phal. still in spike but now it's leaves are wilting

[mmarchese]

I've had this particular phal for about 5 months now and it's been in bloom for that entire time. A few weeks ago it got knocked over and i had to cut the broken spike down due to damage to the flowers. I also had to repot it as it's pot had broken with the fall. Since then it has new flower spikes coming in but the leaves are looking rather "wilted" and i'm afraid I'm about to lose the plant. Is there anything I can do to revive it?

[Ak_Orchid]

In my expiriance (which is limited) orchids that bloom for months on end, can take tons of energy away from the plant. I had one phal that bloomed for about 7 1/2 months, and the longer it bloomed the worse off the plant looked. A while after I cut the spike the plant regained it's normal appearance. But before going and cutting off new spikes, I'd wait to see what other have to say. I'm sure someone else with have some suggestions

[janet_a]

that sounds like a stress blooming. also, in my experience, plants from regular nurseries tend to be potted in old ooky medium that holds a lot of water. if you repotted in fresh, no matter what kind, you've probably improved the drainage considerably and the plant *may* not be getting enough water now.

what kind of pot and what kind of medium did you repot in, and how often are you watering?

[mmarchese]

i potted it in a clay pot with medium bark mix. do you think i should cut off the spikes to see if i can save the plant?

[janet_a]

yeah, that's a pretty dry combination. you may very well want to cut the spikes and up the watering a bit until it acclimates.

me, i'm going to bite the bullet when i get home and cut the spikes on a plant that's been in bloom on sequential spikes for about 3 yrs, with one 90-day break. -sigh- but i don't want it stressing itself too much, and i'm repotting tomorrow, so i think it's for the best.

[mmarchese]

thanks for your help janet! i guess i'll have to suck it up and cut the spikes off. i'll try to hold back the tears.. *sniff, sniff*

[jerrymeola]

all the advice has been good. Reducing the stress on your flower is a good choice. I would like to point out that there is a product called SuperThrive which is a root harmone mixture that is great for removing stress from repoted or damaged plants.

It is certainly true that flowers take much enery from a plant. I have a Newberry Parfait that has had flowers or buds on the SAME STEM since March of 2005. This is a genetic trait in this hybrid.



Flowering it to death has been a constant issue especially since it has put out two new branches on this stem and looks like it will flower well over two years just from its current buds.

When growing a long flowering phal regular fertilizer becomes very important. It all this time I have just been able to start a new leaf of about 2 inches this month. So you can keep the flowers going, but it takes regular care.