Hey everyone.
I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a phal. schilleriana, and one happened to cross my path on ebay this evening.
They listed it as a "grouping" - it looks like it's a mother plant with 2 keikis on it. For a chance at scoring a set of 3 of a wishlist orchid, I rolled the dice.
Here's a link to the
ebay listing, with pictures.
Here's where I'm concerned. I've only dealt with flower shop NOID phals before. I have not worked with a species orchid. I've also never worked with an orchid that has one keiki, let alone 2 of them. So as you can guess, my first order of business is helping to stabilize this little fellow once it arrives.
There looks like browning around all of the leaves which has me a bit concerned, but it could just be the natural coloration. However, all of the roots look to be in good shape.
I also know that too many keikis can kill a mother. I also know that shipping is going to be a bit hard on the plant. So, these are all things I'm considering.
I was hoping I could get some guidance on how to best approach this?
Right now I'm figuring:
- Receive the plant safely
- Remove dead roots
- Do not touch the keikis, even if they are ready to separate and have ample roots
- Repot the plant in new media (already have on hand)
- Water with distilled water for about a month, then feed winter fertilizer (half strength MSU mix is what I have)
- Let it stabilize under a grow light (either blurple, mixed LEDs, or a CFL that has a habit of cooking things) until I see positive signs of growth
- Anything else?
Is there anything I'm missing?
I'm also considering taking the plunge with semihydro, but this seems like the wrong plant to roll the dice on (I can get a $5 orchid from a lowes discount rack to experiment on if I really want...). But if the keikis DO stress the plant, would semihydro better support the needs of the plant?
Right now I feel super excited, and a lot like I jumped in over my head.
Any tips are deeply appreciated!