keiki separation

[slippery_biscuit]

I'm not sure when to remove this nobile-type keiki. Roots are 1-3 inches long. And where the cutting takes place.. do you take the top of the parent plant? Scissors for scale.

Thanks

[Orchidflowerchild]

Wow, that looks like a photo to be included with a randsom note...

I'd let it grow a little bit more...let the current growth harden off and then just twist it off the plant at the point of attachment.

I often let Den keikis get to a second growth before I bother to lop them off. It doesn't really hurt the mother plant to let it hang out there, for a bit. I eventually gave up on taking keikis off Phal equestris. I had mounted plants with cascades of blooming keikis...

-Cj

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

One can normally remove a keiki just by flexing the joint at the mother cane and pulling; no tool to sterilize. However, if the cane on the mother is more than a couple of years old (counted backward from the latest growth), and you don't mind the look of the missing part of the cane, you can cut a portion of the mother cane off to leave it with the keiki to further its rapid maturation. Depends on your feelings on the matter, there is no right or wrong here. But, if you use a tool to cut into tissue, it must be sterilized (not with alcohol), and the wound on both sides needs some anti-fungal/bacterial treatment, cinnamon, sulfur, etc. Since I am not too worried about bacterial issues, I use a spraying of one of my systemic fungicides. When you pot the keiki up, you can plan on the mother cane portion being short enough to not (or just) reach the bottom of the pot, or if skinny enough, to stick out one of the holes in the bottom of the pot.

[slippery_biscuit]

Yes, I keep sharp objects around as a warning to the plants... "The pruning will continue until robust healthy growth is acheived!"

Since I've a few other things to do I'll let this slide for awhile and then try bust'in her loose.

Is there any reason why it couldn't go right onto a mount?

thanks for the info.
Jeff

[Sharyn]

I have the same situation with a keiki on my Den Oriental Smiles. I've been sitting around comtemplating what to do and when to do it. I wanted to leave it on until after the plant blooms and repot and remove the keiki. Hope this will be ok.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think the limitation on leaving the keiki on the plant is to take it off before the roots get so long they won't fit into a pot without breaking them. But if you want to mount it, is does not matter.

[slippery_biscuit]

Call me Madcap, but last night I was looking at this and strange thoughts entered my head. I was wondering what happens in the wild. Orchids have been around before man started to pick them. No one comes along to nip new plants. They must stay on for quite some time. Does the weight of the new plant eventually bend the stalk over, then the roots grab or get into something?

Unless the mother plant was to die (I suspect this is not the case) I'm considering the possibility of just keeping it on, modifing the pot, probably add support. Why? It is sort of an odd sight, and interesting to look at. Illustrative of orchid horticulture. Probably will slow the flowering down on Mom, but I've got others for that. What the heck...

So what happens out there in Mother Nature?

[pikevi]

Interesting thought.

I guess in nature as the keiki grows it will become heavy and the gravity will see to its contact with the surface/medium that the mother is in. The rest is just like mounting.

If it does not happen it may wither and die and that happens in many cases of plants and animals.

I don't really know if it is what happens in nature but it is a plausible scenario.. I guess

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

In the wild plants get very messy. Brambles perhaps. I've imported a lot of stuff from the jungle (in the old days), and it is always really bad to look at. In fact, you can usually tell a jungle plant by its condition. If you have the room, enjoy.

[BillC]

Hi SB, further to the above advice you can go to www.easyorchids.co.uk and on the home page you will find a listing on the left side of the screen. Look under the heading ' ORCHID PROPAGATION ' and click on ' Keiki Propagation '. You will find a comprehensive article on keiki's with pictures that will take you right through the process of growing the tiny plant.

Bill

[Sharyn]

Thanks for the link Bill. I like seeing the pics for my tutorial.