Pinching back Phal spikes

[stylingpat]

I've got a couple phals that earlier in the year suffered major root loss. They are back and established now growing new roots. But they are starting to bloom now. Does anyone know if I pinch off the fresh bloom spike, will the plant convert back to growing roots or will it continue to try to throw out bloom spikes as long as the weather stays cooler? I'd like to give them another year of straight growth

[Ordphien]

When I've accidentally broken spikes on my phals they didn't start regrowing right away.
They followed their normal cycle and began throwing out leaves and roots in spring. They didn't grow much at all.
I think the point of pinching is to prevent it from expending the energy it would take to bloom. To put toward new growth in the future.
And/or to prevent a weak plant from spending its little regained energy on blooms.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[WhiteRabbit]

Sometimes they will be determined to bloom.

What are roots like now?

[Troythediver]

I have had a weak phal succumb shortly after flowering. It seemed like it was too weak to have even produced the spike in the first place. If the phal were expensive and it is important for you to have for the years to come, then I would pinch off the emerging spike.

[katrina]

Pinching off the spike may actually cause the plant to expend even more energy by trying to branch the spike after the break and/or producing a new spike.

If the plant is doing fine then I would let it bloom...let it do it's thing because pinching off the spike isn't going to cause it to immediately switch to another function. If it doesn't branch/produce another spike then it'll likely just sit there until whatever trigger causes it to move onto the next phase of growth.

IME, a plant isn't going to spike/bloom if it doesn't have the energy to do so. If it's healthy and strong then it will have reserves to continue past the flowering phase.

Here's my question...where did so many people get the idea that a phal can only do one thing at a time? (spike, leaves, roots) ?? It's not unusual for phals to do more than one thing...or all three at the same time...not unusual at all. Some species (hybrid containing certain species) might only do one at a time but many, many, many of them most certainly do more than one thing at a time.