Is my den dead?

[carolines0ng]

hi i was just wondering if someone could please tell me why the canes are yellowish brownish. and is the not dead part of the den (the leaves + aerial roots) okay to be attached to that yucky cane or is it gonna harm it to leave it there? any suggestions ideas and advice would be greatly appreciated.

[kmarch]

The canes don't look good and I think they are pretty much gone. I see you have a keiki on this den too. Take a look at the detailed response I gave you in your other dendrobium thread, consider removign this keiki and potting it up. Give that dendrobium culture sheet a read and let us know if you have any questions.
sick and dying den?

[carolines0ng]

thanks again kmarch! okay so is this one keiki or two? when i detach it from the mommy cane should i put the roots inside the medium or should i leave it attached to the cane a little bit and pot the cane part? sorry if im not making sense. i read that keiki sometime can even be gently twisted off. is that the case?



okay i uploaded a closer view. is it one keiki or two? and should i leave the litttle stub of cane when i cut it from the big cane? and i leave those two connected to each other right?

[amersault]

it looks like 2 keikis and i would cleanly sever both from the parent plant. you can pot both keikis together.

now, one thing to know about Dens - pot them in small pots. the bigger the pot, the longer it takes for the roots to fill the pot and the Den just doesn't seem to thrive as well. in this case, maybe a 3" pot will do it.

you'll just have to stake well as the keiki grows.

PS

why are your keiki roots pink?

[LouisW]

I just wanted to add that i dont recommend that you cut the two keikis apart. Cut them off the cane but seperating them could be harmful.

Amersault, I saw some wild Epis over this summer and I noticed that their root tips are often pink or red. Sometimes Vanda roots are dark red too. Exposure to light maybe?

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by carolines0ng

okay so is this one keiki or two?

You have one keiki with 2 growths. See how the growth that's furthest out is coming off the first small cane? If they were 2 keikis they would be both coming off the mother plant, not one coming off the other.

Originally Posted by carolines0ng

when i detach it from the mommy cane should i put the roots inside the medium or should i leave it attached to the cane a little bit and pot the cane part? sorry if im not making sense. i read that keiki sometime can even be gently twisted off. is that the case?

You're making good enough sense. Remove your two-growth keiki completely form the mother plant. Don't leave any of the mother plant cane on your keiki. Pot up your keiki with its roots in the medium. I do not like ot twist keikis off. Invariable either the keiki or the mother plant gets damaged. Others might be more careful than I and can do it but I use a knife.

Originally Posted by carolines0ng

okay i uploaded a closer view. is it one keiki or two?

It is one keiki with 2 growths.

Originally Posted by carolines0ng

and should i leave the litttle stub of cane when i cut it from the big cane? and i leave those two connected to each other right?

Nope, completely remove it from the mother cane, leave no part of the mother plant on the keiki. And definitely, yes, leave the 2 growths of the keiki together.

Good Luck!

[carolines0ng]

okay well about the pink roots....
(i hope u guys are sitting down for this one!)
i accidentally sprayed them with spring bouquet pine-sol!
i thought it was the bottle that i mixed the orchid food in but i didnt know that my mom had dumped it out and refilled the bottle with pine-sol! when i got a whiff of it i immediately washed all the orchids down but it still stained the tips. i almost had a heart attack when i did that...lol but i guess considering, they arent doing too bad huh? hopefully they'll get better after i repot them. im still waiting for the coconut husk chips to arrive. i had to order it online because home depot only has schultz and this other one and i tried both already and i didnt like it. any suggestions what else to mix the chc with? i was thinking lava rocks, and moss....should i tie it to a piece of bark or something before i put it in the pot/medium? sorry for all the newbie questions... thank you all!

[kmarch]

I'd leave out the moss. I don't like to use it unless I need a fair bit of moisture retention as with Paphs or Phals.

[willowbanks]

"should i tie it to a piece of bark or something"

That's a very good way to go if it is easier for you, these hard cane Dens grow very well on mounts.

[kip]

you need to be careful about potting up the keiki, the roots have grown in a place with a lot of airflow, and not a lot of moisture. i would pot it in bark with large chunks so that it drains easily and has good airflow. leave out the moss, it will retain too much moisture. there's no need to tie it to a piece of bark, the roots should eventually grow around the bark in the pot.

[digitalgate]

good advice. Pot it up..

[willowbanks]

I think you guys (digitalgate and kip) have taken my suggestion the wrong way, I'm not saying tie it to a piece of bark and then put it in a pot.

I'm saying mount the keikei on a piece of bark or wood, leave it out of a pot.
It is not necessary to grow these plants in pots with media.