How to stake a Paph
 

Ive been told several times I staked my paph spike too early. I only actually staked one myself and it drooped bec it was staked too early as the ovary was not hardened..Key words here ovary and hardened...

First of all I didnt know what the Ovary was. Second I didn't know that the Ovary was the seed pod. Ahhh now makes sense that the plants flower was "weeping".

Staking a paph too early causes the flower to droop and you cant see its full glory..

I went back over some pictures I took and tried to find the point in time I made the error of staking too early. I did stake the spike bec it was leaning way over. That didnt help the flower. Just made the spike straight and you can always straighten that out.You get one chance with the bloom to get it right.
Why? Bec when you stake the spike below the SOFT ovary the ovary bends down at that point unless its Hardened..Its a combination of the ovary being done growing and starting to harden up enough to lift the flower over the top of it and its time to stake it..When you stake them too early that point at the ovary and spike is left with a 90' bend in it which causes the flower to weep and you cant fix this. If you try to straighten the flower out,it will break bec that point again between the spike and the ovary has hardened. If you had waited till it hardened 1st to stake it, the ovary and spike are a continuation of each other and complimentary. As opposed to the early staking which creates undue tension on the flower at the point of the soft ovary.

hows my mechanics on this?

Ill dig for the pics and you can see exactly why this happens.
you can already see the problem starting here from the initial staking
http://oi53.tinypic.com/k3q8u1.jpg

getting a little more serious bend..I honestly thought the plant would pik itself up but it doesnt work like that after you have already set in action the process.At this point you have a weeping slipper
http://oi53.tinypic.com/o5xjyv.jpg

please feel free to add your ideas on this..I have a few new buds and I want to stake them right next time :biggrin:

Interesting, waiting for someone to answer this one, I have a couple that should be blooming soon.

I usually start my paph staking the same as my cymbidiums; insert the stake when the spike is about 1-1 1/2" tall (most of the time the spike is more or less straight at this time), you may not need to attach the spike to the stake now, but it's good to get the stake in place. As the spike progresses, I secure it to the stake, i.e., when it is 3" tall I will place the first twist tie (I don't use stake clips), after another 3" or so, a second tie, etc. Depending on the rigidity of the spike and its length, you may be able to remove the middle ties as the spike progresses and the bud(s) form. My tentative "final" tie will be at the base of the stem and the ovary; if I am showing the plant, I will wait until the first bud is fully open before I position the flower, but usually this is not something I need to do as the plant will take care of it. Hope this helps!
Adam

How about staking Phals? I have some healthy vigorous spikes growing now that I have tried to stake the those plastic dragonfly clips. What has happened is that the spike was still growing between the clips so it bowed out and the result is a spike that looks like a series of S- curves. I'll try to post some pix later.

I don't stake a Paph until the flowers have actually been open at least two days. Most hybrids will open facing down, and staking prematurely will cause them to "lean" forward because the ovary (seedpod thingy) is still very soft.

IF you want to stake a phal early, it's best to follow the completely natural curve of the spike.
I prefer to wait until the first bloom is getting ready to open, and then GENTLY bring it upwards. Never try to bend a spike more than a few degrees... By the time the first bloom is ready to open, the spike will have hardened considerably, and you won't get the "S" effect.

"open a few days" seems to be a good rule of thumb for spiking paphs and that too simple a solution :waving


I have a perfect shot of one staked right that looks great right next to mine :( I'm glad the flower looks so good on the plant and the 2nd bud is just headed for the moon...made up for the weeping flower..Its still very pretty and I keep it right next to my bed so I see it everyday when I wake and make me happy start for the day !!

Noobz!!!

I need more spikes to practice on!!!;)

I am by far an expert, but I was shown a trick on my one paph on how to stake..so this might be helpful.

David from Pop's nursery took a wire hanger that is used for a vanda basket, and cut off an eight inch section. Using a needle nose pliers, he first bent a small U. He the took the U so both ends were in the pliers and bent down the tag wire 90%.

So when he stuck the wire in the pot, the U-shape was at 90% to the stem, and it just barely held it in place. There was no pinching on the stem what so ever.

You can do the same thing with old bicycle spokes. My DH made a bunch for me. It's a good interim solution until the flower is open and you can still clip it if you really want to.

This is all fascinating - having broken a bud off my Paph Maudiae type two seasons ago, I have let the last two stand on their own two feet, so to speak, in that I haven't staked them at all. As the flowers have opened they have been quite upright, and if I wanted to photograph them I have temporarily held them upright with a stake and soft tie.

As for Phals I often have the S curves, but a friend of mine has managed to stake hers and keep adjusting them so the the whole flower stem is vertical! I do prefer a gentle sloping flower truss from an upright stem, especially when that stem then breaks into three or five trusses