Advice on Phalaenopsis Spikes - Orchid Board

SamDoehart · #1 12-02-2020, 09:23 PM

I've had a pair of beautiful pink Phalaenopsis for about 9 months now. They were potted together when I got them and I have since repotted them into a larger pot that gives them more room. They've been doing very well and are each putting out their second new leaf of the year. All the flowers fell several months back, and since then I've been wondering what I should do about the spikes. This is the first time I've had an orchid and I can't seem to find an answer online. They haven't really browned, just gotten slightly darker at the tips, so I'm not sure if I should cut them or not. I'll include some images to show how they look. Any advice on whether to cut or not?

SouthPark · #2 12-02-2020, 10:24 PM

It's optional to cut them (or not) ------- since in the wild ----- there is going to be nobody to cut spikes of orchids.

I also 'think' that if you do happen to cut the spike ----- then I think it is not uncommon for a phal to just grow a new spike when the orchid begins a new round of flowering. That is ------ it's not uncommon for an old spike to remain inactive, and a spike just grows out from some other part of the orchid anyway.

Some growers recommend to look at the base of the spike, and then count 1 or 2 'notches' ----- and then cut a few cm above a notch in the spike. The cut spike can (if conditions allow it) sprout an extension from the existing spike - so flowers can develop from the extension.

Roberta · #3 12-03-2020, 12:05 AM

First, WELCOME!

After this much time, if they were going do do a branch or more flowers, they likely would have. Now... the old green spikes can end up being extra "storage" for the plant, eventually get sucked dry and become brown. If you don't mind looking at them, they do no harm and might do some good. But if you decide to cut them, that's OK too, they aren't likely to do anything more... it's an aesthetic judgement. Eventually you'll get a new spike, and that 's the thrilling part.

Orchidtinkerer · #4 12-03-2020, 02:00 AM

Hey Sam, a new leaf per year is as good as you can hope for with phals and a new flowering if you are lucky. If you cut the old spike it will produce a new one sure but it takes months for an orchid to produce it, it takes a lot of energy so cutting it off doesn't mean it happily produces a new one, it means it has to.
Your orchid is looking fine, for every new leaf a phal produces, it can produce 1 more flower spike, another reason not to cut them if your phal is only producing 1 leaf per year.

This phal here is regrowing a new spike on the top of last years spike - it will be a much smaller spike as you can see but this does not bother me as I know the plant is saving energy for next year - it would certainly be investing more energy if it were producing a new flower spike - instead it is focussing on new roots at the moment instead of flowers which suits me fine as it had too little last year so I am expecting a bigger display next year. I also believe if I had cut the spikes on this plant it would not have produced a new spike this year so I would have had no flowers at all. I also believe I actually should be cutting this flower spike to stop it developing to let the plant save even more energy but hey... I will sacrifice a bit of growth for a few more flowers

estación seca · #5 12-03-2020, 02:15 AM

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.

Orchidtinkerer · #6 12-03-2020, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

mine make 3-5 new leaves each year, or more.

ES, most multiphals will not produce 6 new leaves per year, most multiphals have 6 leaves in total! If you want us to believe you can grow full sized specimen plants in a year then I have to believe you are growing on Mars or something producing 3 foot phals growing mutant rosettes

Temps surely help but phals do not produce 6 leaves per year. unless you count the new leaves on the "rosettes".

IF you have 4 rosettes on a phal of course you will get 5 times as many leaves. If I have 10 phals I will get 10 times as many leaves. Ah the fun of interpreting other peopls posts ey

Mountaineer370 · #7 12-03-2020, 10:25 AM

When I first started growing Phals, I would routinely cut off the spikes as soon as all the flowers fell off. Then I learned that, yes, they can rebloom from an old spike that is still green, so I started leaving them. Sure enough, I get many reblooms from old spikes. Sometimes, they will grow as an offshoot from the spike, maybe somewhere in the middle of it. Other times, I get them where they simply grow an extension from the end of the original spike.

I have one right now that is doing that extension thing with it's most recent new spike, plus it is growing a brand-new spike that is over a foot long now, plus it is growing a branch off of yet another old spike that was still green. Is this stressful for the plant? I don't really know. I recently repotted it and it has healthy roots and great-looking leaves. It seems happy.

Sometimes, an old spike will be curved downward in such a way that I wouldn't really want more flowers to bloom from it where they would be hanging very low, so I have cut spikes off about halfway up or just below where they start to turn downward. But, in general, I don't cut any spikes off unless or until they turn completely brown.

I think it really is a personal preference. Some of us don't care for the looks of a bunch of old spikes, even if they are green. You will not harm the plant by cutting off a green spike if you wish.

early · #8 12-03-2020, 12:21 PM

Quote:

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 · #9 12-03-2020, 05:42 PM

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 · #10 12-03-2020, 05:54 PM

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.