keikis growing instead of spikes....

[sandra]

Can't figure this one out but I have a sneaking suspicion this plant needs repotting asap to save it???? This dend noid was given to me many months ago. I thought it needed repotting then, the roots were and still are rampid, stuck to the outside pot and I'm not able to check the medium as it's too far down. I don't know how long it's been since it was first potted in what looks like bricks of some sort of fir bark in clumps. I posted pics of the plant to the forum then and was advised that it should probably be left alone. It's been growing like crazy and started putting out numerous spikes....so I thought. So far, the 2 fastest growing spikes have turned out to be keikis. I would say there are at least 7 to 10 other (hopefully) spikes beginning but I'm beginning to recognize that these growths look an awful lot like the others that ended up being....you've got it.....keikis. Spikes are what I should be seeing, not keikis so should I assume that the plant is in trouble?

Interestingly, a few months ago before any growth really started, I noticed a keiki that I removed once the roots were long enough and it's on this ps.bulb that I now have the only spike with buds.

Don't know what to do?

[brookn]

As far as I know dends put out keikis. I have seen many pics of healthy dends, some of which were Fred's and I believe that Anton has a phal that just keeps producing them. As Kevin said in another post, they are not always a sign that a plant is in trouble. Healthy plants will give off keikis also. Your plant looks great, and the lots of roots is a good sign. I would leave it alone, it seems to be happy where it is, and they like to be crowded. If you are set on repotting, I might suggest putting it into a bigger pot and adding some medium that way you do not disturb the plant. Hope that helps.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

This is the season for keikis on nobiles, well my nobiles, and not for flowers. I just remove them as soon as I am sure, but it is not a sign of problems in my opinion, just the nature of a kind of plant.

[sandra]

Brook, I do remember reading about keikis not necessarily being a sign of trouble; I was expecting spikes though especially since it grew one and anticipate it flowering any day. I wanted the entire plant to flower but I think this one is a late bloomer, like it's owner ...when it comes to orchids. Thanks for the reminder.

Cynthia, will leaving a few keikis on the plant, reduce the plant's energy resources into producing flowering spikes?

[palito]

that plant looks fantastic and it is thriving and not in need of being saved or anything like that hehe.

From what I understand dendrobium plants seem to enjoy and bloom better if they are being severely underpotted and growing just like that. It'll bloom when it is ready to. If you repot and disturb all those roots now you surely will delay flowering.

[sandra]

My day is looking better and better palito . Thanks for the advice here. I'll leave it be. Now I just have to figure out if I should be removing some of the keikis once their roots are long enough. I think it would add some interest to the plant to keep a few instead of always removing them BUT I want to do what's best for the overall health so it'll give me lots of flowers!!!!!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think the plant only can feed so many new growths. This is especially true on Catt seedlings that I have seen multiply but not make any progress on size, and thereby postpone blooming. I would say that an extremely strong plant can afford a little bit of keikiing, but watch the size of the normal new growths to make sure they are not regressing in size.

[Tobi]

Sandra,
My Den. NOID that I recently posted a pic of the 14 blooms usually produces
more keikis each year than new base flower stalks. I just usually remove the
keikis, pot them up and give them away to other local collectors. It's been
doing this for about 4 years now. Sometimes I will leave a keiki on one of the
stalks just because it tends to flower right away.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by Tobi

Sandra,
Sometimes I will leave a keiki on one of the stalks just because it tends to flower right away.

What flowers right away Tobi, the keiki? Do keiki's flower? Or you'll leave it there on the same stalk because it's also got separate flowering then? The only flower spike I have on this plant is where I recently removed a keiki so now I feel like one confused dumb-bunny here.

Here's what I've got so far and have a feeling all the spikes will end up being keikis.

[NancyG]

Hi Sandra,

Your plant looks great! I have a keiki that I attached to a palm tree 2 years ago and it is now sending out it's first spike of flowers. The mother plant is hanging on another palm and is sending out all kinds of spikes. I've left a keiki on the mother plant and the plant is still doing well.

NancyG

[Tobi]

The actual keiki itself grow and flowered off the mother stalk. When I get
home tonight, I try and take a pic to show you.

[Tobi]

Here's 2 pics of the Den NOID that I spoke of:

The first pic shows the keiki with the flower stalk of 14 blooms on the left.



This pic show a basal growth in the middle and a keiki growing on the stalk
from the basal growth from last year. I'm expecting this to flower as well with
anywhere from 8-12 blooms.



As I stated above, sometimes I remove the keiki before it grows too big and
pot it up. Otherwise I just let it grow until it flowers. After it flowers, I remove
the keiki and pot that up. This has been going on for about 4 years now.

[NancyG]

Tobi,

I think I have the same Den as you with the keikis. It's nice that it keeps multiplying for you.

NancyG

[sandra]

OK Tobi, before I ask, remember the motto here.....'there's no such thing as a dumb question'....

I'm not sure I understand what I'm looking at in your pics. Is the spike in the first pic growing from the keiki? And you're saying that from the keiki in the second pic is from which another flowering spike is growing? If this is so, shouldn't I leave a couple of keikis on my plant rather than removing all of them?

Your plant is gorgeous btw. Thanks so much for following up with this....even though I'm being a dumb bunny here.

[Tobi]

Sandra,
You could never ask a dumb question!! Yes the spike growing in the first
pic is from the keiki and although it hasn't started yet, a spike should form
from the one in the 2nd pic on the right. If you so desire you could leave
a keiki or 2 on your plant.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Tobi, that looks like a failed keiki. Well, a bloom spike with roots, or a keiki without leaves. No doubt you can see the problem if you imagine removing the keiki and trying to grow it. Without leaves, even if you remove the spike from the keiki to reduce the drain from the flowers, you would just have a ball of roots, and would have to hope for a new growth very soon from the keiki.

Now looking at the base of the plant, it looks like the mother cane is isolated from the growing center by some very odd bits of old growths. Am I right, or is that cane really attached at the base to the tall, green, and clearly alive canes? I would consider, if the cane is truly isolated, cutting the cane at the base after the blooming is done, removing the two lowest leaves, and potting this thing up with the cane sticking out the bottom of the pot, and the mix brought up to the level of the base of the leafless keiki. This would let the remaining leaves of that cane be the leaves of the new plant, with the keiki providing the new growth next year. But, this is only if the cane is not really closely attached to the other two green growths. Otherwise, 3 canes is a nice size for a Den.

[Tobi]

Thanks Cynthia. I see what you mean about the leafless keiki with the blooms. I did notice that but didn't think twice about it until you mentioned
it. The keiki on the right side of the plant does have leaves which is what
I have been accustomed to seeing with the previous keikis. I also see what
you are stating about the new center cane. I really at this point can't tell
if it is truely attached to the old cane or not. Guess I'll have to wait until
it grows a little more to be sure. Thanks again for the tips and info.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Yes, I see the second keiki that has both leaves and roots at the top of the one year old cane. The growth from the base is not a keiki, but the yearly growth, that every sympodial produces each year, to form a chain of growths, each a year apart in age (mostly, unless the plant produces 2 growths in a row per year). So the new growth (at the base) is zero years old, the cane with the full keiki at the top is one year old, and if the one year old cane came from the base of the cane with the failed keiki, the failed keiki cane would be 2 years old. But, and it is really to hard to see for sure, it looks like maybe the one year old cane did not come from the base of the failed keiki cane, but both of these may have come from some other canes, now cut off short. Anyway, if you can see the pattern well enough you can tell the age of most of the canes, including the cut off canes. I'm curious, are those cut off canes alive? If they are alive, then food can be passed back and forth between all the canes. If they are not alive, then there is the possibility of there being 2 independent plants, when 2 living portions are connected by dead tissue.