And the fever has struck...say hello to orchid #2!

[AnonYMouse]

If the roots are turning mushy, please remove it from the water. Dip but let it dry daily.

[Rothrock42]

I've been meaning to try some phals in glass vases, but haven't yet. I do grow some vandaceous ones in glass vases.

Don't leave the water in the vase. Phals might be different, but here is what I do for my vandas.

I soak them for about 10 to 20 minutes with water and very weak fertilizer every morning. Then dump out the water. Let it drip for a minute or two and then dump again. This prevents the drips from pooling at the bottom and rotting the tips.

The idea is to let the roots soak up a lot of water and food and then dry out completely before soaking again.

Depending upon your ambient humidity you might need to wait a day or two before soaking again. You can tell that it is dry enough when the roots have gone silver, grey or white.

If the roots take off and really start growing the roots can attach to the vase. Be sure to take it out of the vase occasionally to prevent that.

[Windhavyn]

Rothrock, that sounds like perfect advice! Just what I was hoping for. Thank you, I was wondering about the clinging roots myself, as well as the possibility of rotting tips. BTW, the mushy bits were as a result of the previous potting mix and was spotted and removed before I placed the orchid into the vase.

[Rothrock42]

I've had good luck with Neostylis and Vanda -- good root growth, leaves, and reblooming. I've been meaning to try it with a phal, but all my phals are pretty happy in bark and I didn't want to mess with them. Maybe I'll give it a go.

Let us know what you discover.

[Windhavyn]

Will do!

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by bil

I really like mini phals. I think they are great value for money.

Spanish ladies lined up, waiting to dance.

[dbarron]

Their WoolsWorth and ours (US) have nothing in common (according to Wikipedia)...but darn doesn't THAT bring back memories from long ago ?
Hmm, I would think this watering environment would work best in a fairly humid area. Otherwise the roots aren't taking up water for (fairly) long periods of time and I'm just not sure. Even if grown in glass chips, the roots have the media to protect them from the open air and to foster higher local humidity (would seem to me).
Also, just a thought, isn't this sort of culture actually more prone to failure for a novice than a more traditional culture ?

[Windhavyn]

True, but I've never been one to take the easy route! I really wanted to try and see if FWC or a version of it, at least, is feasible for my environment. Also it looks so cool! I'm not going to let the roots dry for five days before soaking them, but will do as suggested earlier in this thread: provide water every morning or when the roots turn silverery-green. If I fail, I will have learnt quite a few things with an orchid that will be easy enough to replace rather than experimenting on an expensive and sentimentally treasured one.

[bil]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Spanish ladies lined up, waiting to dance.

Thank you.

Here's the phalenopsis waterfall where the large ones go.

[Windhavyn]

Hello there! Just thought I'd post an update on my Phil in FWC. It is doing superbly! All the root have growing green tips, one of which is almost a cm in length already!! It is also growing a new leaf and a new bud. Super excited! It def loves its watery environment! Will post a few pictures in a moment.