On Tue, 8 Apr 2003 14:47:37 -0400, "Ted Byers"
wrote:

I now have three plants with keikis.

One is a phal (P. Sogo Smith), and it has two developing at the top of the
inflorescences (which had been cut just above the highest node that hadn't
flowered). Now, when it comes time to remove it, do I do so by cutting
between the keiki and the inflorescence supporting it, or do I cut the
inflorescence just below the keiki, leaving part of the inflorescence
attached to the baby?

When faced with these types of decisions, I usually attempt to
visualize why the plants that survived carried the genetic trait. In
this case, I would presume wind or a passing animal might dislodge
the keiki from its mother. That leads me to give the keikei a little
twist when its roots exceed 2" and it has enough biomass to sustaine
it in becoming established. I don't even bother dusting the "wonud"
with fungicide when potting . Just keep it eavenly moist in medium
light for a few months, and it will bloom quickly, for it is mature
tissue unlike a similar sized seediling.

And after this, what is likely to happen with the
remaining inflorescences if they are left in place (and would you recommend
leaving them in place?)?

That decision would depend on wether you desired to produce additional
kakeis or root/shoot growth.

[Snip. I don't do dendrobiums, sorry.]

The third is an epidendrum, and it is putting out what look to be a number
of keikis as well as what looks like new shoots from the higher nodes.

I presume you are referring to reed-stem epidendrums. Species plants
usuallly produce kakeis on all the buds of an inflorescesence that has
finished blooming, and new canes will form on the basel buds of the
preceeding years canes. Hybrids have been created, that are shorter
and tend to rearly produce kakeis. This can produce a tidyier
speciman.

Here too, I am tempted to leave the keikis in place, or order to have a larger
"specimen".

I find the tangled mass of kakeis visually undesireable, so I pot them
as soon as they are large enough, and permit the plant to concentrate
its energy in producing more robust new canes.

I spoke to a vendor at the RBG orchid show about this, and he
confirmed my suspicion that the lower of these growths are keikis.

The lower shoots will produce the new flowering canes.

He also said that there is no good reason not to leave them in place. It seems to
me that doing so will create a visual impression of a rapidly increasing
number of stems, all, or at least most, of which in due course will have
clusters of flowers.

That's the way reed-stem Epis seem to work. It's not only a "visual
impression" it really is a larger plant.