>> Will these babies keep the cutting from producing new growths of its own? How big should they be before I remove and plant them separately? If your intention is to grow new plants, and there are no signs of new growths from the base, then by all means keep the top keikis attached until they appear to be big enough to be on their own. It would be difficult to judge by the size since different epi hybrids can range from very small to jungle-sized plants. Typically, it would be safe to remove the keiki once it has produced 3 or more healthy roots and it has more than 4 leaves. Obviously, more would be better. Besides, keikis would not be as big a "nutrient drain" compared to flowers. Keikis have their own leaves and roots that produce food for the plant. So even in a small way, they can "pull their weight". When the keikis are young, they rely a lot on the mother plant's nutrients. But as they grow, they begin to support themselves more. Flowers do not produce any food for the plant and feed entirely from the plant's reserves. One thing to watch out for, epidendrum keikis are notorious for blooming while young if they are still attached to the mother plant. If you think that the mother plant and keikis are still malnourished and you see signs of flower spikes on the keiki, you would probably want to nip the flower spike to prevent any further nutrient drain. You would not be losing much - epidendrum flowers from a malnourished plant will not be worth it. Give the plant a chance to bulk up its foliage and you will be rewarded with better quality blooms.

yes - you can do it. Or you can give them a feed with a weak solution of the fish emulsion or manure tea or alfa alfa tea - weak is the word - or you can give them an epsom salt supplement - I guess 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. Or all the above. Or nothing at all. The most important thing is to keep a good eye on the plant - because tired look, loss of shine on the leaves, droopiness - it can be a sign of root rot - and the plant is going to keel over very soon. So - investigate the stem at the soil level and slightly under - and if it is it - cut the crown, remove the big leaves and reroot. good luck Irina

The banana entomologist worked all of his working years in Central America in charge of the large plantations making sure that they were disease free. I went on a field trip to Panama with the Topical Fruit Club 10 years ago for a tour. One of our visits was to a banana plantation where we got to see how they grow, harvest and box the commercial bananas. Quite impressive. Christine

I've done this with orchid scapes (Phaius and Phalaenopsis) as well as with the bloom stems of Sedums, but always by cutting the entire stem and laying it horizontally on a bed of rooting medium (usually a perlite/vermiculite mix). The new plants form from the adventitious buds below the points at which the blooms emerged. No reason not to try it with hostas. My theory always is that there's nothing to lose through experimentation!