Phalaenopsis gigantea - long term growing project

[Jinh]

I received one last March. I repotted it immediately and it began growing a new leaf the very next week. I did however, have it growing in a hot and humid grow tent so that may have helped it to not experience that much stress.

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by Melbillion

Hi guys, my Gigantea arrived on Friday October 7th. After being in my house a few days it seems to being doing ok, as in it hasn’t turned limped or freaked out in some other way yet. It’s currently growing under lights since my PNW winters don’t provide enough light and forces me to supplement certain plants. I am making sure the room it’s in stays above 70 degrees F. The humidity is gonna be the main problem once winter really starts up. For now the humidity is over 50% but as it gets colder it’s gonna be harder to keep it up. I realize these are not ideal conditions but it’s what I got.
So now that you guys know what I’m working with, my main question is how long should I wait to repot it. And yes I believe it needs to be repotted, it’s in 100% old moss that is compacted. The majority of the roots look healthy, plump and green but some look a little desiccated (mostly the air roots though). On top of having what looks to be old media, I believe moss is not appropriate for my colder weather even if I can keep the heat over 70 it seems from the info in this post it still isn’t that warm compared to what it would like which is why I believe 100% moss isn’t appropriate. The other phal’s I have repotted from moss I put in 50% bark and 50% moss, the moss I put in is to help keep them from going into shock from a change in media. These Phal’s seem to enjoy this setup. Back to my Gigantea, I plan to do the same setup for now because I believe going to 100% bark from 100% moss would be too stressful for it. The only thing I’m worried about is the timing. I would really love to wait till spring but my winter situation is usually really rough on tropical plants and I really worry about a 100% moss setup with this Phal! I believe repotting it sooner rather than later will be less stressful than waiting till spring.
My question to you guys is how many weeks would you recommend I give it to acclimate to my house before I repot it. My hybrids I only wait like a week or so, sometimes less depending on the situation and they barely miss a beat but this isn’t just any old hybrid. I’m not one who is really concerned about setting the plant back or not getting blooms because I repotted it. My main goal for this plant right now is for it to survive and not die. I actually bought this plant more for its big beautiful giant leaves then it’s blooms though I would like to see the flowers too obviously but it has to survive and grow first before I can worry about flowers. So I gotta decide how long it needs to acclimate before giving it something else to acclimate too. It’s in a 4 inch pot currently btw. Sorry for how long this post is, and thank you for any responses you can give.

hmmm, that is a tricky one, eh? your intstincts seem good, but we have always repotted all orchids immediately when we get them. especially true of moss grown plants. if it were ours, we would probly go ahead now with repotting. like, the universe likes change all at once, so letting it acclimate, and then later changing the media and forcing it to acclimate again seems worse than just doing it all right away. post repot, giving the highest temps you can, with good airflow and light would be my best bet.

don’t listen to me tho, trust your gut intstinct. and wait for more experienced folks to give their opinion! best of luck with your gigantea!! also keep in mind they seem to like an increase in light during winter (or so we gather) so that may help decide where it will live in your place.

[Melbillion]

Originally Posted by tmoney

hmmm, that is a tricky one, eh? your intstincts seem good, but we have always repotted all orchids immediately when we get them. especially true of moss grown plants. if it were ours, we would probly go ahead now with repotting. like, the universe likes change all at once, so letting it acclimate, and then later changing the media and forcing it to acclimate again seems worse than just doing it all right away. post repot, giving the highest temps you can, with good airflow and light would be my best bet.

Yes tmoney, that is exactly my rationale for repotting things as soon as I can. My gut instinct is usually to get all the change out of the way so it can get properly settled in. I guess because this is a species and it was a little pricier then most plants I get made me second guess myself.

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by Melbillion

Yes tmoney, that is exactly my rationale for repotting things as soon as I can. My gut instinct is usually to get all the change out of the way so it can get properly settled in. I guess because this is a species and it was a little pricier then most plants I get made me second guess myself.

i hear ya...but, armed with knowledge and following your instincts, boldly sally forth with confidence! but you’ve probly read this thread and it’s multiple warnings to be gentle with the roots when doing it. but, don’t be shy, the plant will pick up on that

[tmoney]

hi folks,

just a little gigantea psa to check for spikes if you are in the northern hemisphere. sort of gave up hope that ours would bloom this year, but this morning noticed a spike coming out! cautiously optimistic that it will make flowers yet but thought we would give some hope to you other growers that maybe now is the time!

things seem a bit delayed this fall, as it has been warm and unusually dry. anyways, hope your gigas are all fat and sassy right now!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by tmoney

hi folks,

just a little gigantea psa to check for spikes if you are in the northern hemisphere. sort of gave up hope that ours would bloom this year, but this morning noticed a spike coming out! cautiously optimistic that it will make flowers yet but thought we would give some hope to you other growers that maybe now is the time!

things seem a bit delayed this fall, as it has been warm and unusually dry. anyways, hope your gigas are all fat and sassy right now!

Congrats!!! Is it the Starship gigantea?

I really wonder what I'm doing wrong with mine. It started a spike last october, which has grown all of 0,3cm in the past year. On the plus side, it has never had as many leaves as it has now! Currently it has 5 fully developed leaves, whereas it had max 3 up until 18 months ago. I guess it likes the net pot a lot.

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Congrats!!! Is it the Starship gigantea?

I really wonder what I'm doing wrong with mine. It started a spike last october, which has grown all of 0,3cm in the past year. On the plus side, it has never had as many leaves as it has now! Currently it has 5 fully developed leaves, whereas it had max 3 up until 18 months ago. I guess it likes the net pot a lot.

my guess is u probly aren’t doing anything wrong! yes, ours is the starship, but from what we can see it’s the first bloom for it, so we aren’t counting any chickens just yet. nice to see it tho!!

to quote roberta, “patience”!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by tmoney

to quote roberta, “patience”!

8 years isn't enough patience by now?

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by camille1585

8 years isn't enough patience by now?

haha! well, 🤷🏻*♂️...calling roberta to the gigantea aisle!!

my advice, just go and get you a starship!!

hmmm, just checked and they don’t have any left asendorfer does have regular giganteas now for 20 and 50.


we did move it to full sun a couple weeks ago when the temps cooled off, perhaps try that with yours ??

[Dalachin]

I just got my first gigantea! Been lurking on this thread for awhile. It is a seedling in a 2.5 inch pot, no cultivar listed, Repotted in the same size pot with a mix of bark, perlite, and a few strands of spagnum. Hoping for the best!