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Orchid with keiki
Victoria Sponge
Posts: 3,502
Hi everyone,
I wonder if you can help me with this rubbish moth orchid.
It grew the keiki a year or so ago but it has produced no roots of its own. About 8 months ago it grew a flower spike off the keiki as you can see in the pic.
In Feb it got sunburned and I've moved it to a north facing window and it has since produced another branch off the flower spike and is starting to produce new leaves on the original plant.
Im wondering if I should be cutting the flower branches off the keiki in the hope it might produce its own roots so I can cut it off and let the original plant recover. How long does it normally take to form the roots?
Its started to become a gangly, straggly mess and is pushing its luck...
Thank you for your help 
Vic
Wearside, England.
0
Posts
Any offers, kind folks?
I'm getting ready to chop off its bits
Sorry Victoria, I missed this thread. I have borrowed an orchid book from the library so will have a look now and come back to you ASAP, probably tomorrow though as im not staying in for long x
It doesn't actually say a lot apart from using keiki paste to grow the keiki and it's own roots, but yours has already grown?? Did the flowers open on the flower spike 8 months ago? One of the 'branches' looks like it has had flowers on and that should be cut off now, the other has buds so I'm assuming these are new?
My personal gut feeling as a non expert (who may have actually killed my new orchid
) would be to repot it and maybe try to put the keiki in the orchid compost to see if it grows roots. By the way, it isn't as gangly as some of mine, the flower stem just needs training on a support 
Hi OL, thanks for replying
The flowers didn't open, no, they dried up after I let it get sunburnt...
I wonder if it is doing too many things at once, and along with my neglect it isn't putting enough energy into the main plant.
Do you think I should cut the keiki off and pot it or repot the whole thing deeper? Would the keiki grow roots from the bottom of the stalk or under the leaves?
Cheers
Vic
Oh, PS, yes the second branch buds are starting to open...
I have no idea with regard to the roots Victoria, none have mine have ever grown a keiki up the stem and have only had 'babies' from the bottom of the plant.
Obvioulsy leave the stem where the flowers are opening and cut off the dead one as that will take energy from the plant. The keiki doesn't seem to be doing any harm though so you could just leave it and it will eventually grow roots.....I would be very proud if I were you
As it's flowering you should start feeding it weekly too.
Okay, thanks OL, it's hard to be proud when I can see it close up but if it doesn't die that will be an achievement in itself...
Ive been feeding the pink baby bio. I might repot it properly anyway, I only put it in the soil free vase as an experiment...
Cheers for your help- you have won it a reprieve
Look at this for straggly!! It's one I rescued from the garden centre about 2 months ago, only cost £2 and it was falling out of it's pot due to lack of soil and water!! I've repotted it and it now has 3 flower buds at the top which will be opening soon
And one that isn't so straggly
The second one is stunning OL! Looks especially good with the background
The first one looks like mine do after I've owned them for a while
I think I'll stick to cactus for my houseplants...
ahh, cactus....one plant I can manage to kill quite easily, don't ask me how
Orchids really aren't as difficult as people think, they just need not too much water, no direct light, feeding when in flower and good Orchid compost, they do like to be pot bound though so don't need repotting very often....and that's it - simples 