Hello….need some help

[LisaJ]

Hello all! I was gifted an orchid plant - have no idea what I’m doing! It has 2 babies with very long air roots. I think I need to remove the babies and repot, but the air roots are very long. I don’t think I should clip them, but I’m worried they’ll break. Please help

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

Definitely don't clip the roots!! The keikis can indeed become independent plants with those lovely roots. If that is the route that you want to take, you can clip the stem a bit below the keiki. Then soak it well, to soften the root. When you put, you'l put it into the pot with a twisting motion, to try to wind the root around the pot. Be gentle. But if the outer coating of the root does crack, it's OK... the core of the root is what actually does the work of transporiting water and it will be fine. Use a very open mediudm - I prefer medium-sized bark. Then you will need to water to maintain moisture (but not wet- it wants humid air not wet). Looking at the pot that the mother plant is in, you can repot it at the same time. (It looks like it needs it)

Or, consider just leaving them, and spray the aerial roots when you water. They're capable of producing spikes, so that when the mother plant spikes and the keikis spike, you will have a really impressive display.

[estación seca]

Welcome!