Phal Spike Question

[fred]

I am postong this question for one of our members.

rupert1
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One of my phals has bloomed for at least 6 months on the same spike. It has dropped the last bloom today. There is a new spike growing from the middle of the old spike. Should i cut the spike at pot level or where the new growth is? I would like to repot this phal in diatomite now that it has dropped the flowers. Thanks for your assitance! Everyone have a great day

[Tobi]

Hi Rubert and welcome to the forum. There are some great Phal growers here
who I sure will give you guidance on what to do. The new spike could possibly
bloom for you and then you would probably want to wait on repotting. I guess
it depends on what you want since the new blooms would be there for a few
months. If not, you could cut the spike about 1-2" from the bottom. That way
the plant will direct its energy to the plant itself for good blooms the following
year.

[mayres]

You can repot a phal anytime you like without significant effect on the flowers - go for it! As to where to cut your spike, if you want to encourage a brand new spike to form (potentially) in the next couple of months my advice would be to cut the current spike down at the base as close to the plant as possible. On a sidenote - some plants that are culturally happy and predisposed to do so will actually bloom on subspikes and send up new spikes simultanaeously, but this is the minority. If you want some additional flowers as soon as possible go ahead and let the current subspike develop as it will - the flowers will more than likely be less numerous than the original spike and potentially slightly smaller. You can leave the current spike as is and let nature take its course or clip the portion above the developing subspike. Enjoy! Mike

[Tobi]

Thanks for the clarification on the repotting Mike. From the literature I've read
they suggest repotting after bloom. That's why I wasn't sure.