Thanks for this.

"V_coerulea" wrote in message
...
When I've had a Phal keiki, I usually wait until there are roots evident
and
then cut the stem 1-2" above and below the keiki. I dust the cuts with
sulfur. The stem makes it easier to handle and anchor the keiki in a new
medium.

This is what I'm planning to do with the phal when the keikis are mature
enough.

I've had some dendrobium keikis produce keikis especially lodigesii where
you can find several generations at any one time. Unless you want new
plants, I'd suggest removing the keikis as they are probably (I'm not
positive of this) sapping strength from the parent plant. I believe you
will
find new growth starting on the parent plant shortly afterward. That is,
if
the plant is healthy. Some plants produce keikis as a kind of
self-preservation thing if the parent plant is under severe stress for
some
reason and soon to go under (root loss, fungus, bacteria, etc). If you
want
a massive plant, plant several together in a basket. I have a Den nobile
in
a 14" basket. I planted 3-4" plants in it and it is now a massive and
spectacular display piece (about 5-6 years). You don't say how big your
keikis are, but I've removed and potted some as small as 2" if they have
decent roots. They sit for a little while and then produce a new shoot
which
grows several times the size of the keiki.

The keikis on the dendrobium are a good 15 cm from tip of the shoot to the
tip of the longest root: both are bigger than the pseudobulb they sit on.
They could be safely removed. I guess I will leave the decision as to what
to do with them until I repot them and see exactly what kind of shape the
roots are in. I would guess, though, that they are contributing more to the
parent than they are taking, since they have substantial leaf area. The
keikis are likely producing more biomass than the parent (which doesn't have
any leaves of its own - just the green pseudobulbs).

As for epidendrums, I think the same holds true as for the nobiles. If you
want a tall and spreading plant, you can leave the keiki on. For a fuller
plant, plant the keiki back in the parent pot or pot several together in a
new plant for a bigger specimen. I don't ever see a good reason for
leaving
a keiki on a plant unless you want to propagate more of that plant. There
may , of course, be some exceptions I'm not thinking of off hand, but I
think that's a good general rule.


This plant I know is strong, with great roots, since I repotted it a couple
weeks ago. If I leave them in place, and let them grow (the highest is only
about 5 cm from the potting material), I will have at least half a dozen new
shoots in addition to the original two.

And I do want to propagate the plants whenever a keiki is produced, since
they provide a replacement, provided I can keep it alive, for plants should
I screw up and kill something out of my too abundant ignorance. They
provide a priceless supplement to bargains I find to replace sadly deceased
plants.

I lost two catts and a phal over the past couple weeks. They were just too
far gone, suffering from the extreme dryness this winter. Despite my best
efforts, they didn't have enough left to recover. But then, at the RBG show
in Burlington a little over a week ago, I found two catts and a dend for
less than I paid for the one catt. Just as pleasing is a phal I bought at
the SOOS show Sunday. I got it for a mere C$25, even though it is in a 15
cm pot! This is a P. Brother Sandra 'LC', and while it has only four
leaves, it has four inflorescences (one of which has two flowers open), the
shortest being as long as the biggest leaf and the largest twice that: and
there's the remains of a fifth which had a keiki so it was cut so that there
are only two nodes left on it; not to mention a new root 2 cm long. In fact,
the second shortest inflorescence also shows signs of having been cut, and
has produced a growing inflorescence from the node at its end. But they're
growing largely horizontally, and are all actively growing. I would like
them to be growing straight up for the time being, but I am afraid of
damaging them. A further fly in the ointment is that the largest has two
flowers already fully open, and their orientation will be messed up if I
bend the inflorescence so it grows upward. It has both P. stuartiana and P.
equestris (one parent is P. Cassandra, which is equestris x stuartiana - but
I'm not sure what is in the other parent), so I am expecting relatively
large, branching, floriferous panicles: it is, apparently, a well known
multifloral. Maybe I am just unnecessarily nervous, having started this only
about eight months ago. I got such a good price because it was the end of
the show and it was one of only a handful of plants he had left and he
didn't want to be taking any home. And now these keikis more than replace
the plants that died.

Thanks again,

Ted