The Phal abuse ends here.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: If Phals are so easy to artificially induce blooms in, why doesn't everybody do it?

A: It is generally not recommended to continually artificially induce blooms for a Phal. It is taxing on the plant, and they can bloom themselves to death over a period of time.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Fun Phalaenopsis factoid.

- When people usually think of Phalaenopsis, the image that comes to mind are usually two species or the hybrids that resemble them. Those two species are:

Phalaenopsis amabilis
Phalaenopsis aphrodite

- The reason why Phalaenopsis were given the name "Moth Orchid" was because the person who discovered them looked up into the trees and saw a bunch of them in flower, and from a distance they resembled white moths hanging on the trees.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: It was mentioned that some Phals can re-spike from older spikes. Does that affect future blooms?

A: Yes, it can, but not always. It will make subsequent blooms slightly smaller than the previous ones.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: If Phals that re-grow spikes from older spikes make subsequent flowers smaller, is it best to remove the original spike once it is done flowering?

A: Yes, but this is done at the grower's discretion as to when they want to do so.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: What about Phals that bloom from the same spike? Should they be removed as well?

A: For species such as Phal cornu-cervi and Phal mannii, I don't recommend it, but again, that's at the grower's discretion as to when they'd like to do so.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

General cultural requirements:

Temp: 55 F - 95 F (13 C - 35 C)
Relative Humidity: 50% - 80%
Light: shade - bright shade
Air Movement: moderate

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: Is it better to wait till the inflorescence dries out and turns brown before removing them.

A: Generally speaking, that is the best time to remove them. The caveat being the ones that re-spike from older spikes - this is done at the grower's discretion.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: Is it possible to grow Phals under artificial lighting?

A: Yes. CFL's and T5's or T8's are fine. Just make sure that the Kelvin temperatures are within the range of 5500K and 6700K. The wattage of the bulbs varies in context of the situation.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: What's the best potting media to use for growing Phals?

A: The answer varies according to the environment where the Phal is being grown or according to the habits of the grower.

However...

Most people have had very poor success rates growing in a potting media that is 100% moss.

The potting media that most people seem to do well with are bark, coconut husk chips (CHC), and semi-hydroponic (SH) materials such as LECA.

special note: I have not grown some of the lithophytic species of Phals yet, I don't know if something like a limestone potting medium will work or not, nor do I know the specific procedure.

For now growing in something such as LECA is sufficient for the lithophytes.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Q: What are some methods to grow Phals successfully?

A: Potted culture is popular and easily recognized.

However...

Growing Phals is not limited to pot culture.

There're semi-hydroponics techniques.

Then there's mounted culture.

Some Phals must be grown mounted, no exceptions.