Speaking of Dens here. Just how big should the stalk, or how long should the roots be when it is removed. When it is removed, should you do anything with the open wound on the mother stalk? Does it really need to be removed? Inquiring minds want to know
keiki
1" roots. No. No. It's "Enquiring Minds Want To Know" and is an ooold ad line for National Enquirer. Now you know. No?
YES!! lol
:).
No i don't think you have to remove the keiki ted.
If you want to do it in warmer months when the roots are about 5cms or so so you can pot it up in its own pot.
You could dust the cut with cinnamond as a antifungal but there won't be much of a cut.
Just looking at one of my Dens and remembered this thread and a couple new questions
If you leave a keiki on the plant is it then a mature plant that will bloom? Soon? If you take it off and replant is it now a young immature plant?
"Enquiring Minds Want To Know" lol
It is just a matter of preference because it will bloom regardless of whether you remove it from the mother plant or not. Removing it does not delay blooming. Some I take off and repot or mount and some I just leave on to make the plant look fuller. I also agree on the use of cinnamon on the cut just as a preventive measure but not really necessary.
Chiqui
If you leave a keiki on the plant, and the parent plant is vigorous, the keiki will grow and bloom. However, remember the keikis are drawing nutrition from the parent plant, thus limiting blooms on the parent plant. It generally matters because a more mature orchid provides higher quality blooms. In addition, a keiki that is allowed to remain on a plant will not grow and mature as aggressively as one that has found a way to move out of the house. Once removed it has an incentive to grow. Whereas a divided keiki (lets use a Den. as an example) might not bloom for several years, it will send out new leads and become a sturdy, established plant. The older plant loaded with keikis is more inclined to head south if there's any weather or disease stress because it's supporting all the kids. I will leave keikis on sometimes but only through one bloom cycle. In nature these plants would be reaching out for another foothold. Sometimes they fall off the parent plant on their own. I currently have several Epidendrum crosses that are way overdue for repotting and loaded with keikis. I'll probably loose the parent plants and not have flowers for several years. I should have potted the multitude of keikis on these plants a couple of years ago.
Ted, would that be your yellow song 'canary' by chance? I've got enough kikis on that one to populate the west coast with plants! I actually thought the blooms on mine were a kiki. It started as a bump growing a couple of roots, but instead of growing leaves, it turned out to be a bloom spike.
Laurel, Would you recomend planting these kikis more than 1 to a pot? I have put multiple kingianum kikis in a pot, but these dens get much bigger, and trying to grow one to bloom size in a tiny pot is an excercise in futility.
Carol, I generally do one per pot and move them up. You could do a compot and divide them later. For those that don't know what a compot is, its a pot with combined orchid seedlings. The compot decision would depend on the orchid variety and its growth habits. An orchid that blooms when small can be compotted but you might as well individually pot a larger specimen that needs a few years to grow and establish before it blooms.
Many orchids throw keikis in response to not having the right conditions to bloom. D. kingianum is a perfect example. If they do not have appropriate cool hours or dry period they will accommodate with keikis and no blooms for that year. I admit here that I don't always get to removing them but for the sake of the plant and the keikis, it is the thing to do. Maybe leave them on a year and then give the keikis away. Of course, if you are doing the natural thing and your environment allows you to play with not so valuable plants then do whatever floats your boat.
Carol, when the keikis on your Yellow Song Canary are big enough and have roots, I'd be very excited to have a couple of them to raise. Be glad to send you postage for them, if you're inclined to share?
Elaine
Elaine, D-mail me your address. It is probably a bit too hot to mail right now, but I will happily share when things cool off.