The Orchid Garden

Newbie: Phalaenopsis question(s)

Question:

I’ll take that! Especially since, on rec.sport.triathlon, I recently professed that the Ironman Triathlon I will participate in on August 15th, 1999 in Lake Placid will be my one and only Ironman. Must have gotten dozens of emails from people laughing at me because they said the same thing while training for their first and all went on to do several more. So, am I doomed to be a frequent Ironman, or a basement dwelling orchid obsessed ex-triathlete? There doesn’t seem to be time for both! I still can’t believe people do these races several times per year, training for one – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run all in the same day without stopping is cutting into my life enough as it is. Mike "can’t wait till August 16th!" Schwing – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Mike, I would not be too quick going on the record.  You might be suprised just how addictive these things are and just how nice the people at your local orchid society are.  My first orchids was a striped phal, until I froze it, the only label in its pot read ‘first orchid’ .  How I have 9000 square feet of the critters.  I think I went on the record once saying ‘no more plants’.  :) Pat B Thanks, I don’t plan on doing anything other than enjoying my orchids, just for the record, and trying to care for them as well as possible. I’m at least pretty sure they’re Phals, and will probably have to live on as "Phal Unkown".

Response:

What do they call the event where participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles and repot 9000 square feet of orchids all in the same day? Al  :-) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll take that! Especially since, on rec.sport.triathlon, I recently professed that the Ironman Triathlon I will participate in on August 15th, 1999 in Lake Placid will be my one and only Ironman. Must have gotten dozens of emails from people laughing at me because they said the same thing while training for their first and all went on to do several more.  [SNIP] Hey Mike, I would not be too quick going on the record.  You might be suprised just how addictive these things are and just how nice the people at your local orchid society are.  My first orchids was a striped phal, until I froze it, the only label in its pot read ‘first orchid’ .  How I have 9000 square feet of the critters.  I think I went on the record once saying ‘no more plants’.  :) Pat B

Response:

Hello SchwingDing! Your Phalaenopsis only flower once a year but they flower for a very long period of time. One of my Phalaenopsis has flowerd for nearly six months now! To your questions; 1. Yes, you should cut the spike that doesn’t appear to have any new growth but cut it at the third "eye" from the bottom. Don’t cut it all the way down. 2. Yes, you can cut the old branch above where the new branch is growing but you can just as well leave it alone. I’ve done both with my Phalaenopsis and it doesn’t seem to affect the orchid. 3. All my Phalaenopsis flower once a year, but since they flower for such a long period of time as six months you don’t have to wait a whole year for it to flower again. 4. I asked the exact same question when I had bought my first Phalaenopsis and the florist told me that the Phalaenopsis prefers a small pot. I usually replant my Phalaenopsis into a larger pot every second or third year. The new pot should only be one size bigger than the previous pot.     You did the right choice when you choose Phalaenopsis as your first orchid. It’s quite easy to take care of and to get to flower again. Good luck with your Phalaenopsis! SchwingDing skrev i meddelandet … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi all. Thanks in advance for repeating what I’m sure you have been nice to answer enough time and time again, I just got here. Have tried and tried to read all I can about the two Phalaenopsis plants I purchased in February. I have some questions I hope you can answer for me. They appear to be a Phal aphrodite, and a Phal plantation elegance, judging from the pictures at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3959/orchpic.htm#phals What came with the plants was a little card telling me what to do and when. I am having a hard time believing that I am supposed to cut the spikes down to 2 inches tall after the blooms have fallen off (they are starting to fall off now). In addition, I thought that the Phals would bloom only once per year. Both plants have, largely unnoticed by me until they were nearly 3 inches long, begun to branch off new shoots from the main spike, and two of the branches one one plant have 4 new blooms close to opening on them. This would not indicate blooming once per year, judging from the fact that blooms are still on the plant. The new branches have appeared about 12 inches from the base of the main spike(s). My questions: 1. One of the spikes does not have any new growth – should I cut it, and where? 2. The spikes with new branches but old growth – should I cut the old branch above where the new branch is growing? Should I leave it alone? 3. Does the blooming once a year really hold, or are they going to begin a new yearly cycle due to their new environment? 4. How do I know when to move to a larger pot and/or new media? Thanks again in advance. I have always wanted to take care of an orchid but only recently have I been able to find them in a price I could afford. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to care properly for them, but it appears I’m doing just fine. Want to continue doing just that. Mike Schwing

Response:

What do they call the event where participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles and repot 9000 square feet of orchids all in the same day?

they call it living in Miami, Fla–raising orchids, coping with traffic jams! 9000 square feet?!  I’m outta here!

Response:

What do they call the event where participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles and repot 9000 square feet of orchids all in the same day?

That would be the Iron Man Triorchithon. Steve in the Adirondacks of northern NY

Response:

What do they call the event where participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles and repot 9000 square feet of orchids all in the same day? That would be the Iron Man Triorchithon. Steve in the Adirondacks of northern NY

Crazy comes to mind.

Response:

Hi all. Thanks in advance for repeating what I’m sure you have been nice to answer enough time and time again, I just got here. Have tried and tried to read all I can about the two Phalaenopsis plants I purchased in February. I have some questions I hope you can answer for me. They appear to be a Phal aphrodite, and a Phal plantation elegance, judging from the pictures at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3959/orchpic.htm#phals What came with the plants was a little card telling me what to do and when. I am having a hard time believing that I am supposed to cut the spikes down to 2 inches tall after the blooms have fallen off (they are starting to fall off now). In addition, I thought that the Phals would bloom only once per year. Both plants have, largely unnoticed by me until they were nearly 3 inches long, begun to branch off new shoots from the main spike, and two of the branches one one plant have 4 new blooms close to opening on them. This would not indicate blooming once per year, judging from the fact that blooms are still on the plant. The new branches have appeared about 12 inches from the base of the main spike(s). My questions: 1. One of the spikes does not have any new growth – should I cut it, and where? 2. The spikes with new branches but old growth – should I cut the old branch above where the new branch is growing? Should I leave it alone? 3. Does the blooming once a year really hold, or are they going to begin a new yearly cycle due to their new environment? 4. How do I know when to move to a larger pot and/or new media? Thanks again in advance. I have always wanted to take care of an orchid but only recently have I been able to find them in a price I could afford. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to care properly for them, but it appears I’m doing just fine. Want to continue doing just that. Mike Schwing

Response:

Hey Mike, I would not be too quick going on the record.  You might be suprised just how addictive these things are and just how nice the people at your local orchid society are.  My first orchids was a striped phal, until I froze it,  the only label in its pot read ‘first orchid’ .  How I have 9000 square feet of the critters.  I think I went on the record once saying ‘no more plants’.  :) Pat B – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks, I don’t plan on doing anything other than enjoying my orchids, just for the record, and trying to care for them as well as possible. I’m at least pretty sure they’re Phals, and will probably have to live on as "Phal Unkown".

Response:

Thanks, I don’t plan on doing anything other than enjoying my orchids, just for the record, and trying to care for them as well as possible. I’m at least pretty sure they’re Phals, and will probably have to live on as "Phal Unkown". – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just for the record, chances are that your plants are not Phal aphrodite or Phal Plantation Elegance.  Phal aphrodite is a species that is sort of hard to find for sale and would most likely come with a label saying what it was and if you did not buy the pink Phal from Plantation Orchids, I would bet that it is not Phal Plantation Elegance.  There are 1000’s of different Phal hybrids on the market these days and because their parentage is so similar, it is impossible to identify a plant from a picture.  This is why labels are so important if you plan to show or breed with the plant. They appear to be a Phal aphrodite, and a Phal plantation elegance, judging from the pictures at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3959/orchpic.htm#phals

Response:

Another point of view holds that you don’t need to cut off a Phal spike until it dies naturally.  It will turn a straw colored brown on most hybrids when it is dead.

That’s how I do it. The spike dies off quickly after blooming, or it remains green, ready to put out new flowers. — To reply, remove ".out".

Response:

Just for the record, chances are that your plants are not Phal aphrodite or Phal Plantation Elegance.  Phal aphrodite is a species that is sort of hard to find for sale and would most likely come with a label saying what it was and if you did not buy the pink Phal from Plantation Orchids, I would bet that it is not Phal Plantation Elegance.  There are 1000’s of different Phal hybrids on the market these days and because their parentage is so similar, it is impossible to identify a plant from a picture.  This is why labels are so important if you plan to show or breed with the plant.   – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – They appear to be a Phal aphrodite, and a Phal plantation elegance, judging from the pictures at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3959/orchpic.htm#phals

Response:

To your questions; 1. Yes, you should cut the spike that doesn’t appear to have any new growth but cut it at the third "eye" from the bottom. Don’t cut it all the way down. 2. Yes, you can cut the old branch above where the new branch is growing but you can just as well leave it alone. I’ve done both with my Phalaenopsis and it doesn’t seem to affect the orchid.

Another point of view holds that you don’t need to cut off a Phal spike until it dies naturally.  It will turn a straw colored brown on most hybrids when it is dead.  In the mean time, if it is still alive,  it may be resting before putting out new buds.  Since, it can easily branch *and* put out new buds on the original spike tip I rarely cut off a living spike. Sometimes they die back to a node along the spike and this is usually an indication that they will produce a spike from the node just below the dead part.  You can cut off the dead part. Also, many Phal hybrids, once mature, have it within their genes to produce several spikes a year although most will not.  Sometimes they will not produce new spikes when an old one is still present but other times they can produce new spikes while sending out new buds on an old spike.  A large old Phal may have several spikes in bloom each one a season or more old. Cutting off a living spike will not harm a healthy plant.  If the plant is stressed for some reason, cutting off the spike, even one with flowers, may save it’s life. To cut or not to cut.  The choice is yours. Al

Response:

Filed under: Phalaenopsis Orchid

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