Phalaenopsis by window - new spike growing into curtain
 

Hi all... Haven't been on in awhile. It's good to be back :waving

Okay, I have a phal setup close as possible to a curtain covering a window, as I have found it to be at a perfect light level, with a light meter and by observing its growth.

The plant has put out a new spike, and it is growing into the curtain. I'd rather not flip the plant around, mainly because I would lose a lot of the level of light exposure from the position of the leaves.

Will the new spike bloom ok against the curtain, correcting itself, or will I have to "train" (not sure of the terminology) it somehow, that is, condition it to grow another direction? If I must do so, as I have never tried it, could someone correct my terminology, and either suggest a thread or offer a guideline for how to do it? Thanks in advance...

Are you opposed to staking the spike? That would put you in control of how much the spike leans toward the curtain.

Another possibility is bonsai wire, which could be wrapped around the spike and then bent lightly to guide the growth of the spike.

Personally, I don't like to let blossoms touch much of anything if I can help it. Damage to the blossom will discolor it.

Thanks so much... I bought the plant staked already. I'm not sure if "spike" is the right term. It's a second growth from the one main spike, which grew out before I got around to cutting the main spike to the base after blooming was finished.

On a tangent, if one wants a single plant to eventually put out multiple main spikes, should one not cut the main spike after blooming? (Which, as I understand delays a new bloom but will render the bloom more lush). Or will it eventually put up multiple main spikes even if one cuts old spikes at the base? I have read you may not want to separate new bulbs that emerge from a plant, so you will end up with a big beautiful compound plant. Is this the only way to have multiple main spikes, that is, having plants with multiple bulbs? Sorry for any incorrect terminology!

It seems this orchid was already wired with bonsai wire. I was able to rearrange the stake and wire to gently guide the bloom away from the curtain. Thank you again for the advice!

Well-cared-for Phals get bigger with time, and as the plants get bigger, they can produce more bloom spikes and flowers at the same time. Some people cut flower spikes when they finish the first flush, and others leave them as long as they stay green, hoping for more flowers from that spike. It is a matter of taste. I don't know whether it's really possible to say which way leads to more flowers over the life of the plant.

Also, many Phals will begin to branch from the base as they get older and bigger. This leads to a cluster of growing points, each of which has its own set of leaves, and each of which can produce multiple bloom spikes. A massive old plant in bloom is an amazing sight. For example:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-champion.html

People call new growing points from the bases of Phals various names: keiki, growth, offset. Phals can also produce new plants on the nodes that did not flower on flowering stems. These are also often called keikiis.

Phals are in the group called monopodial orchids (= "having one foot.") They don't have psudobulbs; the have stems that keep growing upwards in a linear fashion. They can branch. Others orchids like this are Vanda and Angraecum. The flower spikes come from the stems, where the leaves join the stems.

Sympodial orchids (= "having feet together") have mostly horizontal rhizomes, from which upward growths form. Often these are thickened for water storage, and bulbous in shape. These are called pseudobulbs. Orchids like this are Cattleyas, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums and Oncidiums. Flowers can come from the top, along the side of, or the base of the pseudobulb. Flower location in sympodial orchids varies from genus to genus and sometimes among species in the genus.

That is a stunning orchid! I would love to grow one like that some day :evil:
And thanks for the info; illuminating as always