First keiki - Orchid Board

serindipity · #1 03-17-2009, 04:01 PM

Hello! I am new to this board and am also a beginner orchid grower.

My phalaenopsis orchid, which I have had for about a year and a half or so, is growing a keiki on it's spike. It took me a long time to even find out what that new growth was called!

I have a couple questions concerning this. First, I had been thinking about repotting my plant for the first time. Is this a bad idea with the keiki? It is also growing flower buds on a couple other areas. Should I wait, or is it okay to do it before the buds bloom?

Secondly, how should I take care of the keiki, and when is it okay to separate it from the original orchid?

Thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer!

camille1585 · #2 03-17-2009, 04:09 PM

Hi serendipity,
Congrats on the keiki!! You can go ahead and repot if you want, especially if it looks like it hasn't been repotted in a while. Don't forget (if you use bark) to soak the medium overnight.
As for the keiki, you need lots of patience before it is ready to remove! On my phal, I had to wait 7 months for it to be ready to remove. You want it to have a few nice leaves, and a couple roots that are a few inches long. Sometimes the roots take a long time to appear, and on others the roots appear almost immediately.

serindipity · #3 03-17-2009, 04:19 PM

Thank you! Actually, I didn't know that about the potting mix. Should I buy anything in particular? I have a book I got from the library (Understanding Orchids), and I've been looking through it, but sometimes it's nice to hear from other people! And as far as the pot, How much bigger should it be? I know it's not supposed to be too big, but how do you know?!

serindipity · #4 03-17-2009, 04:20 PM

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the roots are beginning to appear on the keiki! Very, very small, but they are there.

camille1585 · #5 03-17-2009, 04:43 PM

For the pot size, it depends on the amount of roots. Generally orchids like to be a bit tight in their pots. If the roots aren't completely filling the pot, you can use the same one after cleaning it. Otherwise, usually going one size up is enough. Do you have a picture?

As for the medium, any medium that is bark based (pure bark, or bark with other things added in) should be soaked before. If you don't, the bark doesn't absorb water as well as it could, and it will dry out very quickly. Even with soaking, you normally will notice that the plant dries out quicker, since the medium the orchid is in now is probably a bit broken down. Broken down medium holds more water.

That's cool that you already have roots on the keiki!!

serindipity · #6 07-11-2009, 09:39 PM

Camille,

I realize it has been 4 months since your message, and I apologize for this. This was around midterms, and I became insanely busy with school and work. However, I finally have some pictures to post, and am trying to figure out how to post them on here. I will try to figure that out and you can see how big the keiki is, and maybe let me know if the second pot in the picture would be a good size? The original might be fine, though. I guess I'll find out when I finally repot it! It just got finished with it's blooms.

Erin

serindipity · #7 07-11-2009, 09:50 PM

I hopefully have attached the images, but you can see in each the full size of the orchid, and also a pot in the background. Would this be a good size to repot in, or is the one it is already in an okay size? I am very new to this, I've been handling orchids for about 3-4 years now, but have never been this involved, which probably sounds horrible to have not repotted one before. I have always been afraid of killing the plant I guess! I divided it into three separate questions to make it easier to read, and I hope it doesn't sound demanding or anything!

Okay, I was able to figure out how to attach images! In the first image, that's my whole plant with keiki and the new pot in the background. My first question is, should I put the original orchid in the bigger pot, and the keiki in the original pot? Or should I buy a smaller pot for the keiki?

Second question: Should I trim back the spikes? I am so afraid of killing the plants!

Third Question: If you look in the picture of the closeup, I think there's a second keiki growing near the base. Is this correct? If so, how would I separate it from the original orchid?

Fourth (sorry I know I said three!) question: Is the keiki on the spike large/old enough to pot by itself?

Thank you so much to anyone who can offer any advice, I really appreciate it!

Erin

tuvoc · #8 07-12-2009, 09:49 AM

Hi Erin. Your plant looks pretty good to me. I would go for the bigger pot. I would trim back the spike. It's pretty much finished blooming, and is only going to be in the way, not to mention putting extra strain on your plant. That growth in the second pic is indeed a basil keiki. I'd leave it there for now. It wouldn't survive cutting it off, and could give you a neat looking, bigger plant, anyway. And, yes, the stem keiki should do well on it's own now. Put it in a small pot, maybe 3 inches, and keep it warm, and fairly moist until it gets going on it's own. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Kim

serindipity · #9 07-12-2009, 09:15 PM

Thank you! I didn't know whether or not the basil keiki would die or not if separated, or whether it'd have a root system. I will do as you suggest about the spike and cut it back after I find a small pot for the keiki! Is there a rule of thumb for how tall to let spikes get before trimming? I would let to let them get long if it means I get more keikis, but you're right, I don't want to put strains on it. I've had this one for 2-3 years, and this will be the first time I cut back to spike.