Hi, Christina. I use all the clips or tape I need to support the spike in the position I want it in. I also try to use bent wire to support the flowering tip of the spike. I sometimes clip two spikes together-- a stick for strength and the bent wire to hold up the flowers. Norman's Orchids uses a stick with wire attached. The wire is wound round the flower end of the stem to support the weight of the flowers. I'm looking for some of those, but haven't located any yet.
I've learned to look past all the supports and see only the beauty of the flowers.
Be careful of pinch clips used close to the tip of the spike-- I think that part of the spike is too tender for clips, and use tape or wire there instead.
Reason for corsetting them all the way up like that instead of half way up is this-- If you support the spike only part way up, the weight of the flowers and buds can snap the spike. I learned this the hard way, losing a stem of 6-8 wonderful flowers and buds on a Newberry Parfait. One morning went in to look, and there it was, hanging down, broken. every single flower gone.
That's when the light went on and I realized why Norman's takes all that trouble to wind all that wire around.
Drooping spikes au naturelle are lovely, too, if you can hang the phal high enough so you can see the flowers without lying on the floor.
