Phal Keiki Growth

[labyrinth1959]

A month ago a friend gave me a Phal at the end of the blooming cycle. I repotted it and snipped off the flower spikes (2) at about 8 inches of length thinking it would promote growth of new flower stems. It is now one month later and there are already new growths on the spikes. I originally thought they were new flower stems but now I see that they are new plants. See attached photo.

It is three months later and there is a new development. One of the keikis is sprouting a non-leaf growth that I originally thought was a long awaited root. But now it has a look more like a flower spike. Is that possible from a keiki? see new image.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by labyrinth1959

It is three months later and there is a new development. One of the keikis is sprouting a non-leaf growth that I originally thought was a long awaited root. But now it has a look more like a flower spike. Is that possible from a keiki? see new image.

Absolutely yes! I think that will be a spike.

I have a Phal. schilleriana that developed a keiki like that (two, actually, from two different spikes) that grew leaves for months, then both keikis bloomed. A few months after the flowers faded, I finally got roots. (So the whole cycle took place over nearly a year. One keiki grew two roots that were nice and long, I clipped that one and potted it up in a basket. The other one took longer to grow just one root, that one is still on the original old spike. (And while all this was happeneing, the mother plant bloomed too.) One can never have too many flowers!

[Mountaineer370]

Yes, even with my admittedly small number of orchids, I have had one Phalaenopsis that produced a keiki, and that keiki produced a spike and flowers. After the flowers had dried up and the keiki had adequate roots, I removed it and potted it up in its own pot.

Good luck with yours. Please share more pics if it does end up blooming.

[labyrinth1959]

Thanks for the replies. Never in a hundred years would I have suspected that the keiki would sprout a flower spike. I wonder if the keiki will be strong enough to support a flower spike and flowers without damage.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by labyrinth1959

Thanks for the replies. Never in a hundred years would I have suspected that the keiki would sprout a flower spike. I wonder if the keiki will be strong enough to support a flower spike and flowers without damage.

Sure. It will be fine. It's still drawing sustenance from the mother plant, it's doing what comes naturally. Don't try to second-guess nature. The plant "knows" what it can sustain.