Two new phals - We've been bitten by the orchid bug!

[AThoele]

This weekend my husband and I went to Home Depot to buy a few things to continue our attempt to save our phals suffering from root rot and ended up coming home with two more phals! That's three new orchids in the past week! I didn't believe you all when you said orchids were addicting, but apparently we've been sucked in. At least my husband seems to be interested in it as well. He blamed it on me, but he's the one who went over to the orchid section and started pulling plants out! Anyway, I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of our new additions.

I have a couple of questions as well:

One of the plants has several spikes off of the same main spike, a couple of which have no more blooms. Should I cut these off or wait until it finishes blooming and cut the entire spike off at once? Also, how do you end up with several branches off the same spike? Is there something I can do to encourage this in the future?

Also, another has two different spikes at the same time. Does this happen often? Is there a way to encourage this?

Sorry for the long message! I'm such a newbie and really want to learn from all of your experience. You've all been so helpful so far!

[Amanda L]

They are certainly beautiful. I wish my husband would go to the orchids and start pulling some out!! Instead, I get eye rolls and smart remarks!

I'm not sure if there is any way to encourage multiple spikes, or branching from one spike. I think that's just something some of them do. I think some of them are bred to have 2 spikes. I have one that had 2 when I bought it. I'm not sure if I'll get 2 when it spikes again. Just have to wait and see. Give it the proper watering and fertilizer. Make it happy and see if it will give you the branching and the double spikes. Someone with more experience will chime in and help better than I have.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

2 spikes at the same time can happen pretty regularly. The larger or older the Phal the more likely it will happen.

Branching spikes are dependent on the breeding or species.

[WhiteRabbit]

Well of course you got more orchids!
It's impossible to have just one!
Very nice choices!

[Blueszz]

I knew that you would get bitten by the orchid bug! When I read your post I recognize myself, it happens to me all the time!
You made some nice choices!

Be careful, before you know you end up with a plant stand + artificial lights. That's the next step buhahaha....

Nicole

[RosieC]

I agree, imposible to have just one, now you're bitten by the bug

I would cut off the spikes with no flowers or no signs of buds forming, although if you left them they might form new buds eventually.

[mehitabel]

Nice choices. It's terrific that your husband likes them, too. I especially like the mid-pink in picture 4.

I would recommend you read as much as you can about phal culture. Each author repeats a lot of the same principles, with a slightly different tack, which is optimal for learning. A little reading will repay you handsomely in good growth and blooms on your phals.

Here are three good websites for culture notes on growing and blooming phals:

>Canadian Orchid Congress, notes on importance of roots, repotting.

>Bedford Orchids, scroll down the home page. Window and light growing of phals. Importance of repotting, and of light.

>Big Leaf Orchids, notes especially written on spiking and growing phals for new indoor growers.

Branching. As mentioned above, this is the result of particular heredities. I think the ones with branching spikes are the most beautiful.

Double spikes do tend to happen more often on big, mature plants. However, some species impart a multi-spiking tendency to offspring.

Yes, I cut unproductive spikes, too. It's a matter of preference. No hard and fast necessities.

[jkofferdahl]

Branching in Phal spikes isn't something that a grower can or can not encourage. Rather, it's something a Phal is going to do, based on the genetic predisposition endowed by the parent plants, tracing back to the original species.

Two spikes at the same time is dependent upon genetic predisposition as well, though probably a lot more likely than branching in at least some Phals.

In most cases, Phals with a liklihood of branching begin to do so as the plant really matures, or when it's just so healthy and robust that it wants to explode with blooms. Similarly, a Phal is more likely to develop multiple spikes when more mature, but a good, healthy plant can develop multiple spikes when quite young if the conditions are good.