time to plant this dwarf phal keiki?

[AprilsOrchids]

Dear orchid geeks,

i'm attaching a couple of pics of my dwarf phal's keiki (pronounced /key-key/, i believe?)

the roots on the keiki are about 2 inches long now, and i remember reading in one of the many orchid books i checked out of the library, that it was good to let the keiki get to this size before planting it. what are your thoughts about this, please.

Fyi, I’ve got a 3” deli pot that I used a screwdriver to punch holes in the bottom and the sides.

I’ve got small fir bark (about 1/4” with small pieces of charcoal and perilite mixed in to put in the keiki’s pot.

How long should I leave this keiki attached to the mother plant before I cut the spike it has grown on?

Any other suggestions are most welcome.

I am very, very excited to be planting my first keiki but a little nervous too!

Thanks so much for reading my question.

Cheers,
April

ps i uploaded my two pics but don't see them here, so i hope they are attached with this post so you can see them -- oh, i see, if i click on the paperclip again, it shows me what files are attached to this msg. nevermind; newbie coming through - lol

[kmarch]

I'm not exactly the resident phal expert (I have only one at present) but your keiki to me looks big enough to remove and pot up. The general recommendation I was always told was 2-3 leaves and 2-3 roots that are 2-3 inches long. Yours appears to be about that. You can remove it with a sharp knife or razor blade, slicing between the plant with its roots and the stem. Some recommend treating the cut with a bit of powdered cinnamon to prevent a fungal attack. Then pot it up. Watch it carefully at first until you get the watering frequency figured out. The skewer method might help in this regard.

[Joe Geoffroy]

That's agood looking keiki, I believe you can plant after 2'' growth on the roots.

joe

[AprilsOrchids]

thanks, kmarch.

ah, the 2-3" that i read about was the roots.

i think i'll gather up what everyone suggests here and then i'll be ready to pot up my first keiki on Sunday.

thanks, again,
April

[AprilsOrchids]

thanks, Joe,

i thought i had read something about 2" with respect to keiki's; but being an orchid newbie, i wanted to check before i did anything.

this keiki is from my first ochid, and still my favorite, so i'm really excited to have a clone of this dwarf phal.

thanks, again,
April