Coring Phalaenopsis?
 

I've heard of coring (removing the growth point), or decapitating cactus and succulents to stimulate offsets and new growth.
As I eye my oversized Phal, I can't help but wonder--if I did bring myself to cut the top off, would it tend to grow a basal offset? I'm talking cutting off the top of the stem and leaves, not the flower spike.
OK, probably a dumb question because I'm not likely to cut up a healthy plant, but I'm wondering if this would work and if anyone's tried it.
Thanks

What you're describing is akin to "topping" a shrub.

It "might" work and it might not, but I think it's a terrible idea that will set the plant w-a-a-y back.

If you want to try to stimulate extra growth fronts, consider regular, heavy doses of Kelpak instead. It appears to work on many plants and is less detrimental to the plant as a whole.

Some businesses core C&S because some never offset. But there's a risk of killing the plant. With a Phal. the stem is very short and lateral meristems very close to the apical meristem.

It’s likely that if you tried it and it was successful, you’d only get one new growth point, putting you back to where you started. How enormously overgrown is the phal you mentioned? Does it simply need a deeper pot?

It's a big plant that absolutely insists on growing sideways. That would be fine, except I'm out of room and will have to get rid of something else to make a place for this one.
No room and very low humidity preclude mounting.
I'm working on making a sturdy post in an orchid pot, to repot and try to tie it up straight. We'll see how that works.
I had a different plant that almost died from stem rot. Ended up with a healthy top piece with roots, and one basal offset. They're now together in the same pot, I like the look, they're both now healthy and bloom.
So, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with topping a Phal and what the outcome was.
(Thanks Ray, "topping" is a way better word than "decapitation"!)
Don't worry, I'm not going to do it, just wondering!
Thanks for the comments and discussion:). I am totally open to suggestions.
That's an 8 inch pot, lots of river-run rocks for ballast, + XL Orchiata.

That is the natural growth habit of such a plant. However, if you wish, the next time you repot it, you can reorient it vertically.

It's been set upright several times. Packed in with bark and rocks, tied to a stick, threatened with coring. Grow light is directly overhead, enticing it upwards.
It always gets itself sideways again, dodging the rocks. Takes sticks, bark and roots down with it. Ignores all threats, and happily keeps blooming and adding more leaves.
I realize this is its natural growth habit, I just don't have room.
It's getting a new pot with a solid post. I think it will probably then pull pot and all over sideways, it just doesn't quit. :rofl: We'll see, I'll let you know!
Thanks,
:waving

Once you realign it, have you used a stake on the "going downhill" side to discourage that?

I've used this trick on a couple of mine in the past. In fact, I have one I need to repot that looks similar to, but maybe not quite as determined, as AJ's Phal. I will probably employ some combination of stakes on different sides, tied to the plant with soft string on the uphill side and pressed firmly in at an angle toward the downhill side.

Please do let us know how it goes. :)

I must be doing something wrong, it just takes stakes with it and goes over to the side. I find it hard to anchor the stake in the orchid bark, even with added rocks.
Can you post pictures?
Thanks!

You could tie it into its pot and hang it sideways. It’s great that it us holding onto so many leaves, it must be happy!

Have you considered a bent wire clip that "clamps" on the pot rim?

This drawing shows the ones I used to make to hold down the rhizome of a newly-planted cattleya-type plant, but if you use a long enough piece of wire, you can bend a 90° angle and make a vertical stake, instead, by bending the extended left end of image 3 upward.

If you have a plastic mesh bag from store bought onions/potatoes/garlic, you could cover the top of the pot (zip ties around the rim?) and hang it so that the plant hangs downwards and the pot top is now a “side”. Sort of a potted hanging mount?

Sorry, I don't have any staked like that presently, and the ones I have done it with before, I don't have photos. But I see the current pot yours is in appears to have the slits on the sides, which are identical to the pots I use. I can recall a number of different tricks I would use depending on the plant and the situation. I have put stakes into the pot from the outside of it, in through those slits on the side, keeping the stake upright, and then tied the plant to one of those. That makes it impossible for the stake to gradually slide through the bark chunks.

Likewise, with stakes on the "downhill" side as Ray calls it, I make sure the stake goes into the bark very close to the base of the plant and I angle it down and toward the side. And that stake, I may use soft string to anchor it to the opposite side of the pot, again using those slots in the sides.

I have also used a bent coat hanger to anchor one of mine, making a curve around the base of the Phal. where it meets the media and then making a 90-degree bend at the other end that I could hook over the edge of the pot. That plant is still upright in the pot, but the growing parts of the stem are starting to curve over.

The one I'm getting ready to repot is really going to be tricky because, again, it seems to be still pretty much upright in the pot until you get past the lower leaves, and then it has made a big curve so that the top part of the stem is going almost sideways.

Oftentimes, with these really big Phals, when they're in bloom, I have to put the plastic pots into heavy clay pots for more support to keep them from tipping over.

A thought if you can manage a mounted plant... mount with leaves pointed downward and roots above. Some orchids just have a downward-facing growth habit. I wonder if this one has some Phal gigantea in its ancestry.

Or if you can't mount it, maybe hang it in a basket with roots in the pot and the leaves sticking out the bottom. But if it wants to grow downward, it's just doing what comes naturally. And it is likely to never get crown rot that way.

It's very dry here, I don't think it would do well mounted. Besides, I don't have room.
I am intrigued with having a mesh cover over the bark then hanging it upside down or sideways. Sort of mounted but in bark.
But, what about lighting? Overhead plant light?
And, how would I water?
I think I'd need a combination hanger, plant light, and bucket. I'm just not that clever.
And I still don't have room.
Thanks for the replies and suggestions, what a great forum!

When fighting gravity, sphag may be easier to deal with than bark, easier to keep it from falling out of the pot.

Nights are getting chilly, it was time to bring it in. This may be temporary, I don't particularly like it, but better than topping it.
Orchid wins, who needs a guest room?

NOW you're talking. Orchids rule. Can lead to this... http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/indoor.jpg

Looking carefully at both of the pics you posted, I think you have an advantage in that the stem seems to be growing pretty straight. It ends up leaning in the pot because of the sheer weight of the plant and the looseness of the large bark media.

I think there's a good chance of being able to straighten it up by repositioning it when you repot (which you said you have done in the past), but this time, use some combination of stakes, wires, and/or the post you talked about to anchor it more securely.

It looks like a very healthy plant, with six or seven leaves on each side. Just curious, I can see a tag in the pic. What Phal. species or hybrid is it?

Remember, the natural growth of Phals is usually sideways or upside down. (They get watered from above and don't get crown rot that way) We place them pointing upwards to satisfy our human aesthetic desires. Some Phals, just like pets - or people - are more willing to follow orders than others.

So true! Though for some of us, it's not just aesthetic desires but also the reality of how much space we have and whether plants can be outdoors part or all of the time or not. It's not a bad deal for the orchids, though. They get a good life, we look after their needs, talk to them and tell them how pretty they are, and in return, we ask them to please stand up straight so we can fit more of their friends in a small space. :)

That phal must be an introvert.

This is the only named plant I have.
"Maui Coral" (P. Brother Sara Gold x P. Sunrise Star)
Flowers are distinctive. About 4 months after buying it from an orchid nursery, our local grocery store had it, unlabeled but the same flower, for about a third of what I paid.
First, last, and only named orchid for me.
I do like the flowers, the plant is healthy, I'm just trying to figure out how to handle its size and happy lean.
I'll try to set it straight with the next repot, meanwhile it had to come indoors.
Thanks everyone for comments and advice!

Sounds to me like its less that the plant is actively trying to grow sideways, and more so that it can't anchor itself upright because of the loose bark media (which is also why the stake doesn't stay in place). I have the same problem with my Cattleyas when the roots haven't anchored yet.

- Repot it in a upright position. Make sure all the nooks and crannies in the root system are filled. The deeper the pot the better.
- Consider adding a little bit of long fibre sphagnum to make the media less loose
- punch two little holes (soldering iron or heat up a metal skewer on the stove) at the top of the plastic pot, run a wire through to tie a stake in place.
- then tie the plant to the stake so it doesn't move.
- The plant is much heavier on one side because the leaves are all on the same side, so when new growth is forming, fiddle around a bit with the pot orientation to the light and see if you can get the new leaves to grow on the other side.

Related question:
do flower spikes need light?
If they do, my little plant light isn't tall enough.

Flower spikes tend to grow towards the light source, so in a way, yes, it “needs” the light.

If you don’t have a lot of space, and you want a Phal, you may want to consider some of the smaller species or hybrids.

If you’re just concerned about wanting a Phal/Phal relative that grows upright instead of sideways, consider Doritis pulcherrhima. They’re lithophytes and have a tendency to grow upright.

If you like orchids that look similar to or behave like succulents, you may want to think about getting Oeceoclades. Be aware that some species or hybrids can get quite large.

To your original question, I don’t recommend coring any orchid.

Hello Phillip,
Thank you for your reply!
I have several smaller Phals, but I'm out of room. For some reason they do well for me, I love the flowers, but I don't have any place for any new ones.
This "biggie" going sideways is only a problem because of space considerations, otherwise I wouldn't mind it.
It has now taken over another room and has its own grow light.
I put granite stones in the pots with the bark, I've always wondered if a lithophyte might be a good choice. I'll keep your recommendation in mind, but don't have any room right now.
:waving

Again, late to the party. This is just a suggestion to think about. When repotting plants that need to be held in position, I use gardener's tape and tie it around the pot and the plant so the plant can't move. I have had some success with top heavy plants. The tape is soft and stretchy so it won't cut into the plant.

A friend has construction experience, a workshop, and a good understanding of my problem. Here is the pot and post he put together for me. Note the rebar and zip ties!
The post is made of "furniture grade" green PVC.
I don't think this one will fall over.
Waiting for Spring to put it to use.

LOL you're a warden now.

Do you think the rusty rebar will be a problem to the plant at all? I guess I can stop adding iron...

No, it won't be a problem. I meant you're now the warden of a Phalaenopsis prison.