Phal questions. . .

[m13nlaw]

Hi, new to the forum and new to orchids. I have always thought they were beautiful but also always thought they would be hard to care for. Recently I learned that second part was wrong. I now have 2 Phal Orchids and would love some advise on the best care for them, as well as a couple of answers:

Both or my plants are small with I believe bark potting mix. I plan to repot them soon to check the roots and trim off any limp roots. I have the Orchid potting mix from Pettiti Garden Center and I also have Orchid food for them.

Both plants started with 2 flowers each. The first plant I had gotten has since, over some time, lost both flowers and is now bare. A couple of times I thought buds were starting at the end of the stalks, but nothing. Actually, the extended stalks from the main one got limp and withered. I cut them down and concluded I was probably over watering because I was judging by the top of the mix and not making sure the mid to bottom was dry. I now have what appears to be a bud on the end of the main stalk, but it is small and has not grown any. My second plant still has a flower, has lost one, and also appears to have a bud at the end of the main stalk, which also seems to not have grown much in awhile.

Both plants are in a open area in my house with lots of indirect light throughout the day. From all I have read, it actually should be a perfect place for them.

What do I do with the plan stalks once all flowers have bloomed? Do I cut the stalk down or do I leave it to grow more blooms? I can see where it once had blooms, and many of them over time obviously, but does it get to a point that no more buds will form and it should be cut down?

I think I have come to a point that I understand the lighting, watering, feeding, potting, but not the plant itself - growing habits, etc.

Thanks for any thoughts and advice you can offer.

Melissa

[tom499]

well i was speaking to an orchid grower today, i got 2 new phals, and they told me that repotting should only be done every 4-5 years, and the messier the roots are the better, as long as there not rotting too badly.

secondly, she said not to cut the stem off an inch from the bottom, but an inch from the top, because cutting it lower down means you have to wait maybe 2-3 years for new flowers, while leaving most of the stem triggers new growth.

i'd be greatful to hear what others think on these points

[prisana]

m13nlaw, don't worry , you'll get there. Once you've had it a while , you'll get used to what new roots , new leaves, new flower spikes look like and so on. Phals don't get flower spikes from the crown, they come out from the side of the stalk just like the roots.
You have an option to either cut the flower spike all the way down close to the bottom, or you could cut it just above the first node where the last flower had bloomed. The later you might get a second bloom if the plant still has some energy left . But cutting it down all the way will give the plant a rest and will probably ensure more flowers and sometimes even bigger , with more substance in it's next blooming cycle ( the cool weather in the falls will initiate new flower spikes ) .

They don't like to be dried off completely between watering . They like to be repotted, you can do this every year after they finish flowering, if you wish. Hope this helps some.. other geeks will probably be providing you with some helpful tips later...good luck.

[Maddy]

They're also not picky about when you repot them - I've repotted a couple that were in full bloom (they were in sphagnum moss and it was retaining far too much water) and it didn't faze them at all.

[mayres]

Melissa -
You can repot any time. The only reason I would repot a recently purchased phal is to check the root system out and remove any rotten or otherwise poor condition sections and put them in a media more to my liking. If they are already in bark, chances are they would be fine for another year or two - when it starts to get soft and act like little sponges it is time to repot. When you do repot - keep the pot size down as small as possible and still get all the roots contained - this will help in the #1 cause of poor phal health - overwatering. Phals typically will only throw out new spikes once per year - VERY approximate time spans for most that I have is 2-3 months of spike growing, 2-3 months of flowers, and 6-8 months of enjoying leaves and roots. Typically a bottom leaf or two will yellow and fall off during the year and you will gain 2-3 new ones. As noted, what you do with your spikes is up to you - I personally cut mine off at the base to energize the plants for next season's spikes. Enjoy! mike

[m13nlaw]

Thanks for all the tips. I think I am doing ok right now because looking at my plants this morning the leaves seemed perked up some on the one in particular. It looks weird though being so naked.

The naked plant I got in December/January. The one with the flower still on it I got on Valentine's day. My main reason for wanting to repot is because they were bought at Home Depot and I have no idea how long they were in their current pots, soils, etc. and what the roots look like. The one very reputable garden center by me told me what to look for with the roots, so I am thinking that if I repot and check out the root system they will flourish even more this year. At least that is my hope. I plan to keep the same size pot they are currently in. Seems to be a good fit for now.

Now, what about these, what look to be buds. How do I know if they are really new buds that are just stalled in growth, or not? I think I will cut my stalk down once they are finished blooming, but want to make sure they are finished blooming before I do that.

Each of my plants are small and have only 1 stalk. Do they grow more stalks then that? I am glad I found this place. I am eager to learn about my Orchids. Thanks again.

[mayres]

The end of the spike generally keeps a little bud-like node on it. I wouldn't count on anything developing from that. Generally sub-spikes come from nodes further down the spike if they are so inclined to throw out some secondary flowers. Supposedly cutting the spike just above the last node will encourage this, but I have seen plants send out secondary spikes with no trimming of the primary spike as well. The older (and bigger) your phal gets the more spikes it is inclined to get in a solitary season. I have seen pictures of phals with as many as 11 spikes - plants were probably 20+ years old and individual leaves probably about 12 inches long. Needless to say it takes years of very good growing to attain such heights! Continue to enjoy your phals - you'll find the roots and leaves are almost as enjoyable to watch grow as the flower spikes! :-) mike

[m13nlaw]

Thanks Mike. So, would you recommend cutting the spike all the way down once it has finished flowering for the year?

[_cor]

HI Guys,

Recently a few of the top phallie growers in Melbourne have tried using Coco fibre or Coco peat. The plants have responded very well to both. They also tend to keep there roots more in the pot than when they are potted in bark.

From my own experience with coco type products, you need to watch the ph, I just put canunda (sp?) shells in or add garden lime about every six months. (This is a must for cym's)

cor

[mayres]

Melissa -
I have about 30 phals and I will be cutting every one down to the base when they finish blooming - just my preference - to enhance the plant for next season's bloom cycle - and hopefully even better blooms next year! But there is nothing wrong with trying for a secondary spike and more flowers if that is what you choose - it is entirely optional. If growing conditions are very good and the plant is extremely healthy my guess is that it would not skip a beat with secondary flowering. Most of us are not quite there yet though - so want to give the plant every opportunity possible to grow and icrease in vitality.
Cor - I put all my phals in coir (coco fibre) the first of July last year - so far I am REALLY impressed with the results! Actually a mix of about 70% coir, 25% perlite and 5% charcoal. The only thing is that with these tight mixes and phals you have to be REALLY carefly not to over-water.

[m13nlaw]

Thanks Mike. I think I will try cutting them all the way down to the base. I found out that both of my plants are in see through pots that were placed inside another pot. It appears that the roots are extremely healthy, so right now I am still holding off on repotting. The leaves are looking great and very healthy. I miss the flowers, but I am enjoying the fact that they look healthy. Thanks for the help from all of you.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Mike, I have just moved from 3 to 2, perlite to peat (not coco peat), to 2 to 1, because I am having problems with many of the smaller plants. I think, when I am able to find a really good quallity fine bark, I am going to go away from peat altogether. The problem I am having is with too low a PH, and as I recall, coconut coir also had a low PH. Adding something to counter the low PH, like dolomite or oyster shells, I believe is causing the mix to breakdow too fast. However, being in the orchid backwater of Arizona, I don't expect to have an oportunity to get any really good bark for the next 3 months at least.