This Phal doesn't play by the 'rules'

[Bulbofett]

This is why I always tell people that blooms are not an indicator of health alone. It takes the whole enchilada to determine health of an orchid. This orchid has been through the works. It sat on a clearance rack at Lowe's drowning in water. That was fine with me because I got it at an amazing price.

It had a broken spike when I saved it. Cut the spike down a few nodes in November of 2013. It has just now started to bloom for a second time. That probably explains only 2 buds on this phal.

Enjoy

Rescue Phal - Imgur

[WhiteRabbit]

Nice!

[Joyorchid]

This gives me so much hope, as I "rescued" a drowning phal from Lowes, immediately cut the spike, repotted, and since it is growing new roots and leaves like crazy!
I am awaiting a spike any day.

[Laserbeak]

For some reason have no luck with Phals at all. I can grow Masdevallias (that are supposed to be hard to grow) and get them to bloom and grow fine, but all the Phals (that are supposed to be easy) I get seem to die within a few months. I don't know why.

[merkity]

nice!

[tarev]

That is one pretty rebel!

Good Growing!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Laserbeak

For some reason have no luck with Phals at all. I can grow Masdevallias (that are supposed to be hard to grow) and get them to bloom and grow fine, but all the Phals (that are supposed to be easy) I get seem to die within a few months. I don't know why.

They're [Phals] for the most part, imo, not easy to grow, there are far more easier orchids to grow and start with. I've mentioned this opinion of mine many, many times on the OB. There was a very good reason why the person training me to become a greenhouse manager a long time ago, mentioned that it was very difficult to find a Phal that was more than a 2 - 5 years old. He didn't just say this for his own health. While I'm sure that there are some people who can grow Phals for a very long time, and do have specimens that are quite old, it is not as common as someone having an heirloom Cymbidium that may be approaching 100 yrs old, for example.

Phals can be touchy. Some more so than others.

Your best bet would be to start with the easier ones such as:

Phalaenopsis amabilis
Phalaenopsis aphrodite
Phalaenospis bastianii
Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi
Phalaenopsis equestris
Phalaenopsis mannii
Phalaenopsis philippinensis
Phalaenopsis pulcherrhima
Phalaenospis pulchra
Phalaenopsis schilleriana
Phalaenopsis tetraspsis


Rescuing big box Phals are hard, time consuming, and stressful. There's a reason why I would, on the rare occasion, tell someone who was saving a damaged or dying Phal to get another one while they're trying to save the one they've got.

[Laserbeak]

Thanks King, I get a fairly constant supply from my neighbor who buys usually NOIDs from Trader Joe's or a local florist then used to discard them after they went out of bloom, but now he gives them to me since I told him I grow orchids. But only like 1/4 of them seem to last long. He gives me Oncidiums too, and all of them are fine, several have rebloomed since I got them.