Replanting Phal Stems?

[orchidlauren]

My phal is done flowering & dropped all of its flowers, I saw that it’s possible to grow an individual orchid off of it. Which nodes would I cut?

[Roberta]

You would not replant the flower stem... don't cut it. Sometimes Phals will grow a baby plant (keiki) with roots from one of the nodes, sometimes it will grow another flower spike from one of those nodes, sometimes it will do nothing and eventually turn brown. Sometimes people cut the stem below the lowest node where there were flowers, but that's not necessary to "inspire" it... it'll do what it's going to do (or not) on its own. Some people hate to look at that bare spike (even if green) and cut it down near the bottom near where it emerged... that's an aesthetic judgement. If you are curious to see what it will do, just leave that green spent spike. If it turns brown cut it, but if you leave it you might get a bonus.

[aliceinwl]

I’ve cut spent spikes and placed them in water. A lot of these tried to push keikis but the keikis and spikes supporting them all died before the keikis had put out any roots. I don’t think there were enough resources in the cut spikes to support the development of a viable keikis.