Phelenopsis Pallendarium

[Rob189]

Hey guys

Added a phalenopsis to my palendarium today. This is going to be my first proper attempt at keeping an orchid.

If you see anything wrong, please let me know

Also, i have a couple questions (links to threads would be greatly appreciated)

1) With the tricky way ive decided to mount the plant, would misting the roots lightly everyday be sufficient?

2) fertilising: can i added feterliser to the misting liquid. If so, quantities and mixes please

3) Flower spikes...can you low stress train them? Ideally, I’d like the flower spikes to hang downwards in the future as i may be looking at adding a lid to the palendarium to house a poison dart frog or 2

4) flower spikes again...how should i be cutting them after theyve finished flowering? Or should i not cut at all?

Some additional info: stuffed some sphagnum moss between the roots and rock, but not much. I have a small water feature, but no water flowing onto the roots, so we’re good there. My bedroom is a bit cold most of the time, but makes up with decent ambient light throughout the day, plus the leds ive added. Setup is a couple months old now. Trim the ferns and ivy quite regularly. Also have 2 shrimp and 2 cory’s living in the water.

Pics to follow

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[Rob189]

[Rob189]

[estación seca]

It looks very nice!

What do you mean by "a bit cold?"

Nutrient runoff from fertilizing the orchid could harm the animals. The Phal doesn't need a lot of fertilizer. Spray the roots once or twice daily with pure water. When you fertilize try and get the solution just on the Phal roots.

You could cut or leave old flower stalks if they stay green. Phals often flower again from old stalks. If they turn brown, cut them.

That Phal has long spikes. Next time they will probably dangle more, but they will be that long. There are smaller Phals with shorter, more pendent spikes.

[Rob189]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It looks very nice!

What do you mean by "a bit cold?"

Thanks 😊

Well, its winter at the moment. So, I’d say that my room drops down to around 16 delgrados (deg C)

Is standard tap water fine? Or should i not be lazy and walk outside to fetch RO water (or rainwater)?

[Rob189]

While I’m here, can i please get an ID on what type of phal i have. From spending entire quarter day reading up on orchids (I actually watched one youtube video), am i correct in assuming that its a hybrid? (Because 2 flower spikes)

Also, this is the first yellow phal that ive seen. They’re usually either white, purple, or a combination of those 2 colours here in SA

Pics below

[estación seca]

It's a complex hybrid of various species. There are so many similar hybrids it's impossible to say what it is without the tag.

16C / 60 F is pushing the cold tolerance of Phals. If it warms substantially the next day they usually tolerate that. In that situation I would be sure they are dry by nightfall. It may eventually extend a root to the water, which would be fine.

The Phal is probably OK with tap water, but shrimp are sensitive to water quality. Do you have a water quality report? Most municipalities publish them. What are your pH and dissolved solids?

[Rob189]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It's a complex hybrid of various species. There are so many similar hybrids it's impossible to say what it is without the tag.

16C / 60 F is pushing the cold tolerance of Phals. If it warms substantially the next day they usually tolerate that. In that situation I would be sure they are dry by nightfall. It may eventually extend a root to the water, which would be fine.

The Phal is probably OK with tap water, but shrimp are sensitive to water quality. Do you have a water quality report? Most municipalities publish them. What are your pH and dissolved solids?

Will work on not letting my room get too cold.

The water quality seems fine enough for the shrimp. Ive had them for a couple months now. Theyve doubled in size.

[Rob189]

Hey guys.

First off, thanks for all the help and advise given. Thought I’d give you guys a little update on my phal:

The advise given on how the roots would behave with having water flowing over it for the majority of the day was spot on. One or 2 roots rotted, the rest are happy.

I havent lost a single flower since i bought the plant, and now i have more developing.




I have also been slowly filling up the palandarium with little plants, mostly ferns and mosses. However, while flyfishing a nearby lake. I noticed this weird little plants growing out of cracks in the clay, but only below the old water mark (lake is around 5m shallower than what it used to be due to droughts and what not). It has really shot up in the last 2 weeks. Now 3 times the size from when i got it. Any thoughts on what it actually is would be greatly appreciated

[estación seca]

It looks great!

I have no idea what that new plant is. Given it's grown so fast, it might be an annual getting ready to flower.

There are some great plant resources in your country. Have a look at PlantZAfrica. Maybe somebody there will know what it is.