How do YOU stake your phals?

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Well, I am sure as there is a diverse amount of people here, there is a diverse way of doing a specific task! The task I am talking about, staking a phal. Though you may say there is only one way to stake a phal, just think about..... as long as the spike is pliable, you could stake it in any position you like. Any section of a spike will usually be pliable enough until a preceding bud is the size of a large pea, anything behind that bud, and you risk the chances of the spike snapping! I personally like the idea of a spike being completely upright, held like a Vanda's spike. I think the advantage of this is that it takes up less horizontal room and the buds should face in more than one direction, a perfect idea for an area where the plant will be seen from many directions. So what do YOU think would be an interesting way to stake a phal? Have you ever tried something out of the ordinary? Ever thought of it before? If you have, any available photos would be awesome!

A thought to provoke your imagination!

[tucker85]

What postion to stake a phal in is really just a matter of personal preference. If my phal is going to be displayed outdoors or on a shelf I don't stake at all. I let it grow naturally as in the first photo. If I'm going to display it on a table I stake to a point just before the first flower. That way the flowers can cascade in a gentle arch as in the second picture. As you know, larger phals will develop a long arch that cascades way down low. That's the look that I like. But you're right. That presentation takes a lot more room.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

I love the way the flowers hang when it is mounted, it looks so natural!

[tucker85]

That's actually in clay pot. You just can't see it behind the orchid.

[phal-newbie]

To TUCKER....How did you mount the clay pot to the wall ???....very cool presentation of that white phal.

[Call_Me_Bob]

i do all different kinds. it depends on the plant for me. i like it tell me what it wants. I have a mounted phal that is growing a spike, and the spike is just going straight up, so we will see how that looks.

but i do like spikes staked under the first bud so it cascades

[tucker85]

Phal Newbie, the pot is held by a double wire hanger. If you look carefully you can see it on the right and left sides of the pot. The phal is leaning out over the edge of the pot. That's both good and bad. It means I can't really stake the flower spike upwards. But it also means the crown of the phal is pointing sideways and is not likely to get water in it. Less chance of crown rot. I only grow some of my phals that way. Others are upright the way you normally see phals.

[CTB]

I stake my phals only when they begin to droop, if they can hold it up they on their own. The ones I mount the flowers hang down. Some phals have three foot spikes other have 12 inches. I let the orchid dictate what it needs. Since I grow for my enjoyment the more natural the better.

[BobInBonita]

I usually don't stake, but if a spike looks really heavy I will.

The first spike on a phal is frequently a single long spike. Sometimes with multiple reblooms it can get heavier due to branching so the need for staking shifts.

When I used to stake, I occasionally would tie a little too tight and too soon, and the spike would still grow below the tie. Resulted in a kink or abnormal bend below the tie. Once that happened a few times, I waited longer and longer to stake and eventually just stopped. I like the graceful swoop better. Somehow I never got as artful a presentation as Tucker.

[SOS]

The cascade is definitely a good look, especially on amabilis type. The Taiwanese way of cooling and heating their phals to get huge spikes is the way to go.