Is this a Keiki?? Trimming Wilting Leaves??

[Alegra26]

Hi Ive been lurking for awhile & trying to find answers but am still pretty confused...

my husband bought me this Phal for my bday last year.
im not sure what this is growing out of the bottom of it..is it a keiki? what should i do with it?


other than that Im so happy bc i noticed a bud growing today!! she hadnt been doing too good for awhile but since picking up alot of tips here ...well she must be doing better!~


other than that, do you guys see how the bottom leaf is wilting? should i trim it off??


Thanks I appreciate so much any help Please let me know if theres anything else you notice that might need help..id truly appreciate it.i love this phal soo much!!

[whygreenberg]

Hi, Alegra...Your Phal looks like it's doing well! Good work! In the first picture, are you referring to the long whitish-green "worm" with what looks like a reddish tip? If so, that is a root! Root growth is a great thing, and a good sign that your Phal is doing well.

[Alegra26]

oh Wow whygreen im so happy & surprised!! Thank you so much for your help!!
this phal was defintely near death. i'm so so happy shes doing well..i figured shed die any day now, except then i started learning on here and since then shes been looking better..esp with the bud i just found


thanks so much again~~

[whygreenberg]

My pleasure. Just another thought...You've had it for over a year now? Have you ever repotted it? You might wait until it finishes blooming, but you should probably repot it at some point. If for no other reason than to check on how the rest of the roots are doing underneath.

[Alegra26]

actually, i just realized ive had her two years after the first buds fell off, it was not a good time for her being with an ignorant mom like me i used to water too much, too much sun, too little sun..ive just read about repotting, im scared to do it bc i have no idea how..even though ive been reading about it...im scared ill hurt her somehow... i was thinking of taking her to a flower shop to do it...thanks so much again for your help..ill definitely take your advise & repot her after the bloom falls off..

[addictedcountryman]

I think you're "bud" is a keiki. i would check out your roots. sometimes keikis are signs of a last effort to propogate before it dies. Some phals are just keiki makers. Still, it doesn't hurt to look, especially after 2 years. The sphagnum does look a bit broken down. I would repot her now, but do you have any kln or anything with vitamin B? It is supposed to ease the shock. Because your phal is used to so much mositure retained by the moss, it might go into shock going into a much drier media.

[quiltergal]

I agree with Abby. I think your bud is a Keiki. I would definitely repot now if that's 2 year old sphag. I have found Phals to be very forgiving when repotted. Mine usually perk right up and thank me by sending out new leaves and new roots. I'd recommend coconut husk chunks with charcoal and perlite. It doen't break down as quickly as bark and sphag so the little airpockets that are so important to root health remain intact for a longer time period. CHC does retain more water than bark so you don't have to water quite as often. If you opt to continue with sphag you should repot about every 6-9 months. Repotting isn't hard, just a little scary the first time. Just be gentle with the roots and try not to break any good ones. If there are rotten ones trim them off with sterile scissors. You'll know they are rotten if they are brown, squishy, and/or hollow.

[mehitabel]

The growth in your first picture looks like a root to me. The "bud" on your spike looks like a branch. If so it could be several months before it shows any flower buds.
At this stage it won't be harmed by a repot, but sitting several more months in broken down medium can really hurt a phal.

I have to agree with Abby-- two years is too long for old sphag, and it looks either very wet or broken down Ccould be both because old sphag holds too much water and not enough air.. Old medium also has loads of salts in it which are harmful to phal roots. Most phals show a growth spurt after getting new medium -- mostly because the plant is able to shuck the poison it's sitting in.

There's nothing to be afraid of in repotting. There's no perfect way to do it-- it's just a matter of washing the old yuk off the roots gently, gently, and then filling a just-right pot with new medium. If you take it to a "florist" to repot, you are taking it to a cut-flower shop where some minimum wage person who just started last week is more likely to do the repotting than some skilled old orchid hand. Just do it.

You will benefit from reading the culture notes at Bedford Orchids (go to their home page and scroll down the page for the culture notes). Ginsburg discusses and recommends repotting often, as well as the importance of good light.

[Alegra26]

Thank you so much mehitable, quiltergal & addicted. I noticed thats my orchid is almost falling over & since reading more & from ur posts, i see its bc her sphag is too broken down to support her..so id like to do it now and get it over with ....then wait months and months more...

i feel more confident now from ur advise and i feel i can do a repot now..hopefully i can find somewhere that sells the coconut bark..is it easy to find? what about the vitamin b? how can i give her that? Thanks so much again~

[mehitabel]

Hi, Alegra. You can buy a hobby-size bag of coconut husk bark from Oak Hill for about $3.50 I think it was. That's enough for several good-sized orchids.

There'll be shipping, of course, so you may need to buy another orchid from them to make the whole deal pay off

Be sure to soak and rinse the chips thoroughly before using.