Blooming keiki with no roots - Orchid Board

vmax3000 · #1 04-12-2008, 09:14 PM

I have a phal. hybrid that blooms reliably. It smells like cake icing tastes...mmmm. It has two keikis that have put off buds/blossoms, but the little plantlets have no roots. Any suggestions on "stimulating" the plant into putting off roots??

Thanks, for any input. Maybe I could get off of my dud butt and post pictures....nah

Don Perusse · #2 04-14-2008, 10:41 AM

Sorry Vanessa, but I haven't seen one that didn't have "some" root to it. I have a mini that has two keikis, one with one spike & blooms and the other with 2 spikes w/blooms, plus a new spike that also has blooms. Maybe I will take pics today BUT mine do havae roots. How about rootone round the base of the keiki???

nenella · #3 04-14-2008, 05:16 PM

hi Vanessa
I have a white Phal Noid that had 3 keikis on it last year...in total it had 3 keikis and 5 flowers on it at the same time, it took a very long time for them to grow roots (6 months? if not more..) then all of a sudden they grew very long roots on them. I have repotted them and cut off the stems (leaving a few nodes on) as the plant has always been 'ultra strong' It has now grown two thick off shoots (one on each stem) & looks like it'll get a few more flowers!

...so I would say...
Just be very patient!!!! mine has been flowering for over 15 months and has put out 3 new leaves as well in that time.
I'll try & add a few pictures :-

nenella · #4 04-14-2008, 05:40 PM

the first photo dates from august last year..the flower inthe foreground lasted the longest..its still dried up on the keiki plant. Heres a photo of 'mummy' at the moment ..she's making me a new leaf, flowers & roots !

Don Perusse · #5 04-14-2008, 05:59 PM

Here it is. On the top you can clearly see two keikis and three spikes. Roots are about 3-4" long. The spike on the bottom of pic. is this years spike in bloom. Enjoy!

nenella · #6 04-14-2008, 06:16 PM

that's a beautiful picture! nice to sit looking at a phal with that mixture of green and flowers ("bushy" )
mine wasn't quite the same it started growing leaves (kekies) & then continued flowering with only one flower between the keiki leaves.. the keikis are far from making a new flowering stem like yours has done ! but my roots were really long about 6/8" by the time I cut the keikies off mother when I came back from a months holiday in january.

vmax3000 · #7 04-14-2008, 07:15 PM

Thanks for responding. Those are both beautiful plants. It's just odd to see a floriforous phal on the end of a stem connected to another floriforous phal!!

And with no roots. I will give it some more time and see what "develops". Hopefully, both of the keikis will root out and I can pass them on to friends (and future addicts!

)

thakshila smith · #8 05-14-2008, 06:14 AM

Vanessa , thanks for the pic .Quite healthy plant .Our vandas grow and bloom that way.

Rothie · #9 05-14-2008, 10:24 AM

Here is a quote from "All About Growing Orchids" page 36(Ortho Books).
"If the roots aren't coming along,bend the flower stems down and plant the keikis in a pot of bark.Once the keikis have rooted into the bark,cut them free from the flower stems."

Dorothy · #10 05-14-2008, 11:19 AM

You can remove the keiki so long as it has sufficiently sized roots (on phals - good 3 inch length per root) and they will develop roots on the spike as mine has - Just be patient .. it can take a while for the roots to develop - Check out my thread on this subject - http://www.orchidboard.com/community...iki-spike.html
and note the keiki's size and the time frame from the original post date to the date I posted updates and you can get an idea of how long it took mine to sprout 'legs'.