The only phal that's going to bloom for me this year is the one I treat like crap

[Bulbofett]

I rescued this guy back in November with a broken spike and terribly water logged media. Swore I was going to repot it immediately, but life got in the way. This album sums up everything nicely. Maybe I should abuse all of my plants if this is the return I get.

Rescue Phal - Imgur

[RandomGemini]

LOL! Awesome!!

I have had a couple phals throw out spikes for me this spring. I'm just waiting for flowers to open, of course, the one that I really want to bloom probably won't bloom this year.

[Bulbofett]

RG, you've got a pretty impressive collection of Phals if I remember correctly right? Do they all bloom for you at the same time? Which is the one that you really want to bloom?

[lotis146]

Ha ha! Great album & great job...abusing it...? I guess Orchid abuse is relative.

[RandomGemini]

I guess 15 phals is a lot of phals, isn't it? Most of them are mini phals.

I want my phal. bellina var coerulea to bloom. I believe that I purchased a seedling though, so it will be a while. I've only been growing orchids for the last year, so when I bought this I had no idea what I was doing. LOL! It's a slow grower and is my first species phal. It also stalled out on growth for me this winter and I discovered later that it likes to get a little more light and have a little more warmth than phal hybrids do. Once I corrected that, I started seeing new root growth. So, just my learning how to care for it probably set it back a little bit too.

I think they would all be blooming roughly around the same season, if it weren't for the fact that several of my phals are rescues, or on a couple, the spikes stopped flowering in February. Some of my mini phals put up spikes late just last week. I have others that are in bud off of existing spikes.

Phal Yushan Little Pearl is adorable. Google it. If you're looking for a great bang for your buck plant in terms of cost and space, this is it! It's fragrant. The spike on this teeny thing lasted for six months before the flowers finally died back. It gives a wonderful cascade of flowers and the light rose scent in the morning isn't heavy at all. It's just enough to catch your notice.

Right now, I have 4 that are blooming and another two in spike and one in bud.

Here's a pic of my blooming mini phals. I can't claim the flowers on Phal Lioulin Orange as mine. I purchased it in bloom. I've been keeping my blooming orchids on my desk. You really can't beat the space conservation of a mini phal when they are small. I know the plants get bigger, but while they are small, they make a great indoor garden!

[Fuzzy]

Wow, Random, I just LOVE your mini phals!

[Bulbofett]

Beautiful minis! I really like that mustard yellow colored one. I saw a Phal bellina var coerulea at an orchid nursery recently and thought it was beautiful. Didn't even recognize it as a Phal at first because of the bloom shape.



I'm going to have to add the Yushan pearl to my list of wants. I love orchids with a fragrance, which is why I usually steer clear of Phals, but if this one has a scent I need it!

[RandomGemini]

That's why I got the bellina in the first place, it's scented. Supposedly smells like fruit loops.

I'm a sucker for a fragrant orchid too! Most of my other orchids are fragrant. I have oncidium sharry baby, oncidium twinkle, bnfd. gilded tower 'mystic maze' which smells sort of like lilacs and fills a room. Oncidium Rosy Sunset is scented too, but not in a good way. LOL! I also have a dendrobium that is just a light floral smell and Dendrobium Micro Chip, I haven't decided what it smells like yet or if I like the scent... I'll get back to you on that one. LOL!

The orange phal in that pic is Phal Lioulin Orange. It's fragrant, supposedly smells like oranges, but I think it smells like oranges mixed with new car smell. Thankfully, the scent isn't strong and I enjoy the color so much that I can get past the scent. LOL!

Phal Yushan Little Pearl is only fragrant in the morning, right after the sun comes up, so you have to get up early to catch the scent, but when you do, it's a nice surprise from a phal.

[kindrag23]

Originally Posted by Bulbofett

Beautiful minis! I really like that mustard yellow colored one. I saw a Phal bellina var coerulea at an orchid nursery recently and thought it was beautiful. Didn't even recognize it as a Phal at first because of the bloom shape.



I'm going to have to add the Yushan pearl to my list of wants. I love orchids with a fragrance, which is why I usually steer clear of Phals, but if this one has a scent I need it!

Very pretty, never would have thought Phal either. RandomGemini what is your secret for getting all you phals to re bloom?


---------- Post added at 03:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

Oh @ Random Gemini the back right orchid is stunning I adore the color

[RandomGemini]

I leave them alone.

No joke! They don't like to be fussed with. They just want to be left in their spot and get some good light and good warmth and regular fertilizer with each watering. I water them, on average, three times a month. If I water them more than that, they don't grow as well.

The real key I think, is air movement around the roots. My phals potted in slotted pots do better than those in pots that aren't slotted.