My favorite NOID phal needs help

[gehentogo]

Hi,

This poor guy is my favorite because he is just embracing life with the tools he has.

My wife had him in Berlin in an appartment with poor sunlight. None of her orchids did well there, so I brought them all to my appartment in Franconia. I have a large, SE facing window with lots of light. All of her orchids but one has bloomed here, including this sorry looking guy. Spectacular.

While it was in Berlin, all the leaves except this one fell off. This one mangy leaf has kept this plant alive and blooming for over a year, and now it has a keiki!

What should I do to help him out? My instincts (I am a beginner and know little about orchids) is to cut the keiki off once it shows some roots and plant it, cut the dead stump above the leaf on the main plant (hoping that it would allow more leaves to grow), and repot the main plant. It is still in the plastic tub that we bought it in (in some supermarket somewhere).

Thanks for any help and advice you have!

[bonsai1504]

cut it off when the total length of roots is 4 inches. if there is anyone that can better explain this please do!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by bonsai1504

cut it off when the total length of roots is 4 inches. if there is anyone that can better explain this please do!

I agree with that. Some people say 3 inches, others say 4. (that would be between 7 and 10cm) It doesn't matter if you have 1, 2, 3 or more roots. The important thing is the total root length. Hopefully you will be able to save the mother plant once the keiki has enough roots to be on its own!

[Mirranova]

If you are gentle, you can repot mom with the keiki attached. Make sure that you soak your bark well before using it. Repotting a Phal. can be done at any time, and I always notice a great improvement in growth after a repot and clean up.

[mayres]

I agree with that - get it repotted right away! And remember to presoak your bark 24-48 hours ahead of time. Both keiki and mom should benefit.

[gehentogo]

Thanks for the tip, I was going to wait until after I dealt with the keiki, but I think I'll do it right away. I have a bag of orchid mix I bought at a plant store, I think it is pine bark. I read somewhere it should be boiled. Is that really necessary?

Also, what should I do about that dead clump above the single leaf. Is there something I can do to it that will allow more leaves to grow again?

[Mirranova]

Soaking the bark for 24-48 hours in room temp. water should suffice, you can also add a few drops of dish soap to it(helps it soak in). I also soak my bark with a few drops of Superthrive in the water, it helps with stimulating root growth. I would avoid fertilizer for a month or more after repot, and simply keeping it watered when it needs it will help it to produce some nice roots. I find after a repot my Phals have a growth spurt.

You can gently trim off anything that you are sure is dead. The key to repotting a Phal in keiki or spike is to be as gentle as possible, especially with healthy roots. Healthy roots if moved around to much or bent can develop tiny cracks that allow infection. Also the least amount of disturbance, the happier it will be with the repot. You want to make it happy, not stress it.