Phormerly Phailed Phal - Keikis!

[wendlynne]

Hello All,

This forum was enormously helpful in saving my phal and teaching me how to care for orchids. I have a green thumb, but totally new to orchids and thought I had about killed this phal. In the last two months since I first posted looking for help the two wrinkled, ugly old leaves have gone yellow and dropped off, two new leaves have grown, I've re-potted in sphagnum and removed the squishy dead roots, and now TWO keikis are growing.

My question is, now that the larger of the two keikis has three leaves and two roots that are about two inches long, is it ready to pot? I don't want to jump the gun, but I'm eager for the mother plant to have the resources to put back into her OWN growth. I don't have a great root system on this plant, and I'm concerned for the resource drain.

I mist the keiki's roots every morning, since it's upside-down I'm not worried about crown rot, any other suggestions? Is it ready to be potted? My husband thinks I have the strangest new habit in the world, growing non-blooming orchids, upside-down, in my kitchen window =)








Thanks!

Wendy

[orchid_girl]

I am not totally knowledgeable but I think you can go ahead and plant it. It looks very healthy.

[BillC]

Hi Wendy, if the roots are 2" long then you can go ahead with the potting. Here is a good link to help you with the keiki:

Easy Orchids - Keiki Propagation

It is complete with pics of the process. Post a pic when it is done.

Bill

[norris]

I thought I read somewhere here that when the roots are 1 inch long it can be potted

[BillC]

Norris, you must know that two inches is always better than one inch?

Bill

[norris]

Now I do but I haven't been fortunate to have any of my plants make a keiki yet.

[wendlynne]

Very helpful, thank you all! I will repot this weekend and post some new photos. I'm excited - and Norris, try dehydrating, baking (100+ degrees, 20% humidity), then overwatering, rotting, obsessing, and half-killing your new phal within the first two weeks of orchid ownership-- seems to have worked for me This poor phal was extremely resistant to my early misguided attempts to off it.

Seriously, many thanks to you folks and all your advice, I'm quite proud of my new little hobby and as you can see in my avatar, the second phal/mini is coming along quite nicely and sans drama thanks to lessons learned on this poor first phal. I'll post some photos of the new baby soon!

[patticake]

That is the coolest "save" of a plant that I've seen! I love it! Yes, we plant people are a bit strange, but lovable!

[solay]

That's going to be the cutes Phal. once it is in its' own pot. Good luck.

[BillC]

Wendy, you should be warned that growing orchids can become a lifelong addiction from which there is very little chance of recovery. I have heard of addicts going cold turkey, asking their friends not to say 'phal', 'cattleya', 'sharry baby', or any other reference to orchids. They take wide detours away from nurseries but they always appear one day, pale and sweating, clutching handsful of money at in the nearest store. Good luck with the keiki.

Bill

[articuno75]

I had to chuckle at the first post with hubby finding the new hobby of growing non-blooming plants, upside down, etc. Believe me, he ain't seen nothing yet When you have a whole room full of non bloomers you can be called jungle keeper. And then when you have some that look just absolutely pathetic, then you've gone to not the strange, but Wendlynne, the mighty orchid rescuer!

I get teased from my Lovey Dovey all the time about it.

[wendlynne]

LOL, you are all right. I've already spread the recent obsession to my sister, if the second keiki thrives I'll pass it on to her (the first one is mine!), and now I'm scanning the house and re-arranging furniture for good light sources. This one is hardly a looker at the moment, so I'll be thrilled to flip that poor baby right side up and pot it soon! Its little leaves are straining for the light. Sometimes, I catch my husband at the sink, just staring at that plant and the baby, head cocked sideways with a bemused/confused look. It's his fault, he bought me BOTH my phals when I got promoted at my job (and then when I thought I had killed the second one). Poor man. When he met me, I was an exec, in a tiny city apartment, not a green thing anywhere. Too busy. Three years of marriage, now there's a fish, a scottish terrier, a HORSE boarded 10 minutes away, umpteen flower pots and gardens around the house (I needed a YARD you see) and a budding orchid addiction now threatening to spread around the house.

I think we might be hitting our first orchid event at the Huntington Gardens in pasadena next month. I suppose that's when you know the disease has hit?

[articuno75]

LOL, OH no.
When you have a wish list about bazillion pages filled and you obsess for more, that's when you know it's hit.

[PhalPal]

Oh Wendlynne! You sound soooo much like me and my husband. The horse, the plants, the YARD, guest rooms and windowsills being taken over by orchids, the funny, quizative looks....
I'm happy to say it IS too late for you. The sleeping giant has been awakened. The good news is, he'll get used to it and eventually learn to appreciate your efforts, especially when that first one blooms and he realizes he no longer needs to BUY you cut flowers because they would just get lost in the crowd and die in a week! It's my justification every time I find an orchid I can't live without. (which is OFTEN)

I must say you have done a great job of saving your Phal. You will look back when you have 50 Phals blooming beautifully for you and recollect the lessons you learned from your first one or two. Your little keiki is darling!

Where in So cal do you live?? I'm in Placentia/OC.

Not to corrupt you further, but that is our primary purpose on this forum as you have been forewarned. There is a Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Fair in Santa Barbara in June coming up. The show itself will be much bigger than Huntington Gardens and to top it all off there are many orchid farms in the area that are open to the public during the show. If you want more info I can find exact dates for you but Be Warned: this is a dangerous venue!!