On 28/08/2014 11:57, News wrote:
On 25/08/2014 18:57, Spider wrote:
You may be joking, but I've used the smaller plastic tumblers with holes
pierced when I couldn't get a small enough clear orchid pot for keikis,
divisions or very small orchids.

Spider - speaking of keikis, you might recall that you advised me on the
two that I seemed to get last year.

I've been too scared to think of trying to separate them, so they are
still attached to the original old flower shoots, but now one of them
has flowered while in place. I'm sure that this is normal, but it
really pleased me.

You can see a couple of phone (ie, not very good) shots of it at
http://1drv.ms/1rBW2hv (a link to my OneDrive).

There are two old flowering shoots, both of which I cut partially back
after flowering - and both of which developed keikis. One of them now
has its own flowering shoot

Thanks again



Yes, I do remember, Andy. I'm glad they've done so well for you. It's
interesting to see your pics, not least because I've got a Phal that's
doing just the same!:~). It is a charming sight. However, when mine's
finished flowering, I shall remove the keikis from the parent and pot
them up. I'm sure they'd be happy attached to the parent in their
jungly wild habitat because they'll get plenty of humidity, but in a
home setting where the air is drier (and where central heating will soon
make that worse), there may be a danger of the roots drying out. They
may get enough moisture and nourishment from the parent plant, but I
want the parent to thrive and give me flowers, so I shall separate them
so they can grow in glorious isolation.

I do understand your nervousness about severing the connection. Live
with it while all three plants seem healthy, but separate them at any
sign of stress. You could, of course, try 'air layering'. Pack some
damp sphagnum moss around the keiki roots (with the help of cling film
or a plastic bag) and leave the young roots to grow on. You will then
be more confident about the separation. This is usually a very reliable
procedure (esp where you've got roots already), but probably not that
pretty, so you may want to 'rest' the plant in a less used room.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay