Gizmo for Straightening Phal Spikes
 

Hey all,

I discovered this great little gizmo that's extremely helpful for straightening out phal spikes without breaking them. It's a small, rubbery ratcheting cable tie from Lee Valley. They are soft to the touch, so they won't damage the spike. They can be slowly ratcheted closed, over a period of weeks, so you don't break the spike - and when the spike is straight, I just swap them out for the usual mini clips. They are reusable too and come in a variety of sizes. I've been using the one in the picture below for about a week now, closing the tie one notch every other morning.

I use a larger size to keep an unruly dendrobium canes under control - these ties are awesome little multitaskers.

They can be found here:

http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/p...319,33283&ap=1

Best,

-J

http://184.72.239.143/mu/927396c4-2e6c-8571.jpg

http://184.72.239.143/mu/927396c4-2e8b-7be3.jpg

I like your idea, it sure beats the string I use. Thanks for posting the info.
Joann

I am terrible about doing so, but ideally, you should "train" them to stakes as they grow, not bend them back once they have. It gives a much better overall presentation than does the weaving back-and-forth of a late-staked spike.

I heard someone at an OS meeting recently say she puts stakes in pots the minute she sees signs of them starting, if nothing else as a reminder to stake them as they grow. I hope I get smart enough to do that.

While this is a great idea for lazy people like me, I guess I'm in Ray's group.... my spikes just grow everywhere and by the time I get around to thinking about staking them it's a day late and ...... That's also why I haven't posted any individual pictures this year... they are so inter-tangled, I can't get them out :rofl: :biggrin: :rofl:

I've used those before. I try and stake as early as I can... but in reality I usually forget.

I have some figure of eight loops which seem to come on NoID phals, but I've never seen to buy. They hold even tiny spikes loosely enough to grow, but firmly enough to train them well.

I've found a picture (I thought I had posted it before and can't think why else I would have had a picture of it on Picasa).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_o...8-07%20001.JPG

The small end is tight against the stake, the slightly larger end just loops over the spike. Even small spikes can be held gently and grow freely.

Really wish I could find where to buy them.

:rofl: I do the same as Howard and Ray by the time I think about it is to late .
The gizmos are neat remind me of gentle cable ties . Duct tape and cable ties are my best friends , and Google :rofl::rofl:

Thanks for the suggestion! Now I finally have a use for those cable ties I have lying around. I just used it on my dendrobium.

No worries. What I like about these ties over regular cable ties is the material- it's soft so it won't bite into the plant tissue if you tighten down too hard or if you slide the tie up or down the spike. Also, the ratchet can be loosened if you want to back it off a couple of notches. They really are pretty useful little gadgets.

-J