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12-07-2006, 05:42 PM
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| Blooming Phals? I just acquired two new Phals,(Dtps Newberry Parfait 'Picotee' and Phal. Newberry Bouquet 'Blushing Bride'). They are both in excellent condition and in spike. My question is- How do I ensure that they produce blooms, and not keikis? Right now they are under 2- 85 watt (8000 lumens each) compact flouros with a color rendering of 65000K. The light cycle is 16 hrs on, 8 hrs off. My cool mist humidifyer keeps the humidity between 75 and 55. The ambient temperatures range from 81-75 during the day, and 71-65 at night. Thanks in advance!      |
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12-07-2006, 07:27 PM
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| I can't tell from your photo - when you say, "in spike" do you mean spikes that have already had flowers and you are hoping for additional sub-spikes with flowers versus keikis? I'm assuming this is what you mean? Some have noted that cutting the spike low has more of a tendancy to produce a keiki. Most of the literature suggests you cut the spent spike just above the last node at the top of the spike just before the first blooming flower. I'm not certain you ever can "ensure" 100%? More often than not most plants will produce flowers - genetics plays a significant role. I'm curious about your lighting comment - what kind of compact fluoros do you have that will put out that kind of lumens? What does the bulb look like and what kind of fixture does it go into? I'm assuming you are not talking about the kind of fluoros that typically would replace incandescent light bulbs? I was just looking at those today and a 100W replacement (that is actually only 30W) only puts out 1845 lumens - compared to a single 4 foot cool white fluoro tube that puts out 3000 lumens. |
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12-07-2006, 07:50 PM
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| Fabolosus will tell as if he's talking about a new stem or an already blooming spike. I think that the first is the case. Than, no doubt: the stem is going to be a bloom. {We definitely need a glossary on this site, so we (I mean newbie, including me) can learn specific words correctly  .} |
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12-07-2006, 10:25 PM
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| I'm sorry...What I meant was that they are new spikes. I heard that phals need a drop in temperature at night in order to produce a spike. I bought these already in spike, so I'm not sure if the conditions in my grow room will pause or halt them from producing flowers. |
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12-07-2006, 10:31 PM
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| As for the light- I read the packaging wrong! Ooops... It is actually 4200 lumens, it lasts 8000 hours. Here is the link: http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=9183 I just started a box for my lower light plants. One side has the 2-85 watt compacts, which I hope is not too intense for phals... |
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12-08-2006, 07:54 AM
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| Both plants will flower without much effort from you. Once the spikes have started you have much more leaway in its care. It no longer needs to chill. Newberry Parfait is one of my favorites and I have had them in bloom on the same stem for over 18 months. It is a genetic trait of the plant that the stem branches before the flowers die and produce new flowers as large and plentiful as the originals. Do not cut the stem until it dries out after flowering. At this point strong keikis develope easily if you do not cut the stem. It also seems to be more tolerant to drying out than other Phals. A really excellant plant.
__________________ jerry  |
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12-08-2006, 08:54 AM
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| I feel frustrated because I don't know the exact name of my phals... It's annoying that plants sold in shops have no names just price  on their label !!!Aniko. |
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12-08-2006, 10:33 AM
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| phals won't bloom hello i have 4 phals (3 are older. and one is a baby) i have a problem - they won't bloom for almost 3 years first i try with NPK 10-30-20, and then NPK 10-10-10, they are staying in sunny room, next to the window, and temperature is about 20 C plants look healthy only roots aren't "fresh", they look dryed or somehow, but only a little i water plant regulary, one per week i am new with orchids so please, help me thank you, Slavica from Serbia |
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12-08-2006, 11:17 AM
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| Fabolusus - Your phals will have no problem with that much light - it is less than you think (plant-wise). Making some assumptions here and you can adjust as you like to get altering values - both bulbs taken together will make 8400 lumens. If we assume that 75% of the light produced from these bulbs is actually directed towards the growing area then that makes 6300 lumens. If we assume you are lighting a total area of 2X4 feet (8 square feet) with those two bulbs we're down to about just under 800 footcandles. |
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12-08-2006, 11:31 AM
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| Hi, Slavica  Did you re potted your Phals in all these years? If not, a fresh potting medium will be welcomed by your plants. At this occasion you can check the roots inside the pot and eliminate the dead ones. Such a change can trigger the blooming process. If not, you cat try other tricks, like cooling or letting dry a bit more. But at first, I would try re potting. Aniko |
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12-08-2006, 12:35 PM
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| Thanks, Mayers. This particular setup was designed with phals in mind. I have the entire box coated with reflective mylar, so I'm hoping the plants will get plenty of diffused light. It also helps to keep the humidity constant. (I'm tired of shriveled aerial roots!) There is an oscilating fan in there for air flow... |
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12-08-2006, 04:57 PM
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| I agree!!! Right now I think I have about 3 or 4 phals that have no tags...plus a bunch of other species w/o tags...i've only been able to ID two orchids that were nameless...I'm left w/ so much more.... Quote:
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12-08-2006, 08:48 PM
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| 4200 lumen=390 foot candles, & with 2 lights it = 790, that isn't enough light! and farther away it's next to nothing. I think he should go for the strip lighting (shop lights)20.00 each @HomeDepot, or check out www.hydrofarm.com for screw in flouressent bulbs just for plants (multi bent tubes), about $79.00 each |
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12-09-2006, 12:09 AM
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| Daniel - I think you and I are thinking the same thing - note you said 790 and I said "just under 800". And yes, to maximize the usefullness of these lights they will need to be as close to the plants as possible - inches preferably. My setup has three shelves of four fluorescents at 3000 lumens each tube. I get 1000 footcandles AT THE BULB and as you have noted rapidly decrease from there. Only a couple inches away and I drop to 7-800. Phals under these lights 14-16 hours a day seem to do wonderfully - but as you suggest - just inches away. mike |
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12-09-2006, 10:11 PM
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| BTW it really doesn't matter if a bulb says,"just for plants"- that is a gimmick. I usually go for lights with a kelvin of between 5000K and 6500K. Lights higher on the blue/green end promote more vegetative and root growth, while lights on the red/orange end promote better flowering. Also, there are lights with so called "corrected" spectrums that try and simulate daylight. |
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12-10-2006, 01:33 AM
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| Fabolusus - I've been thinking about a 400W HID. I've read that you can grow an area about 4-5 feet square with one - does that mesh with what you have experienced? With that kind of light power do you have the plants about 4 feet below the fixture and how about the heat generated? Any challenges there? I see some of the fixtures come with ducts and fans to direct the heat given off by those fixtures? Do you use such a system? Thanks - mike |
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12-10-2006, 12:09 PM
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| Yeah, my area is about 5x5 ft square. My digital camera doesn't display the f/stop, so I can't give you an exact reading 4 ft away. I grew all of my paperwhites and amyrillis at 4-5 ft away and they turned out great- most of the paperwhite opened in 8-12 days! The only problem I've had so far is that you can't put things as close to the light as you would like. I scorched my favorite catt after accidently leaving it directly under the light! I would highly suggest investing in a light mover- it basically is a motorized track that keeps the light constantly moving, usually back and forth or in a circle. It allows you to put your plants as close to the light as you want without scorching. I live in an apartment and can't really make any major holes in the ceiling, but I plan on getting one when I move to my new house in august. As for the heat issue, I guess it depends on your space. I have a compact system (the ballast and the hood are in the same component) and it does cool down easily with the exhaust fan. It fits snugly on top of the light, and has a hose that sucks the heat out of the window. However, I live in Philadelphia and it gets really cold in the winter so I can't leave the window open. So in the winter I turn off the heater and "recycle" the heat from the light to heat the room. I heard that the remote ballast systems are easier to cool, but they take up more space... |
