totally dead, moved it from where it was and strapped it to my areca palm and it sprouted a new keiki from the base within a week or two, the "chids" sure are tough!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Your other plant started its normal growth, from the base. That is not a keiki when it comes from the base, but the normal yearly growth, without which, the plant would die.