my phalaenopsis ramblings

[oscar freak]

part 2 of my ramblings(see cattleya alliance).my phal was my 1st orchid,inherited from an aunt and is what got me started on keeping orchids.kept it alive and flowering for 2 seasons in its original packaging,repotted it it into a coarse bark and charcoal mixture from its old rockwool medium.a few bottom leaves started deteriorating and i started getting worried if i'd made the right choice,maybe the medium doesnt hold enough water maybe im overwatering now maybe its going to die(i was having sleepless nights).so i persevered and now it seems to be doing very well with another new leave starting.the plant is actually quite big and wondering just how big do they get?the new leaves dont seem to be as big as the old ones,should i be worried?

[MattWoelfsen]

This is a healthy Phalaenopsis, Oscar, beautiful flowers! Phalaenopsis are like Vanda, they are monopodial, and can grow tall, given the right conditions. Dr Glenn Lehr, founder of New World Orchids, has several Phalaenopsis in his green house--NOID plants given to him for rescue--that are almost 3 feet tall. All the leaves from top to bottom growing and healthy, roots every where. He stated that he does not repot these plants as they are not part of his household decoration.

As an orchid grower, I was impressed with these plants, but they wouldn't look good in a home.

[oscar freak]

3 foot tall would be quite an accomplishment but a bit much i suppose.mine still has a way to go for that though.would love to try my hand at propagating,is there any way i can encourage keikis?

[MattWoelfsen]

Yes, you can encourage keiki. You can get keiki paste online. I have grown keiki on flower stalks. It is easy. You very carefully remove the plant sheaf covering over an un-bloomed bud, rub the paste over the bud. Keep this treated stalk out of bright light.

[gngrhill]

I find that my Phals do not get excessively tall as the old leaves on the bottom do yellow and fall off as new leaves are formed on top