Growing Orchids without staking

[AccidentalGreenThumb]

Is it possible to grow orchids without staking them? It seems to me that the plants would rather grown downward, but I'm not sure of the right way to do this... any suggestions?

[WhiteRabbit]

Do you mean staking the spikes? Many orchids grow upright spikes, but weight of open blooms cause them to bow. Most grow towards the light, so if growing in windowsills it can be necessary to stake them because they keep hitting the window.

I often don't stake spikes, depends on the plant, where it's growing, length of spike ... very long spikes can also cause the plant to be prone to toppling over if not staked

[AccidentalGreenThumb]

Yes, I do mean staking the spikes. One of my rescues was being tossed out because the weight of all the blooms had bent the spike and damaged it. Perhaps hanging baskets? It just seems to me that maybe the spikes would grow downward and you wouldn't have to worry about the blooms being too heavy...

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Phals naturally grow "downwards", which explains why you're seeing what you're experiencing with your Phal.

[AccidentalGreenThumb]

Nice video King! I guess the real question is: Can I mimic this in my home?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Kinda. Depends on what your home environment is like.

If you're growing potted, just have the leaves/stem all the way at the edge of the pot.

You can also grow a Phal mounted similar to how the Phal in the video is growing in the wild, but I don't know how busy you are and how dry your growing environment is.

[AccidentalGreenThumb]

I am fairly busy, and I live in Oregon, so wet climate, but I'd say pretty dry inside. If I grew the orchid the way it is in the video, I'd have to mist it often, right? I guess that's why we stake them... our own convenience!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I wouldn't stake them. It's just a hassle. They keep leaning the way they were intended to grow in the wild anyways.

Grrr...!

It's so inconvenient not to be able to post pics onto the OB directly anymore. My camera batteries are dead, and I can't find the charger, and to my knowledge there is no way to post pics onto the OB directly from my cellphone. I will try to post some pics on Flickr via my camera phone and post a link. Give me some time to do it.

[AccidentalGreenThumb]

I'd love to see pictures! For now, I guess mine will have to remain staked, as they are blooming. Maybe next year I can let the spikes do their thing?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Here's what I'm talking about with leaning the Phal against the edge of the pot:

Phalaenopsis maculata potted in limestone. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Btw, the white rocks are limestone. The Phal in the photo is Phalaenopsis maculata. It is known to mostly be found growing on wet limestone cliffs in the wild.