Perfect - thanks!

It looks like the point with the roots at 17" is a kieki. So you essentially have a plant growing on top of another plant. If it is a kieki you should be able to remove it and pot it separately.

Let the plant complete the blooming which may last a long time. When the flower is done, by hand break the reed about 5 or 6 inches from the top. After several weeks a kieki will form. Wait until there are at least 3 roots 1" long. Then. by hand, break the reed again about 3 leafs down. Strip off those 3 leafs. Use the stripped off reed and push it into the existing pot or start a new small pot with the kieki roots touching the potting material.

When regrowing kiekis or divisions, the plants like to be secure and not wobble around. My above method will make that happen. Good luck.

Thanks, meg -- I'd consider starting another plant if I could give it away to a friend, as I'm not sure how many more I can take care of. Any harm if I just leave it alone?

shavedmonkey -- Let the plant complete the blooming which may last a long time: oh, golly, let's hope so! :) If my goal, however, is to control height and not continue to have keikis form (which is what your hand-pinching method promotes, correct?), but perhaps to promote growth from below, how might I proceed? Thanks for the input.

javiwa, start a new one there is always someone willing to adopt for cost of postage. Myself included.

Oh! OK. :) I may need a primer on how to send by mail to they survive on the receiving end. I'll contact you by PM to get your info - thanks! Would love to share what I have.

ETA: Dad would have been thrilled.

Almost always this plant will generate keiki's. Regardless if you pinch off the top or not...

There is no harm in just leaving it alone. It's just that you are already concerned about the height. As shavedmonkey says keikis are common on reed stems. You could wind up with plant on plant on plant.....LOL I have one I allow to grow draped, hanging down. I usually remove the keikis from the tips and plant them back in the pot with mama. Makes for a nice show.

meg - Thanks for the tip about replanting w/ mama, esp since being kept indoors, mine are looking a tad sparse. I had time to do further reading this weekend, and found these are particularly susceptible to aphids. I'm already struggling with infestations on my butterfly milkweeds (yes, they do enough damage to prevent the milkweeds from growing), so I can just imagine what they quickly find my epis! :( I think, at least in my yard, placing these outdoors isn't in the cards.

So, where are you? Somewhere around where your Dad grew the orchid? In Southern California/LA it would be best grown outside in the garden. In that sort of Climate it is unkillable. Flowers sequentially so a flowering head lasts for months.

The modern hybrids are somewhat reduced in plant size but are a little more difficult to grow.

Here, the only ones of any value are the modern hybrids, the tough old warriors that the Church promoted as Crucifix orchids have little resale value.

Thanks, Arthur. We're in Houston, TX (not sure what zone that puts me in). Indeed, the orchids flourished under Dad's care. I know he always purchased his plants from one of the independent nurseries in the area -- beyond that, I don't know if this is a modern hybrid or not.

You're either in zone 8b or 9a depending on where in Houston you are. You will probably want to bring the epis inside or at least under a covered patio for the coldest part of winter. Otherwise they should do fine outside.

Thanks, Nil13. We're about 20 miles SW of downtown Houston. As prolific as these appear to be, I'm sure I'll have plenty of plantlings to experiment with. The aphids around here, though, are no joke. They've stalled the most hardy of milkweeds (in my yard anyway -- my friend, who lives a mile from here has zero aphids). And even the ladybugs can't keep up!