Oncidium Twinkle Keiki - Orchid Board

JaneEyre · #1 03-31-2011, 01:34 AM

I recently purchased Oncidium Twinkle 'Red Raspberry' in spike and it is now blooming

Few days ago I noticed it has a keiki growing from its pseudo-bulb and its roots (about an inch long) are piercing though the leaf. Is that normal? When the time comes, I am not sure how to separate this keiki from its mother without hurting the plant. Here are some pics.

Daethen · #2 03-31-2011, 08:31 AM

Never experienced this.

Paul Mc · #3 03-31-2011, 08:32 AM

Never have experienced this either. Mine have always sprouted new growth from the base as opposed to at the top of a p-bulb.

Jennyfleur · #4 03-31-2011, 08:48 AM

Umm, to make the hat-trick, I haven't either! I suppose it may be necessary to separate by slicing through the base of the leaf where it joins the p/bulb. However, I can't say I'm a fan of that thought so I'm looking forward to seeing what others might suggest!

btw, those blooms look gorgeous! Is twinkle scented?

camille1585 · #5 03-31-2011, 08:58 AM

That is awesome! I've never heard of a Onc making keikis! Me too, I would cut it off while sacrificing the the leaf of the bulb. It looks like it's a fair sized and healthy plant and this looks to be one of the older bulbs, so I doubt that the plant will miss that leaf too much.

Paula Frayne · #6 03-31-2011, 09:03 AM

I can't help you with the keiki thing, but I sure can admire that plant!

tucker85 · #7 03-31-2011, 09:58 AM

That's a beautiful oncidium. None of my oncidiums have ever done that. I don't think it would be considered a keiki. Keikis form on monopodial orchids. I think yours is just a new psuedobulb that has origionated from an unsual part of the plant. I would just leave it and see how it develops.

nenella · #8 03-31-2011, 06:13 PM

I would also be tempted to leave it for now and try and coax the roots to grow into the medium(my prefered method in my conditions) is to put a bit of
loose sphag on those new roots; but also letting It dry out before re-watering; making sure those new roots grow and don't dry out completely or rot.... It's a fine line .. & the alot of OB members saying : ' it is better to leave one more day to dry out just a tad more than be damp/wet '. ..Works for me.
Good luck & keep us posted

WhiteRabbit · #9 04-01-2011, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Keikis form on monopodial orchids.

sympodials do get keikis - most notably, Dens, and Epidendrums, tho I have a tolu that keikis up the wazoo. I have also heard of Onc Carnival Costume (Oncidium x Tolumnia) getting keikis like that on the top of the pbulb.

I agree with Camille, I wouldn't worry too much about damaging the leaf - there's lots of foliage on that plant - tho it doesn't hurt to leave it be and see what happens either way - even if it is truly a keiki, it doesn't have to be removed.

ETA: side note - I did a search for oncidium keiki, just out of curiousity and found this

Quote:

The orchids that most commonly produce keikis are Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Epidendrums, and Phalaenopsis.

Orchid Keikis | Everything Orchids
found the same info on some other sites as well, so it seems it is definitely possible, and not even uncommon, for Oncidiums to develop keikis

JaneEyre · #10 04-01-2011, 03:52 AM

Thanks everyone.

I will wait and see what happens. I like this plant, very cute, but can't say I enjoy its fragrance. When I was buying it, they only had yellow colored one in bloom. So when I smelled it, I really liked it, but felt like I would really like the red one. Didn't even occur to me that the fragrance would be different. Oh well, it is still pretty to look at.