Some questions about my orchids

[wheely]

Hi all!
New here, loving the forum so far.

I have 10 phalys, most ive aquired, or bought cheap from the store as they where dying, and ive nurtured back to life.

They are all waiting to spike. non are in bloom yet. I live in the UK.

Ive repotted most of them into 5" (13cm) clear pots.

- Some of the roots are crisp fat and juicy green, others not so, why is that?

- Some leave seem to stretch long and thin, instead of fat, why is that?

- can i keep some of the phalys dormant (by putting them in a cupboard for a few months) so that they dont all flower at the same time?

- I have some 6" (16cm) clear pots, will larger pots produce larger/taller more gigantic orchids?

kind thanks.
W:

[gjanick]

About the leaves,
i accidentally bumped into some scientist reports of a huge orchid producer from China (I believe it was Gan Lin), and they categorize their hundreds (maybe thousands) of varieties of phals. into leaf types. There were so many variations and different shapes and sizes of phal. leaves, that I just stopped reading the report (too overwhelming for me). So yes, they are very different and can be similar at the time.
Greg.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by wheely

- Some of the roots are crisp fat and juicy green, others not so, why is that?

Some might be older than others, they die back over time and are replaced by new ones. Some might have suffered poor conditions which they can't recover from (too dry for a long period, or too wet). As long as you have plenty of plump roots it's nothing to worry about, I always have some roots doing that.

Originally Posted by wheely

- Some leave seem to stretch long and thin, instead of fat, why is that?

Are they thin top to bottom, or thin in width. Thin in width seems to happen sometimes, I think down to conditions when growing. It could be trying to reach more light, or could just be doing it because it feels like it It happens to mine sometimes. As long as the overall surface area of the leaf is similar size to previous ones I wouldn't worry. If the leaves are overall smaller then older ones then there could be something wrong in your culture.

Originally Posted by wheely

- can i keep some of the phalys dormant (by putting them in a cupboard for a few months) so that they dont all flower at the same time?

They won't like being kept in the dark, but many phals are triggered to flower by cooler spells, nursaries for the mass market keep them warm to inhibit flowering, then cool them down 5 degrees to get them all spiking together. If you were to keep some warm and not let them get cold it might stop them spiking, but I can't say for certain and I'm not sure how warm it would need to be.

Originally Posted by wheely

- I have some 6" (16cm) clear pots, will larger pots produce larger/taller more gigantic orchids?

Phals don't like being over potted, it's best to keep the pot just big enough for the roots and not much bigger. The reason is thought to be that if there is too much medium it will stay damp longer. Staying damp blocks air flow to the roots. Phals like airy roots.

Phals grow on trees in the wild, clinging to the bark. They don't have contained roots, but equally they have air all around their roots, and water constantly dribbling down the tree trunk keeping them constantly moist. People ask why we advise keeping them pot-bound when they don't have tightly packed roots in the wild, but the answer is all down to air flow. Big pots, with lots of medium and few roots don't dry fast and so have poor air flow, small pots with not much medium dry faster (and need watering more often) but allow good air flow.

Of course if you can, mounting is best of all, and most like the wild, but it's not practical for everyone.

[wheely]

thank you for the great reply!

Why do they sell these larger clear pots? at the store they get even larger 6".
I see some phals get a great long elegant spike, can that only be done in the factory where they are pushing for light?

I have 2 smallish orchids in small pots, i was given. Can i re-pot these 2 into 1 pot?

I have GH floranova grow nutrients, can i use these as feed for orchids?

thanks you.

[Paphluvr]

Why do they sell these larger clear pots? at the store they get even larger 6"

As the plant gets larger and develops a larger root system it can be put into a larger pot.

I see some phals get a great long elegant spike, can that only be done in the factory where they are pushing for light?

Older, well grown mature plants will have longer, possibly branched spikes.

I have 2 smallish orchids in small pots, i was given. Can i re-pot these 2 into 1 pot?

This is generally not a good idea. The plants can grow at different rates and separating them later is almost impossible without damaging roots.

I have GH floranova grow nutrients, can i use these as feed for orchids?

I'm not familiar with this fertilizer so I can't comment on it's use.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[wheely]

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

As the plant gets larger and develops a larger root system it can be put into a larger pot.

I see, so as long as it not swimming in a pot, and it fitting snuggish instead. Will it just not spike for a while if its in a larger pot?

This is generally not a good idea. The plants can grow at different rates and separating them later is almost impossible without damaging roots.

they are of the same breed and are the same size and age. Would anything bad happen? Would they perform differently in 1 pot as opposed to be separate?

I'm not familiar with this fertilizer so I can't comment on it's use.

this will be more suited then
ebay.co.uk/itm/130960447417

Thanks for the help.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by wheely

I see, so as long as it not swimming in a pot, and it fitting snuggish instead. Will it just not spike for a while if its in a larger pot

The danger is root rot while it's too small for the pot. Size of pot needs to be based on root mass. Too big a pot can lead to lack of air flow which in turn leads to rot.

[wheely]

thanks,

wow your orchid pics are amazing rosie!
do you ever send any orchid bulbs to members on here by any chance...?

[quiltergal]

Originally Posted by wheely

they are of the same breed and are the same size and age. Would anything bad happen? Would they perform differently in 1 pot as opposed to be separate?

The problem with potting them together is they are going to compete with each other for food, water and space. Neither will do as well as they would if in their own pots.