Whats my orchid doing?

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Author Message   Treelover  My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 08:34 am EST :    This is an orchid(Phalanopsis I think) I got from a kind grower a good while ago and its just sat there on the north facing windowsill putting out roots and the off leaf now and then. Now I've noticed this growth coming out the side. Surely its not a flower stem as i thought they came from the centre of the leaf rosette,plus its only got 2 leaves and i presume they have to be really old to flower. It does have an awful lot of roots tho but i was under the impression that you only repot orchids very rarely. It must be time for a repot this coming spring tho,its all roots! Treelover - County Durham,UK, Zone "8/9"   Zuzus_petals  My Weather My Garden Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 12:05 pm EST :    WOOHOO! Congratulations, Larry! A flower spike is exactly what you have growing there. No they do not bloom from their centers, and higher leaf count is attractive, but not necessary. That is absolutely typical and proper. You will be enjoying some fantastic flowers this winter. Your plant has beautiful, healthy roots, but yes, it probably is in a slightly under-sized pot. I just finished re-potting quite a few of my own Phals this fall, but spring will also be a good time. When you do re-pot, don't give it a massively large pot, they prefer a "comfortable snug-ness" in my experience. Over-large pots require too much medium, which can lead to moisture retention issues, which in turn, can cause root rot. Also, as you now see that spikes will come from the base, be sure not to re-pot your Phal too deeply. Zuzus_petals - N. Carolina, Zone "USDA 8"   Treelover  My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 12:44 pm EST :    Shouldn't I wait till its finished flowering before repotting tho? Common knowledge says its a bad idea to repot a plant thats about to flower. Plus all i have is cheap potting compost. When i originally potted this up in 05(that post is still on this page,further down!) I used ordinary compost with bits of rolled up paper and cardboard mixed in. Now the plants roots are out of the holes in the bottom of the pot and girdling its saucer! I just never thought I'd be so lucky to get it to flower as i believed them to be so fussy! Must be doing something right! Will it be scented? Oh so many questions,lol Treelover - County Durham,UK, Zone "8/9"   Jak3  My Weather Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 01:02 pm EST :    Certainly looks like a flower spike to me. I would wait a bit to repot.I have had to repot when orchids are flowering - just no choice! But wait until you have enjoyed the flowers if you can. Most of my paphs are not scented - but I do have one that has a lovely scent in the evening. The flower on that one is a little less impressive - but who cares? Good luck with it - do you know what colour it is? Jak3 - Ontario, Zone "4/5"   Zuzus_petals  My Weather My Garden Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 03:17 pm EST :    Larry, the text-book time for re-potting Phalaenopsis is late spring or early summer. Generally speaking, the blooming cycle will be winding down or finished by then. From what you said in your original post, I understood that you were sort of planning on that time of the year anyhow. I only did mine this fall because the medium was showing signs of deterioration. You see, my glasshouse stays so humid when I pack in all the extra tropical plants for wintertime, so I was concerned that the plants would suffer root rot, and the plants are (like yours) only beginning to spike. But, as Julie said, I will re-pot orchids even when they are in bloom, if they are in desperate need - which yours is not . . . yet - next spring should be just fine. For planting medium, I use a mixture of fir bark chunks, horticultural charcoal, sphagnum peat and perlite. I have never grown a Phal in the sort of mix that you describe - but your results look great, so I certainly won't argue with your success. I will only say that quick drainage is key for these plants. The aerial rooting that I see, and that you describe, is the natural tendency of the species - after all, the ancestors of these guys were clinging to trees and such in their natural habitats. Being epiphytes, they needed those roots to reach out and grab a firm hold. As to scent . . . Zuzus_petals - N. Carolina, Zone "USDA 8"   Treelover  My Favorite Photo My Garden Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 04:27 pm EST :    Jak3 i have no idea of the colour,just that its a phal. Its my first orchid so its all a bit exciting! Zuzu,thanks for all the info Treelover - County Durham,UK, Zone "8/9"   Otnorot  Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 06:26 pm EST :    Larry when you repot dont try to put those aerial roots in the potting mix leave them sticking out into the air. Your pot looks like a clay or ceramic pot which you should break to get your plant loose dont try to pull it loose. Bill Otnorot - Ont, Zone "6A"   Cena  My Garden Posted on Saturday, November 17, 2007 - 03:43 am EST :    I find it helpful to soak the pot and plant first, so that damage is kept to a minimum when moving. Not a couple days long soak... a couple hours, or 30 minutes, whatever you have time for. Larry, I can't grow phals. They require care so different from c&s that I make them suffer for water. Many other orchids I do well with. Keeping a phal alive AND getting blooms? Bonus points, my friend!!! Cena - S CA, Zone "10a"   Tera  My Weather Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2008 - 03:04 pm EST :    My Mom had a Cymbidium that traveled the country with us. And it survived for more than 30 years. And it was re-potted every couple of years. I have always been around them. My question is I have a new Phalaenopsis that I bought 2 weeks ago and in the last two weeks she has lost all six blooms. It only traveled for ten minutes in a car. What happened to this little girl? Her feet were dry but she had been watered twice. I live in Oregon and it's been raining pretty steady for this time. It was in my bedroom but I did move it to my bathroom after the first week. Tera - Oregon, Zone "?"   Silithil  My Favorite Photo Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008 - 07:10 am EST :    it's also possible that your orchid drops his flowers because it has been moved while flowering. When you move a flower with flower buds these flowers (when they open) will hold longer. The orchid just has to adapt to its new location. Just keep taking care of it and normaly it will grow back. It's also possible that the flowers are old and that it was time for them to drop off. As long as the plant is healthy new flowerspikes will come up :D Greets Maarten Silithil - Limburg, Zone "8"

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