Phals for beginners. Are they easy?
 

Hope I don't make this too long. My first orchid was a phal and a gift. I knew nothing except not to over water. The poor thing was never repotted for over two years. I never soaked it in water, just watered lightly from the top. I did get the Miracle grow fertilizer and gave it a shot half strength maybe once a month. It bloomed three times and got more and bigger leaves.
Then, i got a couple of more, learned everything I could about them, and repotted in the bark mixture. Now, I am a wreck. Am I watering too much, not enough? I am up to 9 of them.
I have learned that they can look beautiful from the top and you think they are doing just great. If and when they show signs of a problem you are almost surely going to lose them. They are expert at hiding problems until it is almost too late. Those roots are the key to a healthy one I believe. At least most of the time.
Anyway, if you can get the hang of them they are wonderful. BUT, are they easy? I don't think so.

Becky

I've found most orchids have a "mind" of their own and like most living things will adapt to a variety of conditions overwatering not being one of them. Enjoy your phals and whatever else you're going to add to your collection. It is addictive.

"Easy" is a relative term. I think roses are easy, but for someone who only has full shade, they may be difficult. Also, cacti are easy for me, but for folks that live in constantly wet and humid areas, they may be tricky.

I do think Phals are relatively easy. They don't need special water or temps. They are fine indoors on a windowsill watered once per week. That being said, I've killed Phals too. Certain potting media may not work for you, but once you find out what works they pretty much grow themselves. The trick is figuring out what we do wrong - then try not to do it again. I guess it's not always as easy as it sounds.

Hi Becky! You raise a good point...often "easy" orchids really aren't easy at all for some folks! I have a few Phals and they do ok, but not great...I'm always forgetting to keep them well-watered enough, and all sorts of bad things seem to happen to them in my care (caterpillars munching huge holes in leaves, me being a klutz and doing similar damage, sunburn, etc). On the other hand, I have yet to meet a Cattleya type that doesn't grow terrifically well for me (eventually I will...I have some supposedly "tricky" species on my wish list, lol). When I first started out, I got both a Cattleya and a Dendrobium to re-bloom for me before my Phal ever did.

-Claire

Yes Donald, they are addictive. I want the Catts now but don't have the right lighting, humidity, or temps. for them I think.
And Royal, I am sure you are right. I just have to stop obsessing and enjoy them.
Thanks, Becky

Any orchid is both easy and impossible.

They're easy if your conditions and care habits match their needs, and they're increasingly more difficult as their needs differ from how you provide for them. Either they have to adapt or you do.

The only truly easy plants are weeds ! A shame we couldn't learn to love them too:)

Now Hedge, I do love some of them. I plant milkweed for the monarch butterflies and love the lambs ear, also Queen Annes lace. They are all considered weeds and are all in my flower garden.
Guess, I am hopeless.:D

We let nettles grow for the caterpillars of various butterflies, and dandelions and plantains persist in our lawns because we don't use chemicals as we have guinea pigs. And the clover is considered a weed by some people, but it doesn't go brown in a drought, and feeds the bees. :)

phals are easy, but depends where you live too... for me, the star phals are easier, i can flower them well. but the florist phals, no, i don't think so! i managed to flower them only once so far!

for me, i do well with the commercial den-phals too. but my next door neighbour has given up on them.

Try growing a seedling or two of the famed indigo violaceas from the Nortons...


Definitely not easy and the patience of Job is needed.:lol:

My thoughts are that Phals are generally not the easiest of orchids to grow for most people.

It's partially because of inexperience and partially due to some misinformation. There are more factors too, but these two are the major crux of it.

Once you figure out the truth and gain a little experience, you can work towards success.

But also, as Royal has stated, part of the experience is making adjustments to get your cultivation techniques down in order to meet the needs of the plants.

It's a process.


Should you decide to try out a Phal that might be easier to grow, I'd recommend the following:

Phal philippinensis
Phal schilleriana
Phal stuartianta

I think it all depends on your conditions.

Phals are easy for me because my light, temps and humidity all suit them. If I don't have time to attend to all my orchids then it's the Phals that I ignore because I know they can cope with it.

For example I water my Phals about once a week, but if they acidentily go two or more weeks they will cope, they won't be happy but they will cope. However if my Masdie was to be allowed to dry out that much it would have far more of a problem.

However if you live in the conditions that suit other types of orchids then they will probably be the easiest ones for you. There has been a discussion here before that some people thing Zygo's are the easiest... but I've nearlly killed mine. It all depends on you and on your surroundings as to what you will find easiest.

Speaking of which...

How's your Zygo?

Still alive, thanks for asking. The two original p-bulbs (one large and one quite tiny) broke apart last time I repotted BUT both of them have new growths and roots. It's now in S/H and seems to like it. The growths are very slow progressing (especially the one on the small p-bulb) but they are growing and the roots are also growing so I still have hope for it.

Phals became easy for me when I switched out all of my plants in moss for bark. I guess that says as much about me as it does about my phals.

I forgot to mention that Phal equestris is a pretty easy one to grow as are Doritis pulcherrhima.

I think most of us find bark easier to manage than moss, especially for Phals. :)

As Willliam Shakespear once said..." Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds."