Vanda shoots spike or keiki please?

[bil]

OK, so the three vandas I bought are starting to show signs of life. Well, two of them are. The really brutalised one that arrived with half the leaves rotting and the roots like a rat's nest has just dropped all the damaged leaves, but as yet that's all. The other one with the poor roots has root spikes appearing all over the roots, and two big fat roots emerging from the stem.
The one with the good roots has also burst into life.

It is showing the buds of 4 roots off the stem, and from the base it is showing three bright green shoots that are clearly not roots. Now are these flower spikes, or are they three basal keikis?

[My Green Pets]

Because of

1. Their thickness and
2. Their location low on the stem,

I would say that they are keikis. Great news, as it looks like they are recovering.

They will probably need to gain more strength before flowering. With plenty of sun, water, and a bit of fertilizer, this plant will give you flowers, possibly within a few months.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I am leaning towards those being new growths/offshoots.

I'm not sure I would technically call them keikis yet, but at this point I wouldn't know.

What a lot of inexperienced growers of Vandas are not aware of, (by inexperienced, I mean people who are just starting to get into Vandas, or those who have successfully been able to grow Vandas for under 2 years), is that Vandas do not just keep growing taller; they branch out as well. They have multiple growths. Neofinetia (Vanda) falcata is a prime example of this. Those growths are not necessarily keikis. They can be growths or offshoots from each other, as in they are attached firmly to each other without a natural opportunity to be detached from one another easily unless the mother plant itself died; as in they must be, literally, divided. That one fan of whatever Vanda you bought, will not necessarily stay one fan forever, it could conceivably end up being a beast of a plant with multiple fans firmly connected to another.

A true keiki doesn't have to be divided. Over time, that connection between keiki and mother plant will not exist anymore. You can easily pluck off the keiki from the mother plant without much effort at all after a certain amount of time has passed to allow the keiki to mature enough to the point where it is able to live as a separate individual in-and-of-itself.

Hopefully this distinction makes some sense.

[bil]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

I am leaning towards those being new growths/offshoots.

I'm not sure I would technically call them keikis yet, but at this point I wouldn't know.

What a lot of inexperienced growers of Vandas are not aware of, (by inexperienced, I mean people who are just starting to get into Vandas, or those who have successfully been able to grow Vandas for under 2 years), is that Vandas do not just keep growing taller; they branch out as well. They have multiple growths. Neofinetia (Vanda) falcata is a prime example of this. Those growths are not necessarily keikis. They can be growths or offshoots from each other, as in they are attached firmly to each other without a natural opportunity to be detached from one another easily unless the mother plant itself died; as in they must be, literally, divided. That one fan of whatever Vanda you bought, will not necessarily stay one fan forever, it could conceivably end up being a beast of a plant with multiple fans firmly connected to another.

A true keiki doesn't have to be divided. Over time, that connection between keiki and mother plant will not exist anymore. You can easily pluck off the keiki from the mother plant without much effort at all after a certain amount of time has passed to allow the keiki to mature enough to the point where it is able to live as a separate individual in-and-of-itself.

Hopefully this distinction makes some sense.

Well, as a basic noob, I take no offence. Yeah, I used the term basal keiki, with hindsight I should have said offshoots.

Hmmm, a beast of a plant eh? I just hope to god I can house it and over winter it if it keeps growing. I was very pleased with its colour, so it will give a gorgeous display. I'm just worrying about how big a vase it will need......

---------- Post added at 02:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 PM ----------

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

Because of

1. Their thickness and
2. Their location low on the stem,

I would say that they are keikis. Great news, as it looks like they are recovering.

They will probably need to gain more strength before flowering. With plenty of sun, water, and a bit of fertilizer, this plant will give you flowers, possibly within a few months.

Yeah, these were not in the best of shape when I got them, and two of them had lousy roots. I just hope that the badly damaged one will make a recovery, as I would like to save it.

If anyone has suggestions as to what would help, I would appreciate it.

[Bud]

I think those are basal keikis with the leaves in formation....if it is a bloom spike it would look like a lollipop knob.

[My Green Pets]

Originally Posted by bil

Hmmm, a beast of a plant eh? I just hope to god I can house it and over winter it if it keeps growing. I was very pleased with its colour, so it will give a gorgeous display. I'm just worrying about how big a vase it will need...

With proper air, light, water, and fertilizer, Vandas can get huge. This photo can give you an idea—there are only two plants here! The Vanda in the basket at right is 'normal' sized, but the one on the left weighs upwards of 25 kilos!

[bil]

Ooooooo... That would cause me a few problems.

Tell me, if the roots get too big for a vase, how well would they stand a drying atmosphere, and how many times a day would they need spraying?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I recommend either growing potted, while you still can, or grow them in a wood slat basket.

Vanda roots can withstand growing in air if they started growing in it already. For example, you have your Vanda. It started to push out some new roots next summer. Those new roots grow in the air just fine. You may have to water everyday or every other day during active growth, it depends on what you see is going on with your Vanda.

[bil]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

I recommend either growing potted, while you still can, or grow them in a wood slat basket.

Vanda roots can withstand growing in air if they started growing in it already. For example, you have your Vanda. It started to push out some new roots next summer. Those new roots grow in the air just fine. You may have to water everyday or every other day during active growth, it depends on what you see is going on with your Vanda.

Could you expand a bit please on the alternatives on offer?

I'd also be interested to know what you would do and why.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Grow your Vanda potted in a clear plastic pot with plenty of air slots or holes. Use large grade potting mix. If you have to make sure the orchid doesn't topple over, put it in a larger terra-cotta pot. Do this while the orchid's root system still allows you to easily fit them inside a pot without damaging them too heavily. The orchid's root mass will conform to the shape of the pot when it is growing out in subsequent season. From then on, the Vanda can be grown potted throughout its life without having to worry about roots not being able to be watered sufficiently because too many of them were exposed to air and start desiccating.

Similar thing with the wood slat basket except with this method, more of the roots can grow out of the slats and start dangling all over the place.

I prefer the potted method. Unfortunately, right now, I don't have the time to explain. If you want an explanation of why I prefer the potted method, I will tell you later.