Phal Hieroglyphica in Spike!
 

This is the third orchid we bought (our first non-grocery store/Home Depot orchid), this time from a local orchid seller here in Vienna, Virginia, in early February 2013. It had not bloomed before I bought it, if I remember correctly. I repotted right after I bought it and kept it in moss since that's what it had been in when I bought it and didn't want it to go through the near death experience that the two previous grocery store phals went through when I moved them from moss to bark/charcoal. The plant really hadn't done much until about 4 months ago when it started growing out a new leaf and a bunch of roots. I have kept this plant near a humidifier, so it tends to stay very moist and I only water it about every 15 days or so. The last time I watered it, I saw what I thought were two new roots popping out. But when I watered it today, I realized that what I thought were roots were two flower spikes! So this is now the second phal to put up a spike for me - the first was my second phal from Home Depot which survived it's brush with death. So happy, much dancing and rejoicing in Vienna today! I just can't wait to show off my babies when they are in full bloom! :biggrin:

How long before these spikes have flowers on them? Will it take as long as a NOID hybrid phal, 2-3 months? And one more question: should I switch to bloom fertilizer now to help the spikes grow, or is there no reason to do that once spikes form?

Oh, and one more: is Phal Hieroglyphica a hybrid or species plant? The tag reads Hieroglyphica x sib (I think it's 'sib', cant quite make it out), which made me think it was a hybrid (newb alert!), but I've been reading up on the plant since I saw the spikes this morning and now I'm thinking it is a species plant?





https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...520-%25201.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...520-%25201.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c...520-%25202.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c...520-%25202.jpg

Woo hoo! :wtg:

I would expect the spike to take 2-3 months before blooming - but I don't grow this one, so can't say positively. In my experience, 2-4 months is typical for the orchids I grow, at least.

I don't use bloom booster - I know there is debate on whether or not it is of any use - it certainly isn't necessary.

Phal hieroglyphica is a species. (x sib means one hieroglyphica was pollinated using pollen from a sibling plant)

Joseia, any updates on your Phal hieroglyphica? I have had a tiny seedling for about a year now, but is still far from blooming so I was hoping to live vicariously through you :)

I'm right there with you mooburr. I have a seedling as well, and every time I see a plant that's putting out it's first spike I get sad realizing how much further my little one has to go! So, we must do like you said and live vicariously through others that have blooming size hieroglyphicas :)

Well, much to my disappointment, those two spikes are just sitting there, they have not grown at all since I posted this. The orchid has grown two new leaves and a ton of new roots and looks very happy, but the spikes just sit there. They are still green and my wife thinks one has grown a bit in the past couple weeks, so who knows. Maybe yours flowers first lol!