Leaves Sprouting on Phal Flower Stalks

[msrebekahjane]

This is a small "teacup" phal with very nice root system and just finished a long 3 stalk bloom. The nodes (if that the correct term) where the blossoms were, are now greening-up and starting to sprout small green leaves. I was ready to cut the stalks off as usual but hesitate due to the leaves that are sprouting indicating life. Education please. Thanks.

[BobcatJohnson]

That would be a keiki, a baby plant clone of its mother plant. When the roots get long enough to begin absorbing moisture it can be removed from the mother plant and potted up on its own. Or it can be left on there for a time to use its mother as an energy base for stronger growth. If the mother plant is weak the keiki can weaken it even more. I'm probably not the best to tell you how to go about doing all that, but searching the work "keiki" will probably give you all the information you need.

[Shadeflower]

I know you need 5 posts to be able to post pictures but without pictures it's hard to give the right advice. Bob has given you good advice if it is a keiki but I hesitated when you said the whole branch is greening up and every flower node is developing a leaf. That could just be the flower sheaths that remain after the flowers drop.
There is no urgent need to cut anything. I like to leave my spikes till they turn brown. That way the plant can reabsorb nutrients from the stem. Once it has turned brown it can be cut. There is no benefit cutting it any sooner. The plant will not gain any more energy to flower more or better, in fact cutting off the flower spike means the plant loses energy overall.

[Mountaineer370]

I agree that photos would be helpful. I am in the camp that leaves the spike on the plant, even after the flowers have fallen off, until it dries up and turns brown. I have had some Phals put out a secondary spike from an old one that is still green, even months after the first flush of flowers is gone.

What you describe could certainly be keikis, especially if you are seeing leaves, but from your description, it sounds like there are multiple locations where this is happening, and it would be a little unusual -- though not unheard of -- to have a large number of keikis at once.

[BobcatJohnson]

I suppose I should read more carefully. I missed the part about these "leaves" sprouting from where the flowers were. Shade is probably right in that those sound more like the sheaths. My understanding is that keikis would only form on the unused nodes (the little knots that you can see on spike). However, I've not had a keiki yet myself, so am not an expert on them.