Does Paph. delenatii Spike Need Staking?
 

My one and only Paph. is in bud and I'm a little nervous about seeing it through to flower. It's Paph. delenatii. How tall will the spike get, and will I need to stake it? My spike appears to have two buds. Here are a couple of pics. I feel like an expectant mom! :blushing:

They don't usually need staking since it tends to have a wiry and strong stem. Mine usually produces 7-9 inch tall spikes. How do you grow yours...under lights?

Congratulations! My Paph. delenatii isn't doing a thing, actually it may be the one that lost most of it's leaves and it is recovering. A few of my Paph's are sending out new fans or leaves, so I guess I will be happy with that. What are your growing conditions for yours?

Thanks Barbara. I'm growing it in a south facing bay window on the top shelf of my grow rack. It's in the back furthest away from the window behind the phals. I'm supplementing with a T5 fl.

Becca, I'm not doing anything special to it. I'm growing it just like my phals. The only difference is it gets a mid week water. Hey new growths are good. :)

Terri, if you decide to stake it...a word of warning...
be v-e-r-y careful! Last year, after waiting oh-so-long for one of my paphs to rebloom, I watched the spike growing day by day and decided to "help" it by staking it. I thought I was being careful but guess I was w-r-o-n-g because next thing I knew, I was holding the bud in my hand! :(

Don't worry Sue! I read your tale of woe a few weeks ago. That's what prompted me to ask this question. If it doesn't need to be staked I'm not touching it! :shock:

Good!...'cause I get a shiver up my spine just thinking about it! :faint:

I guess I am of the school to stake everything that has a spike over 6". The secret is to get the stake in right now and use the little dragonfly (or butterfly) clips while the spike is still soft. I'm not trying to say to stake it, but if you so-choose, do it early. I stake just about all my orchid spikes (just me).

Good idea...and I've also been told that you shouldn't manipulate any spikes early in the day when it's colder out. They're more forgiving when they're warm.

That being said...I will never again try to stake a Paph...too many bad memories ;)

My vote is to not stake it.......The stems should be quite capable of holding the flower erect and messing with the plant often ends up in disaster. I generally don't stake unless I intend to show the plant or if the inflorescence is quite long. (over 15 inches or so)