NoID Phal - Blooming or??

[Csc9]

Hi all, newbie here and I'm trying to figure out what on earth this Phal is doing..

This is growth on a stalk with what looks to me a flower bulb and a leaf?? What on earth is going on? If I should move this to another section of the forum please let me know. Thanks!

[Roberta]

That is a keiki (a baby plant) starting to develop. Leave it alone until it develops a root system. It can bloom attached to the spike of the mother plant, or when it has good roots, it can be removed and planted separately - a "bonus" plant. But don't rush to remove it... until it has good roots of its own, it can't survive separated from the flower spike.

[charlesf6]

Lucky Ducky!

[Csc9]

Wow what a surprise!! Thanks for that @Roberta, off to go look for information on keiki!

[JScott]

I like to just leave the keikis on the spikes. It kind of creates a "spider plant" looking effect, and eventually the keiki will get big enough to bloom, and you'll have blooms coming from a plant growing from an old bloom spike, and may even have a bloom spike from the mother plant at the same time, and I think that's just kind of cool. Of course eventually the keiki sometimes gets too big and maybe the spike breaks under the weight, and has to be removed and potted separately, but I like to leave them on as long as I can.

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------

Oh, and spray the roots of the keiki pretty regularly iwth water since they are totally exposed to the air, and that will help keep the roots healthy, especially in low humidity.

[Csc9]

Thanks for the tip, it's the first time I've had a Phal with a keiki. I have another in the collection that's bloomed reliably for the last 9 years but never before a keiki!

The mother plant of this keiki seems to be doing well, leaves are looking healthy. My mother actually passed it this to me when all the blooms dropped cause she knew I'd keep caring for it, so it's still in spagum moss. I'm wondering if I should try to repot in some mixed break medium or would it give it too much of a shock?

Originally Posted by JScott

I like to just leave the keikis on the spikes. It kind of creates a "spider plant" looking effect, and eventually the keiki will get big enough to bloom, and you'll have blooms coming from a plant growing from an old bloom spike, and may even have a bloom spike from the mother plant at the same time, and I think that's just kind of cool. Of course eventually the keiki sometimes gets too big and maybe the spike breaks under the weight, and has to be removed and potted separately, but I like to leave them on as long as I can.

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------

Oh, and spray the roots of the keiki pretty regularly iwth water since they are totally exposed to the air, and that will help keep the roots healthy, especially in low humidity.

[Roberta]

Repot. If it is in the original moss, it's probably either broken down, or hard as a rock in the middle. If the moss is packed hard, soak the plant in water for an hour or so and it will be much easier to remove. You don't have to get it all - you want to preserve any good roots. Just clean off what you can, and then pot in your bark medium. Phals can be potted at any time, even in bloom. This one will say "Thank you".

[Csc9]

Thanks for the tip @Roberta!

Guess I've got my projects cut out for me. It's been a while since I've repotted anything.

[JScott]

Get it out of the moss ASAP.

[Csc9]

Well here's the aftermath.

Looks like the root system is pretty good still. Will probably keep some most though as I don't live in a high humidity area (westcoast Canada).

Wish me luck! Will post another photo once it's back in its pot!