Orchids are playing a joke .....

[orchidea]

Come on guys!!!!! What is this??????
The most challenged orchid out of all of them I have is shooting a spike!!!!!!!(pic.1 &2)
My daughter brought this one from work because it was " dying". It didn't look good at all, really. The top leaves are gone somehow (pic.3), the roots were the odd looking ones I have ever seen. Some were rotten roots and some were very long with the middle portion missing, so the bottom was hanging on the core rod.... To make it even worse, my daughter told me that someone dump some hot tea into orchid once ( I hope not intentionally).
Oh well, I decided that this one is not going to make it for sure. So I just pushed it into LECA, didn't even make a container look nice (pic.4), just to see today that it's shooting a spike!!!??????? Is it a joke??????? Out of all my orchids that had such healthy roots and flowers and rotting on me (oh well, some of them)??????? What is this?????? It's like a bad dream......

[digitalgate]

it does look like a spike but as time develop it will develop into a keiki on a spike

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

it does look like a spike but as time develop it will develop into a keiki on a spike

Thanks for responding digitalgate,

Keiki???? I thought they can develop only on Dens. What do you do with them if they develop?
Well, maybe I should wait to see what happens first.

[Yiu Lin]

Hmm... maybe I should go and dump hot tea onto all my phals, in hope of them producing a spike! (just kidding, of course).

One of mine also had crown rot, and the top leaves all fell out. I've been looking anxiously at the bottom for a growth like yours, to indicate that a basal keiki may appear. My fingers remain crossed.

[kmarch]

It's a bit early to tell but given it looks like there's been damage to the crown I suspect it could well be a new growth.

[fred]

yep I am with Kevin on this one
please keep us posted

[dorothea]

my phal grew a basal keiki under an old spike so it's probably it. at first it looked like a new spike but soon started growing leaves

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by dorothea

my phal grew a basal keiki under an old spike so it's probably it. at first it looked like a new spike but soon started growing leaves

Thank you dorothea,
You are located not too far from where I was born. I came to USA from Belarus about 30 years ago.....
Please let me know what to do with it if it is what you think it is. Do you separate it from the mother plant if it developes into a new plant???? Do you just let it stay there????? Does the mother plant has some hope to survive or this new keiki is going to suck all the life left in it out????????
Oh my, it's more exiting than I thought it will be......

[kid a]

Originally Posted by orchidea

I came to USA from Belarus about 30 years ago.....

That is soo cool! My Boss's Fiance is from Belarus! She just came here last month lol.

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by kid a

That is soo cool! My Boss's Fiance is from Belarus! She just came here last month lol.

Oh boy, I hope it's not one of this "catalog" brides he is getting. I hope and wish it works for him. But if she gets homesick you know where to go to find someone she can talk to.......... I am from Minsk BTW.

But what do you do with the keiki if in fact that is what I see growing out of my poor orchid? Sorry for rerouting the subject back to the orchids again, but Belarus (I love my motherland) was 30 years ago, but orchids is what is waiting for me at home and what is my life now...........
I actually have a little Den that is growing at least one keiki on it, so I will need to know what to do with that one as well pretty soon.
Maybe some of you can direct me to some area in this forum where I can find out more about keikis.
Thank you for reading my post......

[mehitabel]

I agree with the others here-- with the damage to the crown, it is most likely to be a basal keiki.

What to do with your keiki as it develops (assuming that's what it is)-- leave it alone. Let it grow at it's own pace and do what it wants to do. The growth center of the old phal is damaged and it can't grow that way. The basal growth is the replacement for the old plant with the damaged crown. It will take strength from the roots and leaves the old plant has. When it's big enough it will have it own leaves and start it's own roots and become stronger and stronger.

It isn't going to kill your plant-- it's the means by which your damaged plant is trying to use the strength it has to help it survive.

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by mehitabel

The growth center of the old phal is damaged and it can't grow that way. The basal growth is the replacement for the old plant with the damaged crown. It will take strength from the roots and leaves the old plant has.

Thank you so much, but I am still , sorry.
What is eventually going to happen to the mother plant is what still confusing to me. Is it going to continue to manufacture Keikis?
You say (if I understand you correctly) that it's not going to die and it's not going to be able to grow ..............
Is it going to just dry up slowly as the new one is growing, I guess?????
Sorry for sounding so stupid to you, probably. You have so much patience.
I trully appreciate all your help....

[nenella]

Hi Orchidea,
You just need to be patient and the new plant will grow attached to the mother.. & it makes for a "fuller" looking orchid! I have one that my cats then kittens..made fall over and broke the top half . It grew a basal keiki which is now flowering!!!! I have never tried to split as I reckon when the time comes the mothers leaves will go yellow & fall off on their own!
By the way this 'process' took 2 years! I grow in my living room...
here's a pic ... the 'mother 'plant is in the back with the 2 vertical leaves. Good Luck! be patient & keep us posted.
ps: apologies for the photos but I just took them to show you!

[mehitabel]

Wow, Nenella. That is a beeeyooooteeefull phal. What a thrill to see that come from a basal keiki.

Orchidea, I don't know what's going to happen to it. It might make more keikis, it might do some other thing instead. *Might* is a hedge word, We're trying to hedge here and you're trying to make us take a stand LOL.

No one really knows. As Nenella pointed out, sometimes it throws a basal keiki, and the mother keeps on growing. Some phal species, doritis, venosa and some others, throw basal keikis all the time just for the fun of it, and turn into a big clump of plants. I have several phals that I've bought that have a big fat mother and a nice basal keiki right next to it. They both grow.

I also have a doritis x venosa that just threw a second crown right out of the middle of the plant. Not a basal keiki, but one stem and *two* crowns growing out of it. I keep looking at it because I just can't believe what I'm seeing there. I guess you'd call it a "crown keiki" It started as a tiny backwards extra leaf in the center of the plant each time a new leaf formed, and then suddenly there it was -- two crowns.

They're like cats-- they do what they want to do. Or at least that's what I've come to believe.

The crown I saw in your picture didn't look like it could grow, but I've been wrong plenty. Your plant isn't dying, it's trying to making sure it gets to live. Think of it like stem cells growing it a new heart. In fact, that's exactly what's going on.

You may be sorry for the old plant now, but as the keiki (if it is that) develops, you'll start to feel the thrill Nenella's talking about watching it develop.

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by nenella

Hi Orchidea,
You just need to be patient and the new plant will grow attached to the mother..

Thank you nenella for your wonderful pictures. It's so encouraging.

Orchidea, I'm sorry I don't know what's going to happen to it

I am sorry mehitabel, I didn't mean to push you to tell me something. I just didn't know how different all orchids are. I thought they all act the same. I am just learning. Besides, I have a very logical (mathematical) mind, (sorry) and still think (should loose it by now) that every question has an answer ................
But I think you did such a great job explaining

Thanks again.......

[mehitabel]

Hey, Orchidea. You're very kind. My son's a Math guy so I know what you mean about the liking for precision. He calls .001 error too much. I call it better than I'll ever manage to get LOL

Enjoy the growing-- it's really marvelous the survival mechanisms plants have, isn't it? I'm sure the plant however damaged will thrive in your care

[psyc1210]

I've got a Phal that had crown rot, and it took it about 6 months, but it did put out new growth from the base. Good luck!

[orchidea]

Thank you all, you were right. It is a keiki....
I think the other one is on the way (see to the left of it).
It so cute....

[Stelios]

nice recovery!
orchidea, is this phal a yellow flower one?

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by Stelios

is this phal a yellow flower one?

Thank you Stelios,
My daughter told me it's white flower with magenta lip. I couldn't see it really, flowers were so dry when I got it.....

[berniep]

G'Day orchidea

Well done ,always nice to see a happy ending.

Cheers
Bernie

[Yiu Lin]

What a cute little keiki!
Thanks for keeping us updated!

[lmartiny]

As I read through the notes I was going to guess Keiki. Looks Good. We were just talking about this on a Phal spiking thread that is still current.

[LouisW]

I had a Phal with no crown just like this. First it put out a basal keiki, then it spiked and flowered. Its still going although it looks pretty much the same as a year ago. I regret removing the Keiki.