Do you stake your Spikes.

[snowflake311]

I han a Phal in bloom and my Paph is still in bloom. I took the stakes off of them and I like it better. I have another Phal In bloom that I do have staked still. I few of my Compact Phals are in spike and I am not going to stake them.

How many of you Let your plants grow how they want to?

[NYCorchidman]

Well, certain things must be staked because otherwise they will break due to the weight of the flowers, like some of my large complex slipper orchids.

For phals, the same can happen especially those with many large flowers. They may just hang low without breaking off if you do not have to move the plants around to water like I do.

I stake my phals mainly because I want to save space. Straight up spikes allow more space for other plants. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind rather horizontally stretched spikes.
I've done it with mini phals, which I accidentally broke off. One more reason to stake them.

Again, if you have enough space and do not have to move plants around, oh, and the plant is not the type that has hu~ge flowers, then staking is not necessary.

[edytka]

I definitely agree with nycorchidman, i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want your spike to brake after such a long time of caring for the orchid... I prefer not to stake and just let them be , but it causes more unnecessary problems so it's not worth it.

[WhiteRabbit]

Remember that spikes grow towards the light, so if growing on a windowsill, staking may be necessary to accommodate the length.
Also, plants in small pots, with long, unstaked spikes will not remain upright.

So, as others have said, there are considerations beyond preference of appearance I like the look of unstaked spikes, but it can be difficult to manage in some cases.

[snowflake311]

Yes I could see with longer spikes the flowers could tip over the pot and make it hard to keep them.