Grow Phals like the Pros!

[mayres]

Here is a link to a four part series in a publication called Greenhouse Grower starting July 2005. It describes in pretty good detail the process of growing phals for mass market - IN VOLUME. There are some pretty good ideas here that we can glean and use for the hobby grower as well! Change the "201" in the link to 202, 203 and 204 to get all four parts. Enjoy!
http://www.hrt.msu.edu/faculty/Runkl...20part%201.pdf
mike

[BillC]

Mike, I read the article with interest but I thought you might like to comment on this extract from part two, relative to the potting media as follows:

They have been running a 3-part study on Phals by A&M. This months issue was about potting media and fertilizer.
Some interesting comments:
Bark is not the best media, does not hold water well, when it begins to hold water it decomposes quickly and ties up some of the nutrients. 'Research has shown there may be no detectable amount of nitrate-nitrogen in a bark medium. Fir bark particles do not have much capillary action and do not readily transfer moisture from bottom to top. It can lead to severe root rot and poor plant performance.'

'Sphagnum Moss is probably the single best material for growing young phalaenopsis in warm conditions. Moss has a low pH and absorbs large quantities of water and mineral nutrients.' Growers have to be careful in more temperate climates where pots lose water less rapidly. 'In addition, inexperienced consumers often overwater plants sold in sphagnum leading to root rot and plant decline.' Early research at Texas A&M showed that plant growth was vastly improved in a medium consisting of 20% course sphag and 80% fir bark.
When planting in bark, you should never tap the pot. It causes smaller particles to settle in the lower portion of the pot which could cause more water to stay where it dries the slowest'.

This is a touchy subject, as most growers use bark and I hope you can offer some clarity, Bill

[mayres]

Good point to bring up Bill -
I talked at length with a phal breeder that has extensive long term experience in my area. I can always tell when I run across plants from his company in various locations because he is the only one around here who grows his phals in a peat mixture. I think my first two phals were from him and sure enough - my inexperience showed - severe root rot - I nearly lost both plants and they are only now a year and half later showing signs of health. In a home environment his mix holds so much water it only needs to be watered every 3 weeks or so when in the cool wet pacific northwest home environment. Plants in bark/perlite would have probably (?) fared much better through my learning curve. In fact, this grower suggested if you are an inexperienced grower that tends to "pamper" your plants (potentially over-water) - move your phals to medium/coarse bark. My suggestion for newbies is initially stick with bark and slowly see if you can find a finer media (or blend of medias) that work for you and your conditions over time.
With that said, he pointed out that studies have shown finer media blends produce better growth and require much less frequent watering - similar to what the noted articles also report. I visited a local club member here who had a few phals planted in a coir/perlite/charcoal mixture in a greenhouse environment and his plants were huge and healthy as I have ever seen phals. Right there and then I determined to try a fine blend for my phas as well (I have about 30 or so plants). I have moved all but one to this mixture (guess at 75% coir, 20% perlite, 5% charcoal) on July 1 last year and so far they seem to be responding excellent. I feel like I'm walking a fine line between knowing when to water (?) - cautious because I know I can rot roots if not careful (like I mentioned, I have done it before).
Another point the articles bring out is that phals grow MUCH better in a warm environment - much warmer than normal temps that us energy saving types typically might have our homes in the winter time of the Pacific Northwest. Last year I kept my phals in a normal temp house (I typically would let my home cool down at night to low 50's) during the winter. My phals all went into a state of suspended animation - like plastic plants! This year I have them all in a space in a spare bedroom with an electric supplemental heater - what a difference! They now grow year round. I'm certain that if they were in an even warmer environment with more humidity they would grow even more.
What makes this a challenge is for each person to find what works for them - different areas and growing techniques respond differently.
Just a few thoughts...............
mike

[BillC]

Thanks Mike, you have given me much food for thought, especially about the temperature. I might try to increase my night temps a few degrees to begin, and also about the mix with coir, perlite and charcoal. Bill

[Fabolusus]

Thanks for the great post, Mike! I have been using MSU fertilizer at 125 ppm nitrogen with amazing results...after reading this article I think I'll raise it to 150

[Aniko]

Mike, thank you - this article helped to understand better some aspects of growing phal, especially the relationship between medium-temperature-watering.
Now, I know that my good results with Sphagnum moss are related to the worm temperature - I don't let it fall under 70F. It seems that the growth is continuous and equilibrated, as you experienced, too. But I'm aware of the danger of over watering...so I'm going to try to add to the sphag some fire bark/charcoal/ceramic nuggets mix (by Shultz) which I acquired for my catts, making it more aerate and less water retentive.Let see how it works...

[The Chosen One]

Thanks for this post. I'll be reading this artivcle over the weekend. I'm encouraged by what I have browsed as I started out with a complete fir bark medium with my Phals. However as I gained a little more experience I noticed that it was drying out too quickly. I added about 20% moss and 5% charcoal to the mix and I noticed a big improvement. Now apparently I just need to try to raise the temp. for them.