Tropical orchids are epiphytes and grow adventitious roots allowing them a more stable purchase on their chosen location, usually trees. The roots are green because they have chloroplasts allowing photosynthesis to take place producing chlorophyll. These roots absorb water from the air as the environment is always moist. 'Keiki' is the hawaiian term for baby. So when separated from the mother plant will be dependent on you to provide the moisture it needs and humid environment it needs. Orchids need a lot of light, around 15 hours a day which is usually supplemented by grow lights. An east or south facing window. West is too hot and north does have a lot of light. The soil should be a mix of bark and peat moss. 2 bark, 1 peat moss. A support stake so the plant stays upright. If you look in the pot of the mother plant it is mostly pieces of bark. Trays of pebbles with water in the trays just covering the pebbles. Place the pot on the pebbles. Some gardening places have special pots with holes so air circulates around the roots in the pot. The pot is really for you. The plant does nicely attaching itself to the bark of a tree as mom keeps baby happy with nutrients. Eventually it finds itself on its own. Hmmm.... somewhere in the recesses of my mind I remember my mother giving me a book on orchids. As books are never thrown out, I must have the book.....so many shelves.....books behind books...shelves that roll away revealing more shelves...I will look... where oh where? Jerry
I found it....well.....it was a book with a view of orchids from 5000 feet. Not much about growing. If you can, keep junior attached to mom and have it root in a new pot, as it would in the wild that would insure a solid footing for the new plant. Jerry.
Thanks for all this info Jerry. Keep it attached while it roots? Hmmm....that's going to be a feat!! It's about 2 feet up in the air!
Ronnie, wrap some Sphagnum moss around it with a bit of plastic to keep it together...and mist that with a water bottle every now and then... That would be how many hard to root plants are propagated.. corn plant dracenas etc...wrap the stem where it is still attached and wait on roots to form before removing it from the mother plant.
Oh!!! That's freaking brilliant Carolyn! Ok but wait....it HAS roots....doesn't it? Those paler green spiky looking things coming out from under the leaves. Aren't they the roots? Does it need more or something? I love orchids, but they are so complicated. Why'd they have to be such princesses? Just grow, dammit!!
