Twin Keikis?

[ajeatoo]

Hi

I have a phal orchid that just loves to put out Keiki's apparently. (I have posted about this orchid before). I repotted the mother with its first keiki in the same pot this past January. That keiki is now growing a new leaf and a new root (yay!!) the mother has also been growing a new root and is working in a new leaf (yay again!).

About two or so months ago it started growing another keiki, but I stupidly broke it off accidentally. Then last month it started growing another keiki! This one is doing well, it's almost 1 1/4" long. I noticed however it started growing something else out if the same node last week. It looks like another keiki! I've heard of twin keikis growing out of the same node before but don't know much about it. Is that what this growth is?

I hope in another year it will throw out a spike! But apparently it needs to do some serious growth first lol. The mother plant has 6 leaves plus the newest just growing. The keiki repotted with it has two with a new one growing.

Thanks!


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[RosieC]

It does look like it might be, but I can't be sure. Interesting

[ajeatoo]

It must be another keiki. It can't be a root already for the keiki that's already growing I wouldn't think.

Would the mother plant grow another branch and a keiki out if the same node?? I wouldn't think that to be possible.


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[kindrag23]

Interesting I have only seen this once on a phal in store but that one was on an all out spike in bloom and a baby that was on it and had like 3 leaves growing. I told the nursery and they looked at me like I was an alien....lol...the plant must like you though to be giving you so many babies.

[ajeatoo]

Well I've had this phal for 3 years. Bought it at a Van Dusen Gardens at their annual plant sale while it was in bloom. It hasn't re-bloomed. However I was a total novice when I got it. Have since found this board and have moved it to a better kit place and repotted it in good orchid mix of bark, sphagnum moss, coconut husks, and several other things and have been fertilizing weakly weekly. It seems to be thriving ever since. So I'm hoping that next year it will grow a spike. ☺️ I've just never seen a twin keiki! So was hoping to find some info.


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[lotis146]

I had a Phal grow twin keikis about a year and a half ago now. Only difference between mine and yours is that they grew at the exact same time out of the same node. I pretty much knew next to nothing about Orchids then, that's what brought me here. I left them on the mother until they each had three leaves & 2-3 roots over 7 inches long. That was sort of unintentional as I was nervous to remove them, especially since they were twins and I didn't know how or where to cut them. Plus I heard you can leave them on but then their roots started wrinkling up a lot and didn't recover much even with several daily sprays (not something I could have kept up). Since repotting them they've been growing new roots (no new leaves) and one of them is actually growing a spike (just discovered last week).

So I'm no expert and it's kind of hard to tell in your pic, I'm not so familiar with these dark reddish leaves. My leaves weren't all that big when they started growing their first root each but they did resemble a very small open leaf, if that makes sense. Post again in a week or so, I'm sure it'll be more obvious then, what an obvious answer right? But congrats on all your keikis, I discovered late that twin keikis are pretty rare and was pretty proud. Like I said I had no idea what I was looking at at first, was my plant growing a new spike or what? They just looked like a pair of leaves growing at the top of the spike; then they grew a root each, then another leaf each, a couple more roots and a very small third leaf each. The third leaves btw seemed to have stopped growing all together, they haven't grown much since repotting.

Good job & good luck, keep us posted.

[lotis146]

Wish I had taken pics earlier when they first started growing but here's my twins not long before I removed and potted them...

[ajeatoo]

I remembered reading about someone else having twin keikis but couldn't remember who it was!!

The name of my orchid is Dtps. Happy Cat "Hello Kitty". The leaves are red underneath and dark green with touches if red on the edges on top. It's the only orchid I have with this coloring. I have attached a pic of the flowers from when it was in bloom. I really hope it blooms again!!

I will definitely post a pic in a week or so when things have grown a bit more.


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[lotis146]

Yup, that's me!

Beautiful plant btw. I look forward to seeing how your growths are coming.

[ajeatoo]

Well it doesn't look like it's another keiki. But it's not he color of root either! Here is some pic updates.


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