hmm spike?? - Orchid Board

mattryan · #1 04-05-2011, 02:32 PM

hello everyone i just wanted to ask a ? i have this phal that i thought had started a spike now i'm not soo sure i think it might be a basal keiki. It seems to be growing way too slow for a spike and it has a split at the top where a mitt should be, thanks all

Sorry if the pics aren't very clear.

en3rmax · #2 04-05-2011, 02:36 PM

The pics are a bit out of focus but it does look like a spike as they tend to appear from a gap in a lower leaf.

PeaceLoveOrchids · #3 04-05-2011, 02:51 PM

Seeing that there's a little notch at the base of the growth that would be a stem. However, from my limited experience and reading the forums, it's never a 100% yes or no. I had a phal that grew like this for a week, I was so excited it was finally going to bloom, and it did a u turn and decided to be a root.

Lets hope it is though

en3rmax · #4 04-05-2011, 03:14 PM

Roots tend to grow down and into the medium or up through the medium and into the air as aerial roots from the way that's growing i'd say spike :-)

Here is a pic of one of my phals sending up a spike at the moment for you to compare

The tip looks a bit thin to be a spike they tend to have the "mitten" shape, i'm sure you'll know soon.

FairyInTheFlowers · #5 04-05-2011, 03:54 PM

I am about 95% sure this is a keiki! By the looks of it, the 'split' is the first leaf starting to open up. Congrats!

mattryan · #6 04-05-2011, 05:31 PM

thanks all for your responces i think it's a keiki too

so sad and a basal 1 at that i have nother orchid in my collection mother's dead and baby has not made 1 root in 6 mos. Any idea what i might be doing to get basal keikis'...because i''ll stop it right now..keikis' are great if they come off a spike and not at expense of killing mom...mother has no crown damage and it actively growing roots any advice?

WhiteRabbit · #7 04-05-2011, 06:12 PM

the mother plant won't necessarily die - I'm pretty sure I have seen members post that they have phals with basal keikis and both mother and baby do fine - I think some Phals may just be more 'prone' to it than others

quiltergal · #8 04-06-2011, 01:24 AM

Basal Keikis don't necessarily mean the parent plant is going to die. I have a Phal mannii with a pot full of basal Keikis. It had 8 spikes this year.

It's possibly just genetics.

One other possibility is that it started out as a spike and maybe got too much nitrogen and instead of becoming flowers it became a Keiki.