funny phal puzzle

A few months ago, I saved an Everspring King 'King' (a gift from a friend last year from a very, very expensive florist -- who would buy orchids from a florist?) from total root rot. It's recently been repotted and has lots of nice new roots and three new leaves (though much smaller than it had originally) so I know it's well on its way back.

So, I saw this tiny growth starting from the base, under one of the leaves, and thought, this crazy plant is trying to spike already. Nope. It's a keiki, I think. First one, and now two tiny leaves, so far. (I tried to take a pic but it didn't come out well.)

I see no signs of roots forming on the keiki, but it's so tiny maybe they are still to come?

I thought phal keikis grew on spikes. What's the deal?
Liz

Hi Liz,

I think what you have is a basal keiki. Phal's will do this from time to time instead of a keiki off of a spike. You can safely seperate it when the roots are an inch or 2 long. I had a phal that I almost killed from crown rot, when I first started growing, and it put out a basal keiki and the keiki spiked before I had a chance to seperate it from the mother plant!

Looks like you have 2 nice new plants now!
Happy growing!

Martha

Lol! I thought it was going to be this:
Funny (not a Phal) Puzzle

I also thought that keikis grew on spikes.

Thanks Martha,
My thoughts exactly! (There's always room for more and if there isn't, we'll make room!) I was just a little surprised by the whole thing. Perhaps a little SuperThrive will encourage some keiki roots.
Liz

Heather, are you at work? Does your employer know about this??? I can't figure that puzzle out! Solitaire is a challenge for me...

I haven't done the puzzle either, but found it the other day and thought it was amusing!

Keikis usually grow on spikes but basal keikis do occur sometimes. Seems like you got two happy phals now...

To stay on topic, how often do phals have keikis? My phals are not growing anything out of their old spikes, and it'll be really interesting to see a keiki (I've seen one in photos, but not in real life). I've heard about keiki paste, or putting a spike in moss...does these things really work?

Sorry...I am such a question-asker !

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~~~Lily~~~

Lily, I tried cutting a spike, exposing the bud node and putting some rooting hormone on it, and putting it in a little sphagnum in a sterilized jar. Louis explained it was a "quick and dirty" way to propogate that doesn't always work. My experiment failed; it got moldy and nothing grew.
Liz

I have a basal keiki growing from one if my phals, it is so tiny! That is cool, now the waiting game begins for it to grow BIG.

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OrchidTraci

Traci, when did you first notice it? I saw this about a week or two ago. Does yours have any roots yet? Patience isn't one of my virtues. But this little thing has two leaves already...