i have a white with yellow center orchid, large flowers and it bloomed for almost a year, then one branch had half turn brown and die, but in between where it was dead and still alive it has begun to grow leaves our of it, and yes they are orchid leaves?....do i re pot the leaves or do i leave it?, ive never seen leaves grow off a stem before? help please thank you, ciara
From time to time you're going to have leaves die. It is simply natural. And you will have new growth form. Again, natural. If the orchid has done well for a year it appears you are growing it in favorable conditions. Every orchid should be repotted annually. Check with a good orchid supplier in your area for the correct type of repotting media. Since your orchid could be any of several "tribes" I can't make a specific recommendation. In most cases, a good media which contains some gravel and charcoal should do fine. Many growers are now using a mixture of ground coconut husk and charcoal with gravel, but again, a good orchid supplier can answer the question of what type media to use. The new plant can be separated once it begins to mature and given a pot of its own. My guess would be you have the plant in fairly bright light since it continues to produce bloom spikes. There are quite a few good orchid discussions on this board. I suggest you do a search using the search engine at the top of the page and review some of those discussions. But overall, it sounds as though you are growing it well.
It sounds like you have a keiki (Hawaiian for baby) growing off your flower spike. I don't recommend removal from the mother until it has roots at least .5-1 inch long (minimum) and then it will need humid conditions in order to thrive. Basically it should be treated as a Phal seedling and will require a bit more care than a mature plant. Some Phals as well as other species do this quite often. I still have my first Phal keiki and it's about to bloom again. Good luck. Shaun
