dendro cane split in two

[missfitxo]

Hello everyone. I have a dendrobium cane potted in a pot but it fell and the cane was split in two. The one with the root was still in the pot and the roots are ok but the other half with the leaves will it still grow? do i need to put it in pot? it was a very healthy dendro. Will surely appreciate the advice thanks.

[ang709]

I'm not a senior member, so hopefully I'm not being presumptuous by trying to answer this. Hopefully I can help a little.

If you put the top part in a pot, I don't think it will grow roots, but it might grow a keiki.

My mom cut an old dendrobium cane into segments that were about 4 inches (10 cm) long and stuck them in pots. Both segments produced keikis, so it might be worth a try. Just try to keep the humidity up.

Anyone more experienced have a suggestion?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

You could put some root hormone on the cut end and see if that will help. I have heard/ read about people cutting a dendrobium cane into segments and the segments grow roots. Good luck!

Cheers,
BD

[mycologist]

I hate to be the junior party pooper but a split is bad for any plant. I would look for any unsplit parts and try to save those. Monocot stems are very complicated.

Are you saying that canes were separated at the base, or that the only cane was split in half longitudinally? There should be more than one.

[wetfeet101b]

I would not recommend potting the upper half that was separated from the bottom part.
Putting it in contact with potting medium allows water to seep up the exposed wound and is a free-for-all for any pathogens that are in the vicinity.

If you want to try to save the cutting, you should try the following:
*There is no guarantee that this would work. And even if it does, it could take a long time before the keikis actually grow to blooming size.
1. Get a shallow container that can accommodate the cutting.
2. Place spaghnum moss, or any orchid-friendly moisture retaining medium along the bottom of the container. You just need a very thin layer to provide some ambient moisture.
3. Place the cutting horizontally, but elevate the cut section so that it does not make any contact with the moist medium.
4. Dab some keiki stimulants (there are several brands available) on the segments of the cane.
5. Spritz the container with water periodically to maintain the moisture.
6. Wait...wait... and wait... It could take a while.

In most cases, it is not worth the effort to try and save the separated piece. It would be advisable to focus efforts on healing the remaining plant so that its wound does not become an open door for infection.
If the plant is healthy, it would produce new canes in no time and you would soon forget about the broken cane.

~John

[padams2359]

I have not had to compost any part of my orchids yet. I would probable try one of the above suggestions just to keep a clean record. The worst you would be doing is putting off the composting. I would try something, just keep it away from your other plants. Remember the NASA motto "Failure Is Not An Option."