Questions about my orchids

[tim abbott]

I have posted pics of 2 different orchids,

The first is a vibrant little phal. that I have & it has been growing a spike, it is the second one one this year & I assumed I would see some more flowers, but it appears that leaves are growing at the tip so I am assuming a keki will form. Does this seem to be a valid assumption & is this normaql behavior?

The next two pics are a catt. that shows new growth at the surface & what looks like something simillar below the surface. Does the growth under the surface indicate that I planted the catt. too deep & should raise it up so the lower growth is at the surface?

Thanks

Tim Abbott

[jkofferdahl]

I think it's kind of unusual for a Phal to keiki rather than grow a flower spike, but I don't know if it's entirely abnormal. Settle for unusual?

The Catt. is potted too deeply, yes. You should be able to see the rhizome at the surface. You should repot it, getting the rhizome up and saving that growth that's most likely going to rot if you don't.

[BikerDoc5968]

I think it is a bit too early to call this election. I think you are going to have to wait and see what morning light brings. I thought I was going to get a keiki on the 1st pic but got a flower spike. I've never had a keiki grow from the middle of a stem on any of my phals but the 2nd pic maybe is just unusual. The 3rd pic was a branching flower spike and now I have keikis growing. So I guess you'll just have to wait and be excited at whatever grows!

[tim abbott]

Thanks jkofferdahl & BikerDoc.

Tim Abbott

[Leisurely]

Could all of those keikis be caused by a high nitrogen fertilizer. What kind of fertilizer are you using?

[BikerDoc5968]

Jerry, I assume, maybe incorrectly, that you are making reference to my pics. I must say the last pic is a flower scar treated with keiki paste. The others are au naturale. I doubt it has anything to do with plant food, but to respond, I use Better~Gro products (20-14-13 and 11-35-15)

[Leisurely]

The keiki paste asnwers the question. That stuff really does work.

[BikerDoc5968]

Yes and No. I have found timing is everything! If you apply it too soon after the last flower on the spike opens, you'll generate more flowers and no keiki. It has been real trial and error with me. The only reason I am even using it is to try to get back some chids that have crown rot and aren't generating any basilar keikis.

[Leisurely]

I have never used it Howard, but it seems to me that if timing is the issue, I would wait for at least three or more weeks after the last flower to insure that the plant is out of the flowering mode.