Advice on Phalaenopsis Spikes

[early]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Phal growth is proportional to the growing temperatures. They should flower each year. In a warm situation mine make 3-5 new leaves each year, or more. Most will eventually make clusters of rosettes from the base, each of which may make several flower spikes per year.

I bought a beautiful phal last year that had a terminal spike. I cut the spike down to a couple of nodes left. Ray said when I was panicing about having a terminal spike, to be patient and I might get a basal keiki. a couple of months ago that happened, making both me and the orchid happy again.

[Roberta]

I don't live on Mars.

I routinely get 2-3 new leaves a year, and my conditions for Phals are far from ideal - my greenhouse is drafty, winter temperatures oscillate all night from about 57 deg F to 63 deg F or so (14-17 deg C) ... it's not well sealed - works for California though- and it is impossible to keep a small GH regulated more evenly. Days are warmer, of course, and I'm sure that helps. The GH does have good humidity going for it. Some Phals are mounted, some in baskets with either sphag or small bark (especially the species) The hybrids do OK in pots, the species do better with mounting/baskets. But I get growth, roots, and flowers, so in spite of it all, they put up with the not-so-great conditions. I also have had several that compensated for loss of main growth with new basal growths. The only ones that don't do so well are Phal violecea and Phal bellina - those really need more warmth. There are enough orchids that grow well under my conditions, that I am quite content to accept that there are some that just aren't meant to be, focus my efforts on the ones that grow for me. (Space and money are also limiting factors)

[Clawhammer]

My rule is I cut the spikes for non-fragrant phals and leave the spike for fragrant phals. The flower displays are better on a freshly grown spike, so if the purpose of a bloom is 100% visual why not max it out? For fragrant phals, having just one or two flowers all the time is better because I can enjoy the fragrance almost year round. I do this with my Bellina.

[Roberta]

There also some non-fragrant ones that bloom sequentially - for example, Phal cornu-cervi can keep popping out flowers on a spike for several years. Those it's important to wait until the spike is brown and crunchy before cutting, of course. The one shown by the OP, though, does not appear to be one of those sequential bloomers - there might be some in the parentage of the plant to keep the spikes green for an extend period of time. For most hybrids, the presentation on new spikes is more aesthetic even if an old one might put out a blooming branch. But I don't see that showing on the example either. If it were my plant, I'd leave the old green spikes, though, just to see what might happen.

[Clawhammer]

I'd cut them all and have a dramatic rebloom Safe either way. Enjoy OP!

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by Roberta

There also some non-fragrant ones that bloom sequentially - for example, Phal cornu-cervi can keep popping out flowers on a spike for several years.

The world deserves more cornu-cervi. Speciment plants with tons of keikis and spikes are amongst the most impressive orchids!


Sequential bloomer or not, fragrant or not, I let all my Phal with their spikes until they're done with them.
More mass = stronger plant, and they can recycle most of the nutrients and water.

Don't worry too much, the "problem" will solve itself.