Phal question - Orchid Board

Hatteras · #1 (**permalink**) 10-28-2009, 06:56 PM

I have a phal, with a keiki growing on the spike. The keiki has a spike and the plant looks great overall. My question is on the mother plant earlier this year, what started out to look like a spike turned into a small leave that grew out from between mature leaves like a spike would. It stayed real small. It looks like it's making another one that I was hoping was finally a spike but it looks like another leave. I'm fairly new to this and have never seen this before. Any ideas ?
I know the mother plant is helping the keiki but the keiki roots are down into the wood chip medium.
I tried to take a picture but my camera is acting up so I can only describe it for now.
The name is Wataboshi x Yukimai

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #2 (**permalink**) 10-28-2009, 10:37 PM

What is it you want to know?

lais817 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-29-2009, 12:57 AM

G'day Hatteras, sounds like you've got a basal keiki, but we can't be totally sure without a pic or two. And did you mean that the keiki growing on the old spike now has a spike on it?

Hatteras · #4 (**permalink**) 10-29-2009, 10:04 AM

The keiki growing on the spike of the mother plant has a spike. What I first thought was a spike on the main plant turned out to be a small leave, it never grew, now it looks like it may be getting another one. I was wondering what these are ? I was hoping for a spike on the mother plant as well.
I will look for info on a basal keiki.

trdyl · #5 (**permalink**) 10-29-2009, 03:59 PM

For the keiki that is on the spike I generally remove these when they have roots about 3 inches long and put them in their own pot. That way the mother plant has more energy for blooming.

Undergrounder · #6 (**permalink**) 10-29-2009, 04:25 PM

And the small leaves forming on the mother plant are a basal keiki, which is a new plant growing out of the side of the old one.

But Wataboushi x Yukimai is a large, white Phalaenopsis that shouldn't be sending out basal keikis as part of its normal growth cycle. It would only really be sending out basal keikis if something was wrong with the main plant.

When was the last time the main plant sent out a new leaf (from the centre where leaves normally grow)? If it's sending out a basal keiki it sounds like it's been damaged and would have stopped growing.