Mini Phal? - Orchid Board

lauraeli · #1 05-19-2014, 02:14 AM

I got this one at a pet store. It is done flowering, so Im not sure what the blooms look like. It is so tiny, it is in a 2 inch pot; the biggest leaves are no bigger than my pointer finger, and I have small fingers. Is this a mini? Or do the regular sized phals bloom when they are still small?

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #2 05-19-2014, 03:04 AM

They can get longer, but the leaves are generally going to be about that size.

It will not reach giant proportions.

This orchid was not bred with Phals containing Phal gigantea or other large Phals in their genetic line.

This was most likely a complex hybrid consisting of Phal equestris and/or Phal pulcherrima, both of which are small.

lauraeli · #3 05-19-2014, 09:55 AM

AWW it's so cute! <3 I wish I could go back and buy the whole collection. They are all done flowering but they haven't been marked down...not sure how well they will sell. Id hate to think they will just sit there until they die :-/

lauraeli · #4 05-19-2014, 10:33 AM

I broke a leaf. I taped it...it is potted in what I assume is sphagnum moss. The mix I have is really coarse. Will sphagnum work for this little plant? Also, what is this powdery white stuff? It is on the older, yellowing leaf.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #5 05-19-2014, 10:55 AM

White powder is most likely a hard water stain.

Taping the leaf together is not necessary, but it's fine. If you see that area not doing well, I'd remove the tape.

I generally don't recommend growing Phals in full moss mostly because it can stay too wet for too long, and the medium is usually crammed tight in the pot, suffocating the roots. Unless you live in an area that is very, very dry I wouldn't use moss. A lot beginners also tend to easily rot the roots out by over watering easily when the potting media is moss.

I recommend medium to large grade fir bark as a potting mix. Just make sure that it's fresh. The bark shouldn't look dark in color. If it is pass it up, because it will cause problems later.

Paul · #6 05-19-2014, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

They can get longer, but the leaves are generally going to be about that size
....

This was most likely a complex hybrid consisting of Phal equestris and/or Phal pulcherrima, both of which are small.

I wouldn't bet the rent on the leaves remaining that size. Even equestris tends to get leaves longer than 2-3 inches. While there are truly mini phals out there, it is highly unlikely to find them at a petstore, market, or big box store. It is more probable that the plant will eventually have leaves in the range of 4-6 inches in length. (Hopefully not more than that if you prefer tiny plants.) And yes many phals can begin blooming at a very small size.

Remove tape. Plants are not like animals when it comes to healing. Leaves, especially, will not "mend", but rather once torn/cracked remain that way for the life of the leaf. And in the case of phals, that is a very long time. Leaving the tape in place will increase the odds of a bacterial or fungal infection setting in which, in turn, could destroy the leaf or even endanger the plant itself.

Personally, I do not find moss to be a poor media choice for phals at all ... PROVIDED that the moss is not packed tightly. As King mentioned, tightly packed moss tends to lead to problems. If you do not have the media King suggested on hand, I would simply "unpack-ify" the moss.

Soak the pot for about 5-10 minutes. (If the pot/ plant tries to float when placed in water, weigh it down so the entire pot/root area is submerged.
Remove the plant from the pot.
Remove the moss from the roots.
Squeeze most of the water out of the moss.
Loosen the moss so it is light and fluffy.
Put a bit of moss in the bottom of the pot.
Put the plant back in the pot. (If the root mass is large, you might even be able to move up to a 3-3.5 inch pot) You might find it easiest to "screw" the plant into the pot to get the roots to go back in easier.
Tuck moss in and around the roots. DO NOT cram the moss in like the vendor did. Yes you will likely have a bunch of moss left over. You can either compost it or let it dry thoroughly and pack it away for later use.

RandomGemini · #7 05-19-2014, 11:16 AM

The tape is unnecessary. It's a lower leaf. The plant will drop the leaf eventually anyway. I grow my mini phals in sphag until they outgrow the pot they came in, then I repot in bark. I use a regular phalaenopsis bark. Nothing fancy. Most of my minis adapt to bark quickly and begin growing new roots within a month of repotting.

I put my minis in the windowsill and leave them alone. They like a "set it and forget it" attitude. So stick them in an east facing window someplace you will see them every day and look at them in the mornings, but don't pick up the pot and move it around except on watering day. It's easy to want to fuss over minis, because they are small, but they really are no different than the bigger orchids in terms of care.

---------- Post added at 07:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 AM ----------

I think that mini phals are called "minis" because the flowers are small, not because the plants stay that way. I have a couple of "minis" that started out this size that, over the course of the last year, have grown four inch leaves. Even phal equestris gets large leaves as it ages.

I do agree that moss is NOT for everyone growing phals though. I live in a dry climate.. I also tend to set my mini phals down and forget about them for a week or two after I get them home, so that the medium can get bone dry before I water/fertilize. I'm all about keeping the watering schedule low maintenance. If it involves doing more than daily misting, or drenching twice a week, it's probably too much effort for me unless it has some sort of neon sign on it that says, "Hey Lady! Water me now!"

If you're going to fuss over an orchid and maybe tend toward overwatering, moss is not the medium for you. If you're like me and would prefer not to have to do anything with your phals for at least a week, maybe longer and have been known to forget about them entirely for up to three weeks... then moss could work out.

lauraeli · #8 05-19-2014, 11:33 AM

Thanks guys! I have the Miracle Gro Orchid mix- it is the 'coarse mix' and it is all bark. The pieces look too big for my mini. Should I break them up? Or pick out the smaller pieces?

For now i think I will do as suggested and loosen the moss.

As far as the tape goes, it seems a little silly I guess, but I just thought it might be a good idea to tape it just until it callouses over. For support. I do that when I break a stem on my other plants...sometimes I think it helps. Other times not. Plants do heal themselves though. They will thicken the tissue around a break. Ive seen it on spider plants and spathiphyllum, for instance. Not sure about orchids.

lauraeli · #9 05-19-2014, 11:41 AM

Also, there is no way I could forget about a plant that long lol. My zz plant is the only unhappy plant in my place, because it took me some time to learn how to neglect it.

RandomGemini · #10 05-19-2014, 11:51 AM

Orchid leaves do not recover from damage. This is a leaf from one of my rescued phals. The plant was overwatered when I purchased it. The leaves were limp and this leaf received some kind of mechanical damage before I bought it.

You can tell that it has been through all of these things, even though the new leaves are pretty and healthy looking, this one is not and it will continue to look like this until the plant draws all of the energy it's going to get from it, and drops the leaf.

This damage on this leaf is nearly a year old.

---------- Post added at 07:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:43 AM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by lauraeli

Also, there is no way I could forget about a plant that long lol. My zz plant is the only unhappy plant in my place, because it took me some time to learn how to neglect it.

Maybe phals were not the best place to start your orchid collecting then. There are orchids out there that need daily maintenance. Phals just aren't one of them.

I think that most folks fail with keeping mini phals because they tend to over think it or over do it. They think the smaller size means they need more attention or more care or that the plants are less resilient than their larger relatives.

None of that is true. Phals need to be watered every 7 to 10 days and fertilized weakly (usually one quarter the strength recommended on the package), weekly. Other than that... they are best left to their own devices as long as you have a good amount of light for them in their spot.