Basal Orchid Question

[risingstar]

I was wondering if (basal "keiki" or offshoots), will harm the mother plant? or if its forming offshoots is a sign the orchid is no longer surviving?

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

Those basal growths are just one of the ways that the plant reproduces itself. The "usual' growth point is a single one, the crown. Depending on ancestry, some Phalaenopsis produce basal growths routinely (not just in response to loss of the crown or when the plant gets too tall). It certainly does no harm to the mother plant - it's just more surface area for photosynthesis, and also another source of flowers - a multi-growth plant can put on a spectacular display. Don't even think of trying to separate it - those basal growths share a root system with the mother plant, so not likely to survive independently.(The difference between those basal growths, and keikis that may form on a flower spike with their own roots) Congratulations on having a healthy-looking plant that is likely to give you a very nice show.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by Roberta

First, Welcome!

Those basal growths are just one of the ways that the plant reproduces itself. The "usual' growth point is a single one, the crown. Depending on ancestry, some Phalaenopsis produce basal growths routinely (not just in response to loss of the crown or when the plant gets too tall). It certainly does no harm to the mother plant - it's just more surface area for photosynthesis, and also another source of flowers - a multi-growth plant can put on a spectacular display. Don't even think of trying to separate it - those basal growths share a root system with the mother plant, so not likely to survive independently.(The difference between those basal growths, and keikis that may form on a flower spike with their own roots) Congratulations on having a healthy-looking plant that is likely to give you a very nice show.

ahh I see, basically it means the child shares food with the mother, and both of them work as a team. I see what you are saying where teamwork makes the dream team. Basal growth is interesting, and this was my first orchid, I had it over a year. I first started in hydroponic for a full year, but it lost some roots, and then I decided it’s not the way to go. I ended up doing the traditional way with medium for the first time, and it works phenomenal. Love it. I give fertilizer also half way and feed water from bottom up half way. It bloom once also. I don’t mind to much of the flowers, I care about the plant and orchids health itself. But thank you again for the information

Edit: some new roots growing and an aerial

---------- Post added at 03:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

Quick question if I expose my orchid to the light, about 2400 lumens and 5 inches away does it make the leaf black or turn it black?

[Roberta]

It sounds like you are burning it. Phals are low-light plants, and heat can damage leaves fast on any orchid. Feel the leaf - if it is warm to the touch, move it away from that light NOW. If the leaf is burnt, leave it... the green part can still photosynthesize. You'll have to look at it until it loses the leaf naturally.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by Roberta

It sounds like you are burning it. Phals are low-light plants, and heat can damage leaves fast on any orchid. Feel the leaf - if it is warm to the touch, move it away from that light NOW. If the leaf is burnt, leave it... the green part can still photosynthesize. You'll have to look at it until it loses the leaf naturally.

Here are the leafs photo where I leave the plants, it’s been like this for the past 3 weeks. It’s been growing new leafs but I was afraid. I look at the new leafs and it looked black at one point and purple on the back side

[Roberta]

Ah... the purple coloring is just pigment - I suspect that the flowers are purple. When there is a lot of light (you are likely at the upper edge of the light that it wants) the leaves will express that pigment. Think "suntan". Black would be a problem, but purple is OK. But you still may want to move it a bit farther from the light - Phals like long duration (12 hours or so of light) but low intensity.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by risingstar

Here are the leafs photo where I leave the plants, it’s been like this for the past 3 weeks. It’s been growing new leafs but I was afraid. I look at the new leafs and it looked black at one point and purple on the back side

I’ll take a deeper picture and I think I’ll move the orchids away from the light a bit more

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:55 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Ah... the purple coloring is just pigment - I suspect that the flowers are purple. When there is a lot of light (you are likely at the upper edge of the light that it wants) the leaves will express that pigment. Think "suntan". Black would be a problem, but purple is OK. But you still may want to move it a bit farther from the light - Phals like long duration (12 hours or so of light) but low intensity.

Yeah I’m terrified, I got this light

DOMMIA Grow Lights for Indoor... Amazon.com

It’s exactly 20watt and I used a multimeter to measure the power consumption, so it’s true. Output is 2400 Lumen LED, so yearly I did the math it’s more or less $10

I went on Google to search and a post said orchids need minimum 10k - 16k lux at 8 hours per day. I really don’t know about the conversions between 10k lux to lumen, apparently 10k lux is the same as 10k lumen of light for 1 square meter

Link to the post: How Much Light Do Phalaenopsis Orchids Need? - Smart Garden Guide

[Roberta]

Having never measured the light that my plants get, I'll leave it to others, who routinely grow under lights, to respond to the numbers. You can learn a lot just by observing. First, if the leaf feels warm to the touch it's getting too much light - and heat. Move it immediately. If not, then look for that "suntan". It's an indication that you're overdoing it a bit. Look at leaf color - dark green and it's probably not getting enough. More like a lime green, likely correct. Yellow-green, likely too much. This will vary by type of orchid, of course. Look for changes.
Imprecise, but functional - if you "listen" your plants will tell you what they need.

[Dimples]

Given the dark purple coloring in your plant, I suggest moving your Phal further from the light. I have a very happy Phal sitting about 2-2.5 feet below a 32 watt LED light. Try putting the light 10-15 inches away and see if the purpling lessens a bit. Like Roberta said, a little purple is fine but dark purple like that may indicate stress.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by Dimples

Given the dark purple coloring in your plant, I suggest moving your Phal further from the light. I have a very happy Phal sitting about 2-2.5 feet below a 32 watt LED light. Try putting the light 10-15 inches away and see if the purpling lessens a bit. Like Roberta said, a little purple is fine but dark purple like that may indicate stress.

I put the mother with the baby further back and the other two up to the side of the light. Everyone should get light, I am guessing around 2 feet away from the light source or so, I think that will help