Keiki stayed on too long

[kewpie]

I have used a styrofoam cup clipped to a stake with Spag in it not a lot and loose and put the brats roots in it . Gin

thats a great idea, gin! im gonna try that with a phal pallens that i got as a keiki a few months ago which now has a keiki of its own...i understand that this species is prone to this behavior.

babies having babies (wasnt that an episode of jerry springer? or geraldo? or jenny jones?)

[LJA]

Babies all grown up having babies and *still* relying on Mom, even more so than when they were tots.

Dang freeloaders. Can't tug 'em away from the nipple.

[Gin]

Got that right Louis, the only way I know of to ditch them is to pull a Houdini lol . I also use the styro. cups for ones that are tiny seedlings can cut it up when moving them to a larger container . the shallow Tupper ware ones found at yard sales usually free . easy to put holes in the sides ect . with a sodering iron . Just a bit of trivia . Gin

[LJA]

Well, our little experiment here has come to a close, in a very interesting way, I think.

When all of the keiki's flowers had opened, the plant became too heavy for the spike to bear, and the weight of all that dropped the keiki down to the level of the grow bench. The interesting part is that now, the keiki's roots were placed at the same level as that of the mother plant, and the inflorescence supporting it all this time got pinched shut at the base where it bent, literally cutting off all of its nutrient supply.

This can't strictly be called a "mechanism," but I don't think it was coincidence, either. The structure of the inflorescence was just strong enough to support the keiki while it still needed support, but not strong enough to support it afterwards. The keiki, upon reaching sexual maturity, was dropped to a level where its roots would come into contact with the same substrate (assuming the plant wasn't potted) the mother plant was growing on, and at the same time, the pinched spike prevented it from sucking any further energy from its mother, forcing it to get along on its own.

Pretty cool, I think.

At any rate, I cut off the keiki, cut off its spikes, and cut off the other spikes mom was putting out. Both plants can now get along with the business of growing themselves back to vigor again instead of reproducing.

[Gin]

That is Interesting Louis , I think there is a lesson to be learned regarding human free loading kids lolol . Keep us posted on them , growth ect . Gin

[Piper]

Got the theory, Louis, but the momma doesn't look much worse now than in your original photo.

That might change quickly as all of those buds bloom out, however.

Where are you willing to go with this experiment? Would seem a shame to kill off mom after her valiant efforts to save her child...

Julie

[Piper]

The damned tree structure in the posts is killing me...I thought I'd read all the recent posts and missed your other recent updates.

Oh well...I'm a spastic forum member. Just treat me like a forum time traveler. I never know where I am chronologically!

Julie

[LJA]

Julie, change your view options in your UserCP from threaded or hybrid mode to linear mode, oldest or newest first, whichever you prefer. I tried threaded mode like you have it set on, and all I ever got was confused.... Much easier to read linearly, and you don't miss stuff since it's not buried in any kind of a tree.

[Orchidzrule]

Hi Louis,


I found these photos and the whole thread fascinating. For the sake of the mother plant, I'm glad the keiki is now on its own.

BTW, you stated: "and I would expect a more blotchy yellowing of everything if mineral deficiency was the issue."
You're correct that some nutrient deficiencies will cause blotching, but it's not always the case. Magnesium (Mg) deficiency is an exception. Classic Mg deficiency is very much like this. As you may be aware, Mg is a very mobile element in plant tissue. If the plant doesn't have enough to go around, it sucks the Mg up to the actively growing area (i.e. meristem) and the oldest leaves get that yellowy look. (By contrast, iron is not mobile in plant tissue so the leaves nearest the meristem develop chlorosis.) If the mother plant continues to look a bit the worse for wear, give it some epsom salts! (They won't hurt even if it's *not* Mg deficiency.) I've noticed many fertilizers--even ones that supply many of the micronutrients--do not have Mg.

Cheers,

Rob