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Keiki on Rotting Stem

9 years ago

One of my orchid's (I believe it to be a Dendrobium dearei) stems has both sprouted a keike and begun to rot. The keiki is very small (about the size of a half dollar) and i fear that it is too small to plant, but the stem its on is rotting rather fast and it'll eventually kill the baby. Urgent advice, please, I don't want to lose the keike. Thanks!

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Comments (10)

bob8_gw
9 years ago
That keiki is large enough to live on it's own in a very small pot. I'd carefully take if off now before the rot goes into the keiki. It will be just fine.
jane__ny
9 years ago
You can pot it now. Put it in the smallest container you can find, a little sphag moss or fine wood chips and carefully lay the plant on the surface so the roots are not buried. They will eventually seek moisture and grow into the medium or grow new roots.

It is important to make sure you do not overwater. Dendrobiums like to get watered and dry out. You need to learn the culture of these plants so you don't have the same thing happen with the baby plant.

Jane

Here is a link that might be useful: Dendrobium
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Repeated stem rot, indoors, no wet conditions - help appreciated
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Hmm. To all of you suggesting cutting, your advice sort of goes back to my initial issue. I have been cutting this plant, repeatedly, back to the green tissue, no rot left, with a sterilized pruner. (This adenium was actually rather full and branchy at the start of winter.) I've cared for stem rot before and know the technique. In this case, the rot came back at each cutting, and and new unconnected branches started rotting as well, which is something I have not experienced before in a stem rot case. At present, if I cut off the rot, I will not be "giving it a haircut"-- I will be cutting off a literal half of the crown, at the main fork where it first branched seven years ago. All of the branches to the right of the fork will go. If that's what it takes to save the plant, I'll do it. But given that pruning over the last few weeks has seemed only to result in rot reappearing closer to the main stem, I'm worried that making a major cut will just result in the same. If this cut doesn't work, the rot spreads to the main stem. My next step would have to be to cut all of the branches off, back to the base, leaving the plant with no leaves and in a pretty poor position to heal. :) So yeah, I'm a little bit trigger-shy this time. But I'll go ahead and make the cut later today.
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I see what looks like rot in first photo - I think you got rid of it all by final cut. I would pprobably dust some flowers of sulfur or powdered cinnamon on cut to prevent further rotting. I have same plant. No rotting - so far. I am planning to behead it since it grew trynk that is bit too tall for my liking. If I get any mealy bugs, this is the plant. Mealy bugs also seem to like Echeveria chroma, which seems to be doing, few times, what your purpusorum is doing. I have successfully beheaded chroma 2 or 3 times. Plants are small, but ok...Hope your plant will root - it should since rosette looks ok. Pls post a follow-up.
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No. I didn't say that. The dark stems are natural. It’s not at all the same issue as in the post you linked to, which I’m dubious is Geranium black leg, anyway, since there’s no indication of root rot. Notice yours are not dense black necrotised patches way up on the stems. It’s just gradated colour on the bases and it’s not soft. If you remain unconvinced go back to the nursery and look at other sage plants. The need for a bigger pot isn't related and I didn't intend you to think it was. You have a potentially large plant stuffed into a too small container. It just needs more space. It has nothing to do with the black stems. You seem unhappy with the responses you’ve received. Usually people stop contributing if they have nothing further to add so I think youre unlikely to get a different answer to the ones already posted. The main piece of practical advice given was to repot which you haven't yet done.
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Thanks Rifis, you gave me some hope :) TAM had 2 buds. It took so long for those buds to appear... all my other pink DA roses have bloomed already. The single remaining green cane looks okay. It has a couple of reddish-purple spots, though I don't think it's canker. I was debating whether to prune off the black tips, but then I thought TAM might be stressed already, so I held back giving it more cuts. The canes that have the tags, for all my roses (not just TAM), are pretty much brown - definitely not green. Maybe I should remove all those tags, since I have a map of which rose is what. Imagine having a strap around you all your life... maybe the roses don't like the tags. I increased the water level to 6 gallons after the weather got warmer last month. My hibiscus were turning yellow already (my plants in that area are under the same drip irrigation system), but I don't have evidence that the roses were thirsty. I'll do some testing and adjust the emitters then. I assume Moses is a veteran on this board? :) I don't know what bark I have, I got "small bark" from my local garden center.
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zzackey
9 years ago
What a big, beautiful keiki! I never had one get that big. It should be fine on it's own.
zzackey
9 years ago
What a big, beautiful keiki! I never had one get that big. It should be fine on it's own.
shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
9 years ago
Don't take it off the cane. Cut the cane a few inches either side of the orchid. First time is bigger than you need. Next cut the cain again so the ends of the cane are wedged in to the top of the pot. The plant and roots need to be on top of the medium, not in it. The old cane becomes a rhizome clip and the new orchid will continue to get hydration and nutrition from the old cane. It will rot away eventually. but with luck the plant will be established.
James _J
9 years ago
I agree with shavedmonkey, leave it on the cane. I did this with the one in the photo last year. I just took the whole cane and stuck it in a pot and filled with bark to just below the keiki, the old cane is to the right of the photo against the wall of the pot.

Next you will have to figure out why the mother plant died. From the photo it looks like the pot is too big and the mix too fine.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
i know nothing about orchids ....

but i ask..what would happen in nature ...

would not momma collapse .. and the babe fall to the ground... and root in ... even maybe hang in the air.. until a root hit soil or tree bark ???

whenever... whatever plant.. when i dont know what to do.. i think about how ma nature would cope with it.. and try to mimic such ...

in other words... and i ask you opinion ... cut momma ... an inch or two.. either way of the babe.. and lay it on top of good media for this plant.... and let her rot away .. and babe.. root in ...

what do you think???/ .. am i full of new years spirit??? .. lol

ken
jane__ny
9 years ago
Perfect!

Jane
shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
9 years ago
In nature the species are living in their perfect habitat forever. So as the cane dies it falls to its most perfect spot on earth. You have a hybrid, designed by man not nature, and it is far removed from natures intentions.
Leriaku
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you guys so much! The plants was suffocating in its old pot and I had had no time to re-pot it myself, so my florist offered to do it for me, it didn't occur to me that she'd have prepared an inadequate mix for the dendrobium but I will pot the baby alone or perhaps along with the two stems that are still healthy (which I guess I'll have to re-pot as well) Happy New Year!

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