V_coerulea wrote:
I was one who recommended te keiki paste. As long as the leaf and stem are
still good, I'd still give it a try for the practice if nothing else. The
3rd bud up usually gives the best results. With tweezers or good fingernails
you can start at the peak of the shield and try to tear off 1/2 of the
pyramidal shield tissue. You'll easily see the bud underneath. Then take off
the other half. Or you can try to take hold of one corner of the base of the
pyramid and pull straight across to remove the entire shield at once. I
think that's harder. Then with a toothpick or similiar sized instrument,
smear on a very thin layer of the paste (you shouldn't be able to see the
paste when you're done). Neatness doesn't count. Et voila, you're done.
You'll notice within a week if something is going to happen or not. Good
luck.
Gary

Ok, Gary,
I just tried doing it. I suspect that I did not do it correctly -- I thi
nk I may have damaged the spike when pulling off the shield (the spike
is extremely thin and the shield was miniscule. Also I am not sure
whether there really was a bud under that shield, I couldn't really see
one there, or rather I saw something too small to be able to determine
whether that's a bud or whatnot. But I still applied the paste just in
case, figuring I have nothing to loose here. We will see in a week. If
something does happen, I will of course report it here. Thanks for the
advice. I may try this again sometime with a bigger Phal where it would
be easier.
Joanna