George,

The keiki should not be removed from the plant until the roots are at least
two feet long grin!


Seriously, you can leave the keiki on the mother plant for a long time. I
have seen some beautiful specimens with the keiki and mother plant both in
bloom at the same time. Some of the smaller phal equestris hybrids make
many keikis and look great this way.

If you wait the plant will tell you when to remove the keiki when the old
stem starts to yellow. You could get some long fibred moss and loosly wrap
the roots with some moss. Use fishing line (monofiliment) to hold the moss
in place and water it occasionally. The plant would airlayer this way and
get established.

Another idea would be to bend the spike (if it's long enough...don't break
it) to suspend the keiki over a small flower pot and put some loose moss in
the pot to let the plant get established before you cut it from the mother
plant.

Remember in nature this is what happpens. The mother plant is growing on a
branch high in the tree and the keiki grows until it's roots touch the
branch. Once the keiki can survive on it's own the stem dies and the plant
in on its own. If you mimic nature you will have good results.

Good Growing,
Gene