Question
Hi Jim,
I have baby sprouts,four of them on my dendrobium.I don`t know what variety i`m afraid,the supermarket didn`t see fit to say what sort.Do i pull them off the parent or cut them off carefully please?I don`t want to damage them or the parent if I can help it.Thankyou.

Answer
Hi Carole,

Congratulations!!!  You are about to become a dendrobium mother!  (grin)  

Actually, those sprouts are probably keikis (baby in Hawaiian) dendrobium plantlets growing.  Leave them alone until there are several roots over 2 inches long on them, then you can remove them and put them in a little pot of their own with a little potting media.  To remove them, gently twist and pull the keiki away from Mama, you may have to cut it off if it does not break away easily (sort of like cutting the umbilical cord!).  

By the way, dendrobiums are notorious for producing keikis if they are fed a fertilizer high in nitrogen.  To minimize keikis it is best to use a balance type orchid fertilizer and then at less than half the recommended amount by the manufacturer as dendrobiums do not need a lot of it.  

Hope this has helped.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.