New to orchid care and looking for some help

[jaca]

Hello everyone! I'm very new to orchid care and have luckily kept my one orchid alive so far. This is an orchid that was given to me by my mom before she passed. So, it has some very significant importance for me. Because of that, I have been paralyzed for years to do anything besides water and feed it. I think I may have waited too long to take action and would love some guidance on how to approach the next steps in this plant's journey.

Here is what I am seeing with the plant... (picture attached) The two shoots coming up have not bloomed in 2 years. Instead they sprouted 'babies'. After awhile of the 'babies' being on the shoot, they began to create what I think are air roots (which are very long in my opinion). I believe I am past the point of when I should have taken them off the shoots because now I can't figure out how I would get the roots into a pot without breaking them. I am also not sure if cutting those off will harm the mother plant at all.

I have read about how to cut them off, applying the fungicide at the cuts, and then re-potting them. What I cannot seem to find is what to do with the long roots. I don't want to cut them off and end up killing them as I would love to be able to have this plant in other parts of the house or even give them to my brothers. But most importantly, I do not want to harm the mother plant.

So, any guidance or advice that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you and Happy New Year!

[PaphMadMan]

The mother plant will not be harmed at all by removing the 'babies' (usually referred to as keikis), so don't give that another thought.

They could have come off sooner, but it is never too late. The roots should become somewhat more flexible if you soak them in water for a while after removing them from the mother. Choose a pot that comes as close to accommodating them as practical. Try to avoid damaging them as you bend them into the pot, but if they do break or crack it is only a minor set-back. If that happens, apply fungicide at the break, pot them up gently, and keep them a little on the dry side for a few days.