Phal gigantea

[DirtyCoconuts]

my apologies!

this one really stumped me for a while but was then, in turn, instrumental in my understanding about how to handle hot Phals in my climate

i started with a single leaf, and two.three pbulbs from a bag at a show. I tried sphag in a pot, then sphag in a basket and saw nothing, no roots grew and then i lost a leaf.

saddened but undeterred i thought about how to best set it up for long term and decided to mount it and wait, not mess with it any more. i kept it moist but you cannot really get a mount soggy and almost as soon as the weather turned warmer she started CRANKING out the roots...then she started making leaves.

i have had one leaf and one still coming in this set up and now it is getting cold...relative to my normal temps.

i expect that she will stall again until March and then start getting large.

this is where it lives now
Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


the total leaves

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr



Roots

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


and more roots

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

[Mr.Fakename]

That's going to take a while until seeing blooms but congrats on the "glow up"!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Yeah. I imagine 1-2 years. Not too worried. Once it started to grow I knew it was a matter of when and not if

With my plants, especially fruit trees, I have learned that there are month lenses, year lenses, five year lenses and decade lenses....you take time as a commodity and think about all the other cool stuff you’ll do during that time and then, suddenly, that far off time is now!

Someone wiser than me said that the best time to plant a fruit tree is 20 years ago, the second best is today! Lol

[Dusty Ol' Man]

DC I'm curious about your mount. I understand the cloth, but is there sphagnum under it? How often does it get watered? Also, I like the way you use the tillandsia isneoides.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Hi Dusty-
so the mount is on naked wood ( i don't ever put anything UNDER the roots as i want them to attach to the wood and not to the medium)- the cloth over it is hygrolon and it is the only other medium. it is a pretty absorbent material.

i water it about every 36 hours during the warm months and whenever it is hot enough the other month (lol)

we have over 40% RH year round and it is mostly above 70. i figure you have similar weather but i bet it gets colder in the coldest months by you.


and thanks- the Spanish moss is a huge orchid "pal" - it adds a nice bit of shade to the plant, it makes the micro climate more humid and it is a great indicator of dryness and when i need to step in and water.



this plant actually taught me that ALL my phals should be mounted and upside-down, which is what i am transitioning to

[Mr.Fakename]

Interesting setup. Have you thought of trying your wet mount?

Mine is a water hog if I've ever seen one, and reacts well to higher than normal fertiliser amounts. I treat it pretty much like a Vanda and so far so good!

[Dusty Ol' Man]

DC
Yes the humidity here is similar to yours. I bought a hygrometer today and it shows between 50 and 60% in the garage. We had a hi of 77° today and the garage door was open. Nights have been in the 40s so the garage temps have been kept above 60 with my portable heat pump. Coldest months are yet to come when we expect it to get into the 30s.

[yug]

Yeah, but that giant phal is still nice to look at.