Dendrobium 911

[Orchidilerium]

While making room for and installing my new (very large) Vanilla Planifolia, I accidentally knocked over a whole shelf of orchids. Most were cattleyas, and one big dendrobium. The Dend is D. Genting Purple, I have had the plant for over a year, and it had just formed a beautiful cane almost 12" tall! However, The fall broke the cane clean in half, this is a problem that I have never come across. What should I do for the remainder of the plant? Will it ever bloom again?

P.S Anyone have tips for my vanilla?

[orchidaddict789]

Sorry to hear that! I know how much it stinks to break orchids--I did that myself and it was a horrible experience. About your dend...If the bottom half of the cane is still intact, it should put out a new growth soon. That new growth will mature into another cane and that should bloom. Good luck!

[Orchidzrule]

Drew,


Your plant will definitely bloom again, although probably not as soon as you'd really like. You can also start new plants from the broken cane (if you didn't throw it on the compost pile). Lay the cane on a bed of sphagnum moss and it should root at the nodes.

Cheers,

Rob

[Gin]

I know just how you feel . Sorry . Gin

[mde]

Yep, I also know how this one feels... I did the same to a NOID Dend. that I got on clearance out of bloom. I waited an entire year, the new can had just about matured, and during watering I caught it on a plant stand and broke it off. It has gone on to start a new growth. I also broke a spike in half the other day on my Encyclia, that was just about to open it's first bloom. It is a great spiritual lesson for the Buddhist concept of impermanence!

Matt

[Ennui]

All this talk of damaged plants making new growths:
I've got a Noid Dend. (phal type),
that hasn't done a darn thing,
except maybe a few roots.
I'm tempted to snap a cane in half,
if I thought it might make new growths and wake it up out of suspended animation.

[justlearning!!]

hehehe Ennui... let me know if that works! It would be one more thing to threaten mine with if they don't start blooming

[dosal]

You got enough heads up for your Dendrobium. Your Vanilla needs as much light as you can give it. It needs to be huge to bloom and then the flowers last but one day. I gave mine away.

[Orchidilerium]

Thanks for all your feedback with my battered dendro, i dusted the wound with a little cinnamon, and also took the opprotunity at hand to disect the fallen cane in hopes to understand it a little better... at least i now know how far you can bend a cane before regret sets in . is it wise to throw orchid parts into the compost pile? i havent heard anything about the relevance of orchid recycling...