Phal lueddemanniana. Spike awkward spot

[Cattleya17]

Hello all! i have this Ludde and it needs a re potting because the place i got it from has the moss really packed and some roots are dying. but the spike is growing horizontally across the medium. Here is a pic of the whole plant and the spike position



See how the plant is just kinda sitting on top of the moss now the way i learned to repot phalaenopsis the leaves are supposed to emerge from the medium or else it will be underpotted. this is where the problem lies! if it do lower the plant during repotting the spike will be buried! so what do i do? can i pot it at the same level its at now in the new pot? Please help me!!! LOL

[nenella]

Hi,
If it were mine I would put a bit of stryrofoam under the spike (which you need to adjust every few days/week )as it grows to make it grow a little more upwards.... BUT, BE V. CAREFUL as it can be broken!
Camille just posted about a plant having a similar problem (spike growing into a mount) - she used this technique and it worked, Rosie has also done this on an orchid & I have too with a bellina.
Good Luck !
I'm sure it will work, Just be V Careful not to break & don't try to make it totally vertical... just lift it as much as possible over time. Also the angle to where the light comes from will help redirect...
keep us posted, photos tell the 'best' stories!

[sailortom2]

I would just leave it till after it blooms

[Cattleya17]

it already has almost two months ago that why i picked this time to repot it. before spring and summer are in full swing and it starts up again. it had two awesome flowers

That sounds like a good idea the styrofoam. if it snaps will it be a long time before it makes another one?

[Zoi2]

If the spike breaks it will probably be next year before it grows another one.
For my 2 cents, I would suggest: When you repot, leave it at the current level. You do not want to have the media too high or it will encourage rot due to water standing in between the leaves.
Joann

[tucker85]

There's a possibility that the spike will quit growing when you repot. That doesn't always happen but occasionally it does. If the plant absolutely needs to be repotted I would repot it at the level in the medium that it is now with enough room left in the pot to add more medium after the spike grows longer. Putting something under the spike to start turning it is OK but I usually wait until the spike is a little longer than that before I mess with it. They are very fragile when small like that. Good luck.

[phalaephila]

Repot, for sure - grow for good root growth, and spikes will follow. I would not place the plant too much deeper into the medium, however.

Is that the spike that produced the two flowers, and is it currently growing? It should not be bothered by the repot. I have a couple phals with shorter, horizontal spikes, and I gently guide them only to clear the rim of the pot with a short, slim stake (another use for those bamboo skewers!).

Don't be afraid to repot, your phal will appreciate it.

[Jennyfleur]

Well, in case it helps, here's a picture of my mini mark with a prop (http://www.orchidboard.com/community...hal-spike.html). One thing I also do it tie the spike to a stake using embroidery thread. That way (by tying a number of loops as it grows) you can gradullay lift the spike towards the stake without too much strain on it.

[Cattleya17]

Thanks for all the help guys!!! this is the spike that made the two flowers it is not growing at all. just sitting. thanks for helping out about the level of the plant! i really wanna get it out of the packed sphag and in to some new, some of the roots are dying. i just repotted another phal into some new moss and its thanking me with seven brand new roots and a new leaf! its a phal pulchra. Thanks for the tips on getting the spike right!

I only have clay pots is that OK for using moss? or should i do a bark and moss mix?

Sam

[phalaephila]

I enjoy growing with a bark and sphagnum moss mix in a clay pot - it works well in my conditions (low humidity). Phalaenopsis roots grow in the mix well, and aerial roots grow around the outside of the clay pot. Happiness all around.