Greetings And Question

[AiletteR]

Hello Again

Posted an Introduction Already but Hello Again from Central Florida.

Last January 2007 I received a White Phalaenopsis Hybrid as a gift.

It had 2 Blooms on it. The blooms fell off and almost 8 months went by till it bloomed again. After those new 2 blooms fell off, I immediately noticed 4 more coming in, 2 per 2 different areas for a total of 4. Last week those blooms finally fell off. Now the main stem looks as though it is drying up. Should I cut it all the way back? Will it regrow another? I'm hoping she isn't dying on me. Everything else looks great, it's only the main stalk which appears to be having an issue. It is beginning to turn light brown as if it is drying up.

Please help !! I will post pictures in a while. In the meantime can anyone offer advice, explanations, or suggestions. Thank you very much

BTW just bought a Deep Red Phalaenopsis from Lowes !

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome to the forum Ailette. It is perfectly normal for the spike on your Phal. to
turn brown and die off after it's finished flowering. I would cut it about 1 to 1 1/2 inches
from the base where it is coming from. This will encourage the plant to restore the
energy it needs to rebloom the next time. In the fall, subject it to a temperature drop
of about 10 F. This should initiate a new spike for blooming.

[AiletteR]

TY very much Tobi

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum, in case I didn't see your first intro!

I look forward to seeing pictures of your new Phal.

[AiletteR]

Hi Jay !

Thanks for the welcome. I got carried away and bought a total of 7 Different Orchids this past weekend. Pics are on the way. I cut back the stem as Tobi suggested and have noticed the leaves growing after I did that. I guess she is building up energy for the next bloom

[solay]

Welcome and nice to meet you AileeteR. As you see, there are many people here to help you with your orchid problems. I await your pics. of the newly purchased orchids.

[articuno75]

Hi AiletteR and welcome to the forum!

I didn't see your intro either and had to chase it down (Sorry bout that) So, miss the blooms that much you had to buy 7 more? You got the addiction bad Can't wait to see the pics. BTW, do you have the name of your Phal?

[AiletteR]

TY & Greetings

I will be uploading pics to my photobucket account after American Idol :P 10pm Eastern Time. Don't have the exact names on any of these, maybe someone can help me to figure it out. All the labels stated was that they were Phal's.

[AiletteR]

[kid a]

Wow, thats interesting. I have never seen phals or any orchids growing in fish bowls before. Have you had any problems with them staying to moist? I noticed you had larger rocks and media closer to the bottom to drain some off the top. I guess basically because my initial reaction to those pictures was near shock of how can this work well and they are all flowering. You are doing something right since they are all flowering at the same time! I am really curious because I haven't seen (I haven't seen alot btw! lol) anything like this before. How long have they been potted like that, are those the new ones?

I also noticed in the second picture of the purple phal it looks like the lower leaf in the back is brown. If it is that may be something to remove. I can't see it really well so I'm not sure though.

[Orchidementia]

I think she bought them in bloom last weekend, if I read her post right. She sure has some pretty ones!

[brookn]

Aliette, I know that you must have spent a tremendous amount of time repotting these Phals, but unless there is drainage in those bowls, it will most likely rot the roots. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I know that you want the best for them. There just will not be any air to the roots, and it will kill them. You could always get some lucky bamboo for your bowls? They love sitting in water. It does look really nice. Maybe you could find a way to drill holes in them?? I just don't know, maybe someone will have an idea.

[solay]

I think they look so pretty. I'm like you. I like the plants to look nice in the house in pretty containers instead on just in a pot. Too bad if you have to repot them. Sorry. I guess the health of the plant is more important.

[articuno75]

I have to agree with Brookn. The Phals will slowly suffocate and start to develope root rot. Now another thing that could be done maybe is using hydroton as a medium in the bowls. It would be a form of S/H, but without drainage holes, I don't know if it would work or not. Possibly could if the water evaporated sufficiently.

[AiletteR]

Looked at them this morning and they all seem fine. What I did when I repotted them is placed rocks on the bottom then some orchid bark, more rocks and the moss is only on the top layer to support the orchids in place with a few strategically placed colored glass rocks. I filled the bowls with water combined with low strength orchid growth food and waited about 30 seconds then completely drained all of the solution. I was told to repeat the feeding/watering once every 7-10 days. Does that sound right?

Do you guys think if I use a glass drill bit and drill holes on the bottom or along the bottom edges, they can stay in their bowls? I totally freaked out at the possibility that they could rot or die the way i repotted them

Thank you so much for any advice you can give. I made them their very own room in the entrance to my house where they can enjoy windows without direct sunlight. In the late afternoon the sun sets on the side of the house where their room is, so when they do get to see the sun, it is already started to go down.

[articuno75]

You can still use the containers. Here is a thread that might help.

[AiletteR]

Excellent info. Thanks very much. Gonna run out in a few and try to find the right bit to accomplish the hole drilling. How many holes should I drill? Time to do more research