Update on Monster Phal - Orchid Board

susiep · #1 03-11-2008, 11:52 PM

Well Monster Phal is still blooming and looking good

. However living in the house is taking a toll on it (it has dropped some buds). I have no safe place to keep it outside with these huge spikes. I takes up a lot of room. I still have it in the bathroom hanging over the tub. I have started misting it like you indoor growers do and it seems to be doing better. The leaves have recovered from being so wilted. I am lucky I didn't kill it! I need advice on how to mount it when it is finished blooming. Here are pictures from January and now.

SheilaJ · #2 03-12-2008, 12:01 AM

I'm glad it's doing better. I forget - why did you move it inside in the first place? Will it go back outdoors eventually? It's one gorgeous plant!

susiep · #3 03-12-2008, 12:42 AM

I had to move it out of the shade house when the spikes got so long. It is 27" across at the widest because the spikes grow out and down. It looks really cool like that, but takes up a lot of room. When I hung it from a chain outside, the wind made it spin and I was afraid the spikes would get knocked off. Also, I don't have any shade trees outside any more (Hurricane Wilma). The poor thing is stuck in the bathroom!

Bird Song Farm · #4 03-12-2008, 05:15 AM

So glad to hear this plant is doing better! It's so nice I'm going to put two whites in the same pot when they go out of bloom! Can't help you with the mounting tho, seems like it will be quite a job since it has such a head start. I'm sure some folks with more experience than I will chime in.
Al

philoserenus · #5 03-12-2008, 02:24 PM

well seeing itz such a big plant, i wonder y dun u keep it in the washroom permanently and whenever y can, turn on the water and just douse it in the shower =) it looks like itz bright enough there

peeweelovesbooks · #6 03-12-2008, 09:34 PM

Wow. That's absolutely gorgeous. I sort of adopted a phalaenopsis that was given to my grandmother and my sister just sort of let it wither away outside. I started to take care of it and its now really growing outside of it's clay pot. This gives me inspiration to mount it in a vanda basket once it stops blooming. It has 4 spikes and a ton of flowers and buds. However, the moss is in bad need of replacement.

Yours is absolutely beautiful.

Neverend · #7 03-13-2008, 08:01 AM

Wow it looks good

kimstwin · #8 03-14-2008, 02:01 PM

I am so jealous of this huge plant, I love it!! If it ever needs a babysitter....It seems like it could stay in the bathroom with you, it does look bright in there.

susiep · #9 03-25-2008, 02:21 AM

Well I finally repotted this monster! I had to because it was wilting and had blasted 2 of the 5 spikes. It was easier than I thought it would be. My husband helped me hold it up while we clipped away the soggy roots and picked out the old moss. It was really wet and came apart nicely.

The big surprises... it was all one plant! Connected on a big rhizome about the diameter of a broom stick and that solid. In the pictures we are supporting it by holding on to that. There were 4 plants on it. It had a lot of good green roots. I got a big square wire basket, lined with coco mat and filled it half full with orchid mix (bark). Put the plant in with the roots pointing down into the basket and supported it while we filled in around the roots with bark. We shook it once in a while to get the bark around the roots and so it could support the plant without breaking the roots. It took 1 1/2 bags of mix! Another surprise.. I found the tag in among the roots! It is P. (NEV/GLAD X NEW CANDY) X P. SU'S RED LIP PINLONG CARDINAL. Yeah! It has 26 flowers open now and many more buds. I cut off the 2 blasted spikes about half way down, so maybe they will send some lateral spikes. Well this has been fun and this plant is (hopefully) set for a couple years! Here are the pics

elliej · #10 03-25-2008, 03:00 AM

Wow - I'm astonished that it was all one plant! You did an amazing job repotting it, and what a find to discover the tag. It is quite a beauty, and the flower/bud count is impressive. Congrats!

Joy