On 12/02/15 16:49, Spider wrote:
On 12/02/2015 15:33, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 12/02/15 15:13, Spider wrote:
Young plantlets (keikis) occasionally develop on old flowering
stems; just a tiny leaf at first, then aerial roots and more leaves.
When big enough to support itself, it can be removed and potted up.

One of my Phals has just started forming a keiki. It has a couple of
leaves about 15 mm or so long. Any idea how many months it will be
before roots appear?

With me, it seems to vary and probably has to do with the vigour of the
plant, plus your cultivation of it. It's very difficult to put a time
on it; I would say months rather than weeks, but growth should increase
with the advent of warmer weather. Also, you'll be so busy outside in
the garden that you won't even notice how slow it is;~).

If you're in the habit of using a bloom-inducing feed, try a
growth-inducing feed instead, though still only feeding weakly 3 weeks
out of 4, so that salts don't build up in the growth medium. You may
also find it's worth spraying the keiki periodically with tepid water to
encourage root growth, but be careful not to let collected water run
down the stem and rot the crown. If you see this happen, use a clean
tissue immediately to wick up the moisture.

Don't be tempted to pot up your keikie until it has sufficient roots,
that is, some to bury as anchors and some to keep as aerial roots.

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually use a single fertiliser (I was
given a 400g jar of this:
http://www.akerne-orchids.com/shop/i...tegory&path=40
about 3 years ago. Quite a few orchids for sale there if you are
interested!).

I am content to leave the keiki on the original plant for as long as it
is happy.

--

Jeff