Question
QUESTION: Hi Wayne,  I have taken over the care of a Dendrobium orchid that belonged to my aunt who passed away.  The tag says Woon Leng.  The orchid was in bloom when I got it at the end of December.  When the blooms died in February, I cut the flower stalks close to the canes.  I did not cut the canes.  One of the canes lost all of its leaves- they turned yellow and fell off.  I think I was overwatering at first until I read to monitor watering using a bamboo skewer.  This cane is now brown/yellow from the base up about 2 inches.  The cane feels hollow and dried out at this point. However, above the dried/hollow portion, the cane is green and firm and has a healthy looking shoot growing out horizontally with what appear to be stumpy green roots coming out of the cane.  Is this a "clone"? If so, what do I do with it? The second cane still has a few green leaves and has a new shoot near its base that is 5 inches tall, & another small shoot starting to appear at the base of the new growth.  I am not sure what to do with the plant at this time.  Do I continue to water it?  Does it need fertilization?  Does it need repotting? Also, what do you do with the original canes that have stalks that have bloomed and faded?  Do you ever cut the canes? Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.  I really want to keep this orchid alive in memory of my aunt!  Sorry for all the questions, this is my first orchid.  Thanks, Susan

ANSWER: Susan, the name of your dendrobium hybrid is "Woo Leng".  Tags are sometimes filled out incorrectly or fade over time.  

It is time to repot the dendrobium as it has started new growth. The dry, hollow portion of the cane is dead.  In an attempt to reproduce, the healthy portion of the cane is producing a new cane or "keiki".  This is a clone. During the repotting process, you may remove the entire cane and then separate the healthy portion of the cane from the dry, hollow part. The healthy portion may be repotted-- being careful not to damage the newly emerging roots. The healthy portion with the keiki derives no nutrition from the dead portion of the cane so is a self-sustaining entity. Seal the cut end of the healthy cane with rootone or powdered sulfur to prevent infection of the wound.  You may remove the keiki frm the good portion of the cane and pot it.  Set the balance of that cane aside in a himid environment and it may produce more keikis.  The keiki may be potted separately or in the same pot as the rest of the canes.

It is normal for dendrobium canes to lose their leaves.  This usually happens when the plant goes into dormancy.  During dormancy, watering should be greatly reduced.  Failure to reduce watering may result in rot and premature growth of new, weak canes.  You need to obtain a bag of orchid potting mix.  Soak a small portion of this mix overnight in water.  You may need a slightly larger clay pot than the one the plant is in. Remove the old potting mix and dead canes before placing the plant into its new pot. Then, holding the plant in place, gently place the fresh potting mix into the pot. Be careful not to damage the new root growth in this process. The plant needs to be tightly potted so after you have filled the space between the plant and pot with fresh mix, you will need to tamp it down and add more mix until the plant is firmly anchored in its now pot.  You may add bamboo sticks to which you tie indvidual canes for support if needed.

Please feel free to ask followup questions if any part of my answer is unclear or incomplete.

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QUESTION: Thanks for the info, Wayne!  I have a few more questions regarding the keiki.  1) Do I pull the keiki off of the healthy part of the cane, or do I cut the portion of the cane above and below the keiki and plant that segment? 2) The cut end of the healthy cane that I am supposed to seal with rootone or powdered sulfer- does that end go directly into the potting mix?  I don't see any roots other than those of the keiki 3) The orchid originally came in a square glass pot with chunks of wood.  There doesn't appear to be any soil.  What kind of clay pot is best, sealed or unsealed?  4) How long approximately before the orchid will flower again?  5) What orchid care book would you recommend the most?   Thanks so much! Susan

Answer
Good questions Susan. It most likely doesn't make any difference which of three options you choose: 1) remove the Keiki from the cane and pot it up, 2) remove the keiki by cutting the cane above and below the keiki, sealing the cut ends, and poting it up or 3) cutting the cane just below the keiki and sealing the cut end and potting the entire healthy part of the cane with its keiki.  In any of these options, you will need to try to nestle the roots in the potting mix so they don't dry out and can get rooted in the new mix.  It is possible that, however you do this, the green, healthy portion of the cane may form one or more additional keikis. Be sure to support the keiki and/or its cane by securing it to a bamboo stake anchored in the potting mix.

Orchids need pots with lots of drainage holes.  Dendrobiums like small unsealed clay pots with lots of drainage holes. The unsealed clay pots breathe better but also lose moisture more quickly so watering every couple of days will be necessary when the mix is fresh. Orchid potting mix is much coarser than soil.  It needs to have more air movement through the potting mix so it may contain one or more of the following: fir bark chips, perlite, tree fern fiber, lava rock, charcoal and/or sphagnum moss. I recommend soaking the dry mix before use because fir bark repels water when it is dry.

The late Rebecca Northen has written argueably the best book called "Home Orchid Growing".  However, your local garden center may have a selection from which to choose.  The American Orchid Society (AOS) has a website with some information about the more commonly cultivated orchids.