The Phal abuse ends here.

[silken]

I thought I remembered reading that you had good roots that fit the pot but couldn't find that comment. Sounds good then and go ahead and cut the spike down. Placing a kebab skewer in the pot works well to test how wet the potting is near the bottom. Just pull it out and if it's still wet, don't water yet. Put it back in the same place so you don't stab different roots every time.

[TheJadeOrchid]

Originally Posted by silken

I thought I remembered reading that you had good roots that fit the pot but couldn't find that comment. Sounds good then and go ahead and cut the spike down. Placing a kebab skewer in the pot works well to test how wet the potting is near the bottom. Just pull it out and if it's still wet, don't water yet. Put it back in the same place so you don't stab different roots every time.

Okay thanks! Next time I do a repotting I will get pictures of the roots.

[billwnyj]

I'm new here and I thought I would let you all know what's going on with my orchids. I have a Phal for over a year now. It grows new leaves and roots well, but no flowering stem. It's in a small pot and I give it 1 cup of H2O, once a week. For now, I'm trying the cooler room at night method to see if that helps. It works for my Christmas Cactus every time. I also have a Vanda that deflowered almost immediately after it was given to me. I soak the roots for 30 min., twice a week. Both Orchids are now in my sun room facing an easterly window. I dunno if this is enough info, but any pointers to get them to flower would be appreciated. Thanks
Bill

[silken]

the Vanda might need more light. I don't grow them but I understand they need a lot of light and heat. You might want to start a thread in a different category (Vandas or beginners) to get more people who grow them to answer that question.

It's quite often a month of cool (55F) in the fall when Phals. initiate their spikes although you may be able to force a spike now if its cool enough. I have one that just started a spike a week ago. The east window should be good for the Phal. It might need a re-pot too if its in the original media that it came in a year ago. It survived this long, so you must not be over-watering it and that's good.

[CasKinka]

Hi Guys!

This is my first post- I am a beginner orchid grower with a lifetime of experience with pretty much everything else (my father is a horticulturist, but doesn't do exotic plants).

My Phal's roots are really dry looking and shriveled.

I dont have a pic but here are two I found on google which are from this board. (apologies to the owners of the pics, I hope you don't mind me using them)

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...b-img_0988.jpg

http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...chid-photo.jpg

The foliage looks fantastic! The leaves are actually turning a deep red/purple which I was told is an indication that they are getting ready to flower (is that true?) The plant has no spike so I can't tell. It has felt a little soft/wilty to the touch the past few days which inspired me to check the roots. They look terrible!

It only has about 4-5 roots, some look totally dried out while others have a tiny hint of green.

It's in a south facing window sill with morning/early afternoon filtered sun (my next door neighbors have a massive tree which really filters the light) its been repotted in a bark/charcoal medium over the past 3 weeks and watered once a week. I also mist it daily.

This orchid was an anniversary gift so I hope I didnt kill it- any advice would be very appreciated.

[Yukonphal]

OK King , I have a strange question .....if an orchid is found naturally growing on trees with moss , does this generally mean that those types need more water than orchids that grow on things covered in lichens?

[Rowangreen]

I think that would be good to start as a general thread on it's own, as it's not a Phal question, and people who wouldn't be reading a Phal thread might want to answer...

[Yukonphal]

Sorry Rowan ....was in response to something on page one of this post...i forgot to look how many pages where on this post

[Rowangreen]

LOL!

It is a good question, so I hope you make it's own thread...

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Yukonphal

OK King , I have a strange question .....if an orchid is found naturally growing on trees with moss , does this generally mean that those types need more water than orchids that grow on things covered in lichens?

Generally speaking yes, the orchid growing on trees with moss will need more moisture than those with lichen growing on the trees.

Moss and lichen can clue you in on the type of environment the orchid is growing in.

Moss generally and typically do not like drying out much. The environments they grow and thrive in generally have plenty of moisture year round whether it is through rain, cloud, water from a river or stream, swamp water, or humidity.

Just in case nobody quite understands what moss are...

They are non-vascular plants. The way they obtain moisture from their environment is far different from how vascular plants do it. Water retention in moss is also different from how vascular plants retain water. You can do some research on moss on your free time, (a side note: it is not easy to come across a lot of solid information on moss), and hopefully there can be a better understanding of the biology of moss.

Lichens tend to be able to tolerate less moisture, they are essentially fungus with photosynthetic symbionts. Many are also seasonal growers. They do have a period of dormancy, much like the orchids they grow alongside with. Lichens generally tend to be able to tolerate longer dry spells much better than moss do.

I guess the best way to know the difference is to experience the different environments moss and lichen come from.

Try finding a moss forest and hike through it. Likewise, find a forest where the trees are covered in lichen and hike through it. You'll start noticing differences between the two environments.