Anyone have experience with a terminal spike? I'm nervous.

[Becheart]

Thank you all so much. At first I was disappointed but now I'm so thankful to have the experience of maybe having babies!

[ddivey36]

SO a terminal spike from a Phal is one that creates a keiki?
I have one that was a normal bloom spike and it is dying back slowly and i didn't cut it off yet and now it is making a keiki...is that a terminal spike?

[Becheart]

No. One that comes from the crown is Terminal.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Becheart

How long before you remove your keikis I've noticed some growth around the node on the spike that the flowers are dying on... I'm wondering if I won't get any on the spike as I morning mist my orchids being in Wisconsin.

Leave any basal keikis attached because they will share roots with the "mother" plant for many years. They may eventually grow their own roots and separate naturally after several years.

If you get keikis on the spike, you can separate those from the spike after they grow 3 or 4 roots that are 5 or 6 centimeters long.

[charitysmama]

Does Keiki paste promote keiki production or root growth or both?

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by charitysmama

Does Keiki paste promote keiki production or root growth or both?

It promotes keiki production not root growth. You use it on a node of a flower spike to promote a keiki to grow at that point.

[charitysmama]

Originally Posted by RosieC

It promotes keiki production not root growth. You use it on a node of a flower spike to promote a keiki to grow at that point.

I have quite a few keikis coming on, even some on spikes that I cut off and put in water. Can I get them to grow roots? Should I put some root tone one them?

[RosieC]

The best thing for roots I've found is seaweed extract.

You have to be careful with anything you use as too much causes the opposite effect (inhibits root growth rather than promotes it). Many of the hormones you can buy to promote roots have to be used very weakly on orchids. Also a lot of them decay quickly at room temperature and so bottles can become useless pretty quickly.

Seaweed extract often seems to be more stable and seems to work well with Orchids without being too strong. First Rays Orchids sells some good ones I'm told, he's a member here and has tested them out himself with good results. I'm in the UK so it's not much use telling you the one I use.

[charitysmama]

Interesting, I assume that you put the seaweed extract in the water and not on the keiki? Linda

[turock]

This may be a silly question, but does a terminal spike cause an orchid to stop growing, or is it more of a signal that the orchid is naturally done growing?

I always thought the latter, but recently heard someone allude to a terminal spike crowding out the leaves so that the orchid couldn't grow anymore.