HELP! Baby Phals Keep coming!!

[Jkelee]

anyone/everyone!!

I'm needing some words of wisdom here!

I have 4 large Phals that keep producing NEW babies, way way up high! Where the flowers should be! Instead of new buds/flowers, I'm getting New Phals!!

Which is great getting more and more plants, but Geeeze, I'd love to see a flower come out once in a great while!

Right now I've got 5 more baby Phals growing, and I see two more starting to shoot out a bit. I wait until they get good long roots, then cut them off, and grow them on their own.

I'm just getting tired of NO FLOWERS from them!!

Here's some pics of what they're doing.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE???

[cb977]

Hi

Lots of keikis is usually a sign that the plant is getting over-fertilized. There are other reasons, and I'm sure our other members will chime in with more information but I'd cut back on the amount/frequency of fertilizing.

[Jkelee]

Thanks for writing back. I only Fert about 1 time a month. That's it. Clean water every time after that. Very routine, not to Fert too much. So I'm not sure if that could truly be my reason

thanks.

[phalaephila]

How much light is the plant receiving? Could the keikis be a sign of not enough light?

jeanne

[Dorothy]

It all depends on the Phal .. some produce keikis as a sign of stress or it's ultimate demise .. others are just keiki producers ..
Did your phal come with a tag with a registered name? If so, we can determine what other orchids make up it's lineage .. That might give us a clue as to whether it's just a massive keiki producing Phal

[justatypn]

My first thought was to much light. Taking this from one of my dendrobiums that produced so many keiki's. It's all normal, but producing multiples is an accumulation of growth hormones, which Sue was correct in saying the orchid is getting over fertilized.

What is your fertilizing regimen?

What condition is the mother plant in?

[DelawareJim]

Originally Posted by Jkelee

anyone/everyone!!

I'm needing some words of wisdom here!

I have 4 large Phals that keep producing NEW babies, way way up high! Where the flowers should be! Instead of new buds/flowers, I'm getting New Phals!!

Which is great getting more and more plants, but Geeeze, I'd love to see a flower come out once in a great while!

Right now I've got 5 more baby Phals growing, and I see two more starting to shoot out a bit. I wait until they get good long roots, then cut them off, and grow them on their own.

I'm just getting tired of NO FLOWERS from them!!

Here's some pics of what they're doing.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE???

You need to send them to me for proper analysis and study.

Actually, it sounds like too much light, fertilizer or stress. Are the keikis on stalks that have already produced fowers or new stalks with just plantlets? What window or light source is it near? Saying you fertilize once per month doesn't really help because we don't know what you are using or what strength fertilizer you are applying. Big difference between 1/4 teaspoon of MSU once per onth and 1 tablespoon Peters 30-10-10 orchid fertilizer once per month.

Cheers.
Jim

[Lagoon]

I don't see once per month of fertliizer doing much for any orchid. I'm thinking it's lower lighting and high heats could be bringing these on.
Do you have photo's of the parent plants?

[Jkelee]

As for lighting questions; too much, too little? Well I have them in a Greenhouse, with about 60-65% shade, Fans blowing always, humidifyer sometimes, windows open, sitting on a south table. As for what mother plant, they all are very very healthy and strong. I only Fert (full) once a month, using Orchid Bloom Booster 11-35-15, & sometimes Orchid Plus 20-14-13. As for names, No these were Passed on from others without them. And yes, the babies are way up high, on existing past blooming stalks.

I hope I answered all the questions.

Thanks.

[Bird Song Farm]

Hi,
Have you considered sacrificing the keikis and cutting the spikes off to about 1 1/2" above the medium, leaving one node. This might force the plant into a rest and perhaps the next spike would bloom for you.

The keikis might do well with the "sphag and bag" method. I might also cut the light level down a notch and stop the bloom booster for awhile. A weekly/weakly fert. of 20-20-20 might be appropriate.
All speculation on my part, I'm an experimen-ter!
Al