text: This is a discussion on What is this? within the General Orchid Culture forums, part of the Orchid Culture category; I was wondering what this is on my Paph. I noticed it a week or ...
  March 9th, 2008, 11:09 AM #1
  I was wondering what this is on my Paph. I noticed it a week or two ago and I think it's growing. I am very new to orchids and I hope this isn't a stupid question. I thought new leaves and spikes would grow out of the middle not the side.
  March 9th, 2008, 11:56 AM #2
  Not a stupid question at all. That is a new growth. Eventually that will grow to be an entirely new paph and will bloom. Paphs only bloom once per growth, so new growths are a good thing.
  You are correct that your main plant will send out a flower spike from the top, but you also have a little baby plant starting.
  March 9th, 2008, 12:44 PM #3
  Good growing. I agree with Sadie. You've got a nice pretty 'Keikei' there. Keikei is Hawaaiian for baby plant (i think).
  March 9th, 2008, 01:14 PM #4
  nice new growth. All slipper orchids send them before or after blooming
  March 9th, 2008, 02:04 PM #5
  New growth it is! Congrats.
  March 9th, 2008, 03:29 PM #6
  oh, not to be nitpicky, but keiki is hawaiian for baby, not baby plant.
  Thanks everyone. This is the paph. that I killed the bloom on by putting it in direct sunlight So that plant will never get another flower? What happens to that plant? Does it die off when the keiki gets bigger?
  I was going to repot it since the bloom is gone. Would it be ok to do it now that the new growth has started? Right now it's in a 3" pot should I put it in a bigger one or keep it in the same one?
  March 11th, 2008, 02:21 PM #8
  I don't want to but can a paph growth send out multiple new growths like a catt can through dormant eyes or do paphs only put out a single new growth per old growth? More like a straight line sympodial than a exponential sympodial...
  March 11th, 2008, 03:57 PM #9
  I don't exactly know the answer to this question exactly, I would assume that yes they can, otherwise how else would you end up with specimen plants with a large number of flower spikes?
  However, I'd like to know the answer too from someone who knows what they are talking about....
  March 16th, 2008, 05:28 PM #10
  Thanks Kerry, what you said makes sense, they should be able to sprout multiple times. Hopefully someone that knows can share their expertise.