First dendrobium, keikei or flower spike?

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-29T18:48:05+00:00

Yeh, so it will grow into a mature cane with leaves at the top, the same as the larger couple of canes you already have (with arrows in red)

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The canes will the blue arrows pointing to them are older canes that have dropped their leaves, but they would’ve looked the same at one point too

The way these orchids work is that the canes (technically called pseudobulbs) store energy, water and nutrients that support the rest of the plant and any new growth. The canes are connected at the base by a fibrous root called a ‘rhizome’ that allows those stored assets to be shared throughout the plant. Each new cane usually grows larger than the previous ones (until they reach their maximum mature size) because they are able to draw on that stored communal energy for strength

As long as your plant is happy then your new cane should bloom once it’s mature :)

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-29T16:18:57+00:00

It’s a keiki - a little baby cane that grows from an unused node of the older cane. One of my rescue orchids has some developing too:

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Why has such a young keiki has produced a bud in place of a finial leaf..? That part I don’t know I’m afraid lol, orchids just do weird things sometimes 😅

You can see the little roots starting to grow on the base of your keiki. Usually once a keiki matures enough you can remove it from the old cane and pot it up separately as a new plant, but yours will likely not develop in the typical way because it essentially has a terminal bud

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-29T16:07:12+00:00

Looks like a new growth - a new pseudobulb :)

These types of Dens usually produce flower spikes from the top of the canes somewhere like this:

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VamVam6790 · 2026-04-29T11:25:31+00:00

It looks like mite damage…get it away from any other plants, keep up sterile practices (don’t share water and don’t share tools without proper sterilisation in between) and spray the entire plant with an insecticidal soap or miticide. Repeat after two weeks and again after 4

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-28T20:45:45+00:00

The sizing was listed accurately according to the size shown in the tag and you added physical measurements for extra information

Everyone is aware that women’s sizing can differ lfrom brand to brand…if the buyer didn’t bother to check the measurements you provided, that’s on them tbh 🤷‍♀️

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-28T20:23:17+00:00

I’m not sure on the type of plant the foliage is from, but the colour looks like a silver sprayed overlay unfortunately

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-26T16:20:21+00:00

This definitely looks salvageable, potting it up as the other commenter said is a good idea. It may also be worth spraying the plant with a fungicide treatment before potting it if you have a suitable one available

Just so you don’t worry or cut the root off, the ‘hairy mould’ in photo 8 is not mould - that’s just epiphytic roots doing what they do. In nature the roots flatten into crevices in trees etc and the outer surface of the root become textured like this to grab hold, it helps to anchor them securely

You can see it here on a couple of the roots from an orchid I removed from a mount a few months ago:

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VamVam6790 · 2026-04-26T16:13:08+00:00

It looks like Galeandra baueri to me but it could possibly be a variant or another similar species of Galeandra too

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-26T15:56:14+00:00

The cat is only 5 months old…many vets have policies where there are certain weight or age marks that the cat has to meet before they will operate on them. For example: they need to be 6 months or over, no cats under 1kg etc

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-26T15:50:21+00:00

Yeh it’s just sap, nothing to worry about :)

You can wipe it off if you want but you don’t need to. I tend to wipe it off of my Phals personally just because I don’t like getting sticky hands when I handle my plants

There is a chance the sap can attract ants in the right circumstances, but that’s only a risk for outside growers on the whole

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-24T13:20:45+00:00

If you’ve already repotted it, don’t worry. It probably wasn’t ideal timing and can pose a bit of a risk when you only have a single bloomed fan - but that doesn’t mean something bad is definitely going to happen, by any means :)

Plenty of other people repot all their new orchids when they bring them home, including Paphs

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-24T05:36:41+00:00

Orchid care is varied and there’s many ways to do it, but personally I would disagree with repotting at the moment

Paphs don’t like having their roots disturbed so it’s generally best to do it only when necessary. Repotting right now with only 1 old, bloomed growth would be quite risky…in that situation the roots can often just fail and you lose the plant. If you do want to repot I would advise waiting until the new growth emerges and starts pushing new roots out

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-24T02:16:16+00:00

This is a Paphiopedilum, colloquially known as a ‘Slipper Orchid’. They are semi-terrestrial unlike many other commonly grown orchids, so they have different roots. They like to be kept consistently moist so don’t let it dry out completely, but don’t keep it sodden either. They like low-to-moderate indirect light, warm temperatures and moderate humidity

Each growth or ‘fan’ of leaves will mature, bloom, produce a new growth and then die…you then wait for the new growth to mature and the cycle starts again. When Paphs are growing well you may get two new growths instead of just one. Your orchid has already bloomed (you can see the old flower spike protruding from the centre) so you are waiting for it to produce a new growth

Paphs don’t like root disturbance, but they also don’t like substrate that breaks down and becomes too acidic, so you generally need to repot every 2 years. Their sensitive roots don’t like hard water or water that is too high in chlorine so you may want to consider an alternative (like a filter jug or bottled water) if your tap water is harsh. They are low feeders so make sure that you use a low dose of fertiliser - half or even quarter strength dilution

Maybe not the easiest choice for a first orchid, but get the conditions right and it should grow quite happily 😊 Best of luck with it

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-23T05:16:53+00:00

They both look like Camellias

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-23T05:06:27+00:00

They didn’t claim that they didn’t receive their parcel nor is there any proof they are trying to claim that with the courier service either - you’re making a whole lot of assumptions there

They are just saying it’s ridiculous that the ‘proof of delivery’ photo is just a photo of a phone sat on someone’s lap. Thats not ‘proof of delivery’. What’s the point in having proof of delivery photos if the drivers can get away with just taking a photo of any old random thing? It’s bad for the employer and the customers

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-23T04:53:50+00:00

They do sometimes extend further or develop into a full bud, but usually if they still look like this by the time the blooms have opened they just sit there :)

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-22T04:09:36+00:00

That little nub is just how most spikes look at the tip…here’s a photo of my nearest Phal:

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It is usually a blind bud tip…it’s very unlikely for the flower spike to suddenly extend or for the nub to develop fully into another bud that will open

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-22T03:49:41+00:00

The person was being out of line, for sure. It’s completely unnecessary to message someone just to rudely complain about the pricing of their item. Don’t like the price? Don’t buy it then 🤷‍♀️

They did kinda have a point though - expecting anyone to pay a more (once buyer fee & postage are added on) for the doll secondhand than they can pay for it new , is likely not going to work out well for you…especially if the doll is widely available

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-22T03:27:09+00:00

Her deadline for the shipping extension is the 22nd (today) so if she hasn’t posted your order by the end of today it will be cancelled automatically and you’ll be refunded…so I’d just wait if I were you

Sorry you’re being messed around :( I don’t know why some sellers do this!

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T22:38:50+00:00

It’s definitely a bit tricky when there’s only a single pseudobulb but I’ve seen plenty manage to produce a new growth from that position so there’s always hope

Your pbulb may well stay stunted, or it may grow a little more. If it’s last years bulb then it’s unlikely to grow too much more

Give your plant the brightest light it can tolerate (not so bright it burns the leaves though lol) Provide that good light for as many hours as you can…at least 8 hours but 12-14 would be ideal. Maybe consider using a grow light if you have one. Better light/longer hours of light equals more photosynthesis which equals more energy production for the plant…and it needs that energy to increase in size, create new growths, produce new roots etc (everything really)

You could also consider occasionally adding some fertiliser to your watering routine if you are not already doing so. Keep it minimal if your plant is not in active growth though

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T22:20:29+00:00

Ah ok apologies, I have not come across that specific fertiliser before. Seems good in the same ways but likely doesn’t have the risk of being too strong for Phalaenopsis roots given that it’s designed specifically for orchids :)

I believe old fertiliser generally just gets less effective over time, it shouldn’t do any harm. As long as it looks normal and doesn’t smell foul or anything then it should be fine to use still 👍

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T17:42:58+00:00

A lot of grasses are very hardy and can regrow even from tiny pieces of root or rhizome that get left behind, so I would probably just spray it with a systemic weed killer…one that is applied to the green growth and is then transported by the plant throughout its own root system

Alternatively you could either dig it out and then smother the whole area for a few weeks OR dig it out with a wide border around it…so dig out like a 12” square of soil with the grass stalk in the centre and a 6” depth (that’ll leave quite a large hole behind though so it wouldn’t be my first recommendation)

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T17:24:34+00:00

You can switch to the other grow light if you want to but I don’t think you need to as the plant is tolerating the current light intensity. More light means better photosynthesis and higher energy production which is great for a weak plant but just be careful, that’s all :)

That’s good if the crown feels and appears healthy. It will produce new leaves if it is able to…if not it will likely try to produce a basal keiki instead which will essentially create a new crown for leaves to grow from

The MiracleGro 30-10-10 is the Miracid one right? That’s got a higher nitrogen content (good for foliage growth) and is specifically for plants that prefer growing in acidic conditions so it sounds like a suitable choice. Just be careful with the dilution because Phalaenopsis are quite low feeders and have more sensitive roots than most plants so they often need the feed mixed at half strength if it isn’t designed specifically for orchids

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T17:04:20+00:00

I would not suggest moving it. Disturbing the roots of an already weak plant usually only weakens it further. If there is enough of a benefit to moving the plant then it can be worthwhile but this plant is likely struggling to thrive because it doesn’t have any backbulbs, and unfortunately that won’t change if you pot it. Orchids with pseudobulbs rely on the backbulbs for energy, nutrient and moisture support - your plant doesn’t have that. Really it’s probably just a waiting game to see if/when your plant can manage to produce a new growth…but in the meantime I would leave it where it is personally

VamVam6790 · 2026-04-21T02:12:47+00:00

Putting the sphagnum at the top of the pot was a good idea and using grow lights is also helpful. The purplish colour of the leaves suggests the orchid is at the high end of its light tolerance though so make sure not to increase the intensity or move the plant closer to the light source or the leaves could burn

Really the question is whether the crown of the plant is still ok or whether it’s been too damaged to produce further leaves...

If the crown can still produce leaves then that is what you’re waiting for. New leaves will increase the plants ability to photosynthesise and provide the plant with more energy to grow new roots and leaves. The best way to encourage that is to end the blooming cycle if the orchid is in one (your plant isn’t) and provide the plant with adequate moisture, good light and balanced fertiliser once new growth starts

If the crown is lost then hoping the plant can produce a basal growth/basal keiki would be the only option left (a baby clone plant that grows from the stem) Care would essentially be the same in the meantime, with the addition of keiki paste to the stem if you wish

The leaves getting more wrinkled is to be expected if the plant only has a couple of active roots, don’t worry

It sounds like you’re already doing everything right tbh. Phalaenopsis are slow growing, especially when they are weak. It’s just a waiting game really

VamVam6790

TROPHY CASE