Assuming I do a good job of growing my phals -
How many leaves can I expect it to hold onto all at once? I look at pictures all over the place, but they never seem to show more than about six leaves with a blooming stem or two. And most pictures are of flowers, not the leaves. My year-old ones (that is, they've been in my house 7-9 months, and started with 4-5 leaves) are getting bigger and bigger leaves, and are up to 8 or more leaves per plant, all chunky, husky and glossy. And how long can the stem (from "soil" level to the top new leaf) get to be?
If lower leaves die off and the roots start coming out higher and higher up -- and I'm guessing this might be the general growth habit? -- does one simply set the plant a little deeper when re-potting?
Do roots also "fade away" over time, in the natural course of phal life? If they're just dried up and not rotten or tissue-thin, is it just as well to leave them? I've seen new roots shooting off of something I thought looked lifeless but tough, from time to time, down in the moister medium, though not on aerials.
What is the normal lifespan of a phal? I want to know if, when they go, they are dying natural deaths, or if I killed them. :-}
How big a pot can they grow into, at the max? Useful to know, so I can collect my resources all in one order (well... maybe more), and save on shipping.
I've looked all over the place for this kind of information, and can't seem to find it anywhere. All information I can find is directed to the four-inch, youthful stage, and maybe one step up, as if that's about as far as anyone is ever going to get. Maybe it's stuff that people who live in Orchid Country know naturally because you folks actually see a lot of orchids. But they're exotic in Minnesota, and the only ones you see are in the box stores. Youngsters.
Thanks!
Joan
Phalaenopsis future
Here is some info from my experience:
I think 5 to 6 leaves is about normal for a phal. Old leaves fall off and the roots grow higher and higher. They will walk right out of a pot.
I don't know that there is a strict limit as to age. If they are happy they keep growing. Good root growth is a sign that all is well. Don't over pot your plant. If it gets too big for a pot, step it up one size only and reposition the growth point to the pot center. Keep the plant slanted so that water runs out of the crown. Standing water in the crown results in a quick kill. Repot when the bark or medium breaks down. I do not repot phals more than once a year. You can mount them with some moss on a piece of wood and they will do fine. Try to avoid changing the growing conditions as to light and water. They do not like change. Hope this helps.
Jim
I'll add to what Jim said from something I learned in a class, but haven't tried yet. When the growth gets so tall that it's tipping the pot, you can break off the bottom (old growth), leaving plenty of the roots on the upper portion, and re-pot the top.
Don't repot it lower, thats a easy way to rot the crown/stem.
Cool. I'm starting to get a mental picture.
Anybody want to post a photo of an old-ish phal that's got a rather long stem? And maybe what you're doing about it?
I'm very glad to have that never-before-heard advice about breaking off the bottom and repotting the upper part. That makes perfect sense.
Do old roots dry up and fade away like old leaves? I suppose I'll notice at re-potting time, but it's always good to know what to expect. Anybody have any idea about the biggest pot size their phals have ever seemed to enjoy? I suspect I'll have to adapt everything to whatever makes them happy in dry old Minnesota - it's seldom very humid here, even in the summer, this year being exceptional in that regard - but I do wonder what sizes of pots to stock up on.
Thanks so much, everyone! This is the kind of info I've never seen anywhere else.
I can't recall ever seeing a phal in a pot larger than 6". The roots will crawl out of any pot you put them in. I use the clear plastic pots, as the roots seem to like the light. When they start tipping over, I set the whole thing in a clay pot or one of those ceramic orchid pots.
I like the clay pots-- really for the looks as much as anything, but they are much sturdier and don't tend to tip over. The good clay pots seem to be hard to find! Mine seem to breed in the man cave and gave a ton to the Botanical Society. When you repot the orchids try and trim the brown-ish roots from the plant. For humidity use copper trays filled with small pebbles. I do find that the orchids like a bit of fresh air in the summer -- it's a hassle but they seem happier. Now that mine live outside year round --of course it's easier, but the trays work VERY well indoors-- make watering easier as well.
I like the idea of clay pots too, except I'm such a tinkerer, and I really like to see what's going on with all my plants. (I also wonder about the light thing - seems to me the more of the plant that's allowed to do its photosynthesis thing, the better.) My landscaper friend calls my outdoors gardens "collector" style, though I like to think it does have some rhythm, form and reason! Anyway, I'm an up-close plant person, so part of the reward for me will be watching the roots.
Thanks for the comment on pot size. I wonder, though - how about when a bigger, older plant actually starts another plant, from its base? Ever seen that among your own things? I've read about it. I hope to keep mine that long! I could see where you might want a bigger pot around something like that.
The other thing I wonder, when it comes to pot size, is if something broader (not necessarily deeper) would help me maintain humidity over the winter. I have to say, I got them through last winter in 4.25" pots without too much trouble, usually nestled among other houseplants, except when moved to the dining table for Admiration Time. Well. I moved one with a huge root system into an 8" pot. I couldn't get it into a 5.5", and there wasn't any intermediate size. I left the medium really loose. It's one of those net pots, that sits inside a clear plastic pot. I'll report, eventually, on how it works. I should be able to tell if it's happy by Thanksgiving, I would think.
All this talk about orchids outdoors in the summer makes me think I should try it - once I get a big enough collection to be prepared to lose one or two! In case it doesn't work. How do they stand up to wind? I get some pretty violent ones off the lake, from time to time. I can provide a *little* shelter, but wind that strong, that's unobstructed until it hits the house, still swirls in interesting ways around all the corners, trees and shrubs.
Mine have done well in heavy on-shore breezes-- they love air movement-- and remember--these plants grow in mountainous and jungle environments!
Mature pot grown Phals grow about six leaves and then start looking shabby. They should be cut when they have at least four healthy roots above the cut. I've never seen them grown in more than a six inch pot regardless of the number of kikis. The plant is monopodial (grows on one "foot", or upwards) as opposed to sympodial (many feet), growing outward in the medium like a Cattleya or Oncidium. Vandas are handled the same way. After a number of years they "palm tree", becoming bare on the bottom. They are rejuvenated by cutting off the old, leafless stems. The stems on both Phals and Vandas can be kept and cared for. It is likely that new kikis will spring from the base after cutting.
Please note, and I am setting this aside from the rest of the information...a large pot full of damp medium will not add to the humidity of a plant. It will however rot those healthy roots that have been hanging out all summer. The humidity required is at the leaf level and not the root level. This means if you live in a winter heated space with low humidity you need pebble trays with water and frequent misting. Even misting has limited effects because you are only changing the humidity around the plant for moments. I have gone over the double potting with terracotta outside and clear plastic inside before. I'll be glad to do it again.
Very cool and detailed information! Thanks, Laurel. I've heard of keikis - the airborne babies, right? Are kikis the ones that sometimes come from the base?
When you say the stems can be kept and cared for, do you mean the part below the cut? (I'm thinking "not," but maybe something can happen there that Im not imagining.) I'm probably quite a ways from this, but I don't quite get it. Still, even if it's the upper part you mean, I'd like to know what tool to use for cutting, and when best to do it, and how best to maintain afterward.
You don't have to re-write the whole story on clear pots + terra cotta, if you can direct me to the right thread/URL. Always wanting to learn. What kind of clear pots do you use? Lots of slots and so on, or just holes in the bottom?
I'm convinced to save my fat pots for some other plant.
J
If they form it will be from the old stumps. Excuse my keiki misspelling. I was rushed and tired (or tard as we say here). I can't remember where and how many times I've written this but if you like to use plastic pots for home growing and the humidity is low, place the pot inside a larger terracotta pot with some pea gravel in the bottom and then place the double pot on a moist pebble tray. Soak the terracotta pot first to get the action going. Make sure the plant is not sitting in water but the pebble tray is kept wet. The water will wick up the terracotta and the terracotta will "breath" moist air without the plant becoming overly wet. This will increase the humidity nearer to the leaves and reduce the need to water.
For a small orchid collection single edged razor blades can be used for cutting. Discard after working on each plant. I have a butane mini torch to sterilize and reuse cutting implements. They run about thirty five or forty dollars. Do not use a butane lighter or BBQ stick. They don't get hot enough.
I find that when ever i repot my orchids theres some old dried up roots or some rotted ones and i trim these off and usually repot them into the same size pot. You want to have a pot just a little bigger than the roots or the mix will stay wet and the roots will rot. And a pot with excellent drainage, orchid pots are usually shallow as the roots don't go deep, a deep pot will also stay damp and rot roots.