Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
orchidnick

Phaelanopsis experiment

orchidnick
9 years ago

I have a few Phaelanopsis species mounted, gigantea, schilleriuana for example, that grow well. The other, routine hybrids we usually talk about, linger in a corner and struggle to stay alive. They do grow and bloom but after listening to an expert like George Vasquez, I realize they could do much better.

I have 3 daughters and a daughter in law who like to decorate their homes with them so I asked George to bring me a bunch of unbloomed plants. For $5.00 each, how can you loose. He did and I decided to make a little experiment. Since I am not willing to change my growing conditions for them, I mounted/potted them up in 8 different ways and will observe for a year to see which truly works best in my greenhouse.

Starting points are healthy robust Phaelies, with tags, in 4" pots in moss. I normally don't do well with them in moss but after listening to George, I will try again. The trick is to water sparingly once a week. I have to handcuff my hands behind my back but will do it this time.

Here are some of the ones in moss.

Nick

Comments (104)

  • petrushka (7b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    well, i was thinking about all this awhile and here're my questions:
    some stuff works best when used in semi-hydro, like lava rock, coco chips, marbles and even shredded rubber.
    i rooted ZZ plants (succulents usually grown very dry - produced tubers and great roots!) in marbles in semi-hydro. what happens is when there is a 1-2" of water on the bottom the humidity BETWEEN the marbles is high - roots love it! but there is no water at all between the marbles! but unless you have that 1" of water in the bottom - it won't work. unless you drench very often to supply enough moisture.

    lava rock is inert but organic in my view and it absorbs water while rubber and marbles don't.. so you can soak it and it will release water/vapor slowly and create higher humidity for roots between lava nuggets.
    coco-chips are more similar to lava rock then to bark, i think, because they are easy to wet and release moisture faster then bark.
    i think lava rock and coco-chips and plain bark are more similar in wetting process - need to be soaked to be useful, UNLESS they are mixed with smth easily wettable like LF sphag (provided it's not dry of course ;).
    what i am getting at is watering methodology - it probably should be different based on media. these pots need to watered in diff ways, not all the same. what are your thoughts on that?
    also you don't mention fertilization. clearly sphag being organic will release some nutes, whereas marbles/rubber will have to be fed 100%. coco-chips need some extra calcium and pure bark needs extra nitrogen.
    so what were you planning to do with ferts? differentiate or not?
    and at last i'd like to have some idea of your temps day/nite and humidity levels day/nite. at least approx, let's say weekly avg?
    you can get very extensive data on var. meteorological sites . wunderground is one of the best - they have complete historical data, in case you don't keep notes.
    however, your particular location micro-climate might be different from general weather station readings.
    so it would be helpful to get some climate data at least when there are significant fluctuations. because naturally diff media will be more/less beneficial in diff conditions.
    your being in ca will be significantly different from smbody in fl or mid-west or north-east. so to apply your results for other locations we need to have an idea of environmental growing conditions too.
    i know it's too much to ask, but may be some rough notes at least?

  • arthurm
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Petrushka,
    The experiment has some relevance (I suppose) but it is all related to the growing conditions that NIck can provide.
    In the growing conditions that I provide for my small collection of Phals, Coconut chunks were a disaster.

    Apart from Data from met. offices you have to take into account the micro climate of your growing spots.

    You are asking Nick to do proper scientific trials where he would have to have bigger number for each type of mix and method and ensure that all the plants were at the same level in the glass-house and so on.
    and and keep meticulous records of sunlight, humidity, temperatures. light levels, Ph of the mix and so on ...eeeck.

  • jane__ny
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rubber in Florida would burn the roots. Gets too hot as does any type of plastic.

    Nick, how big is your growing area??? How the heck can you have so many plants? Does your greenhouses cover an acre??

    I am amazed how much room you have. Starting to think you live in a 10x12 room and the rest of your house is plants :))

    Jane

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Actually I sleep under one of the benches. I have a corner lot which is large. Warm and cold greenhouses are both about 360 square feet. Both are only 75% full. The warm greenhouse has many Cattleyas in it which can be kicked out and live outside if more room is needed. The lath house (under shade cloth with no other protection) is also about 400 square feet. Also 75% full but the Dendrobium speciosums are taking up more and more space.

    Petrushka, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I'll try to address some of them. The plants are sitting in 3 groups on the bench. Weekly drenching, biweekly drenching and weekly very little water for the tightly packed SM. All the mounted ones and the one in large rocks and the 'Pot in a Pot' one get watered daily.

    20-10-20 Grow More is the fertilizer which will be given on days when the weekly and biweekly ones get watered. The rest of the time there will be no fertilizer.

    Temp is kept below 90F by a swap cooler at this time. By November it will be time to heat. 70F during the day and 60F at night is the setting of the dual thermostat. This seems to work as the Phaelies I am growing bloomed satisfactorily. Light is the same for all of them, probably more than Phaelies need.

    Some are out of the loop like the one in water, the one with the wire through the root-ball and nothing else will have a message. If it grows as well as the ones mounted on 6 different tings, that should be noted.

    My goal is not to provide optimal conditions for 35 different plants, the entire point of this exercise would be lost. The aim is to have as many plants as possible under similar conditions and then see which one does best.

    I talked to George Vasquez about this as I ordered 5 more plants, let's just say he was amused. In the end this may prove very little as we each have different growing conditions and have by now figured out how to grow them. Arthur is a good example, I doubt that anything here will alter his culture.

    I hope the one in Horse Manure will bloom, it will go to my daughter in Orange County. I don;t know if they allow horsey doo in Orange County but I won't tell her about it until afterwards. Right now the run-off is brown, horse tea to be exact, within a couple of weeks that will stop and it will have clean run-off. I have grown in HM before, it actually works well.

    Different atmospheric conditions are a moot point as what I described above is what it is and will not be changed. The plants usually adapt (or not).

    Nick

  • shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Very interesting. Thank you Nick! Arthur makes some good points. To be perfect a lot more plants would be needed to rule in and out harm and benefit. But due to Nicks many years of orchid experience the data improves. Also, some of Nicks training in academia describes and teaches about blind studies. This is an antidotal study, not absolute of best practices on growing phals. But due to Nicks experience and background I'm confident that although this can't be completely absolute, the results could be very influential. At least for me.

    Thanks for the effort Nick and I will be following your comments.

  • petrushka (7b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    i wasn't suggesting keeping actual detailed notes - as of course that would be very time consuming.
    i just did not know nick's actual growing conditions as well as some of you. and i thought it would be nice to document them here in the same thread.
    i understand now better what nick is doing. i think it's great.
    but i am also already thinking how this could be applied to other locales.
    often data about 'not a good thing to do' is just as useful if not more useful!
    and i am particularly interested in any mix with sphag in it and how diff ingredients will influence the growth.

  • saldut
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is fantastic! I found I have more troubles w/Phalies than anything else, and lost a lot, all I pay is $5. but it can add up... what works for me now, is to pull out that packed moss, leave just a bit in the middle, add some Styrofoam in the bottom and some bark.. it seems to work best to keep it open... now mine are living and actually growing well, out on the front porch w/good light.... I'm really anxious to see your results it's going to be very enlightening...thanks....LOL, sally

  • James _J
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I never thought I'd see an interesting thread on Phals.

    My guess is that you will have good results with almost all of these. First because you are watering differently depending on the media and potting situation. Second because you are starting with healthy plants. Third because you are setting them up and then leaving them alone.

    I don't think the rubber mulch will work. I read somewhere that the rubber, which comes from old car tires, contains some zinc which will leach out over time. I've seen orchid roots attach to everything except metal.
    I also have my doubts about the water culture one. The hurdle is getting the plant to survive the transition.

    My favorite phal mix is PET fiber cubes mixed with bark. The PET isn't solid and holds some moisture so it keeps air pockets in the mix as the bark breaks down around it and provides some moisture between watering.

    A few days ago i bought 2 mop heads, one regular cotton strands and one with synthetic strands. I've cut pieces and added it to bark and tried wrapping a strand around the inside of a pot, filling the center with bark. I left a few inches poking out of the drainage whole to wick water into the mix.

    My request is for you to try cotton somehow, Mop head, cut up blue jeans, old socks?

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I remember cut up women's nylon stockings were used once. PET cubes mixed 50/50 with bark might be worth a try. A mop is another thought, I'm going to have to get a few more plants!!

    Nick

  • petrushka (7b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    i use 1/4 " braided nylon rope with polyprop from HD for water wicks, but usually for larger plants. it does not rot.
    it'll last for a year easily.
    cotton would rot. you could use acrylic yarn - 2 or 4 ply (2 or 4 threads twisted) - that is how african violets are wicked.
    acrylic works for smaller pots up to 4-5".
    but the mix ratio that is recommended for wicking usually contains 40-50% perlite and at least 30% peat.
    in my experience bark does not wick, but can be used up to a 3rd of the mix. and it should be on a smaller side.
    i actually wick my orchids provided they are in very good light/sun when i cannot attend them for many weeks while away.
    since i usually have more then 1/3rd bark for orchids i aid wicking by lining the pot with cocofiber matting (you called it webbing), sides and bottom and running the wick on a circle on the bottom and up the side on a curve sideways to the top to allow max contact with matting.
    wick drops into a water reservoir with liquid feed - so it's semi-hydro in effect.
    the bark though dries up on top rather fast. it helps to put some webbing on the surface as mulch - air is not blocked but evaporation is reduced.

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Got a few more plants and potted them up. After posting this I'm definitely going to rest even though it is not the 7th day. Don't want to pot up another Phaelie for at least 3 months.

    Plant #23 50/50 charcoal/moss only has 3 leaves, I replaced it so that all plants now have an identical starting point.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #34 Acrylic (I think) mop. Feels soft like cotton but I don't think they use cotton for anything any more. My daughter's mop is now not nearly as big as it was 24 hours ago, let's see if her house keeper notices it.l

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #35 Swamp cooler matting. An fiberglass/nylon webbing which can be shredded and would make an excellent eternal
    Spagnum Moss if it works.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #36 50/50 bark/PET cubes.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #37 Large (3/4" plus) lava rock.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #38 50/50 large lava rock/moss.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #39 Pine bark. It is different enough from Orchiata that I thought it deserved a spot.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #40 50/50 pine bark/moss

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #41 Shredded rubber. It retains no moisture and has enough airspace that I'm tempted to water it daily. Will have to see how wet it is tomorrow.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    #42 Crushed tempered glass. Retains no moisture but is fairly compact, I think it will stay quite moist in the middle and am planning on watering twice a week or even only once a week.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is the final list. There will be no further changes until there is peace in the Middle East which of course won't happen in our life time.

    1) 4" moss tightly packed, the original, untouched
    2) Up-potted to 5", moss tightly packed
    3) Up-potted to 5" moss loosely packed
    4) Orchiata bark with a little lava rock
    5) Lava rock
    6) Coconut choir
    7) Redwood fiber, 'Gorilla Hair'
    8) Hygroton
    9) Hygroton, semi hydroponic
    10) Osmunda
    11) PET cubes
    12) Aquaculture bio-discs
    13) Rock wool like substance
    14) Coconut matting, shredded
    15) Aussie Gold
    16) A few large rocks
    17) Pot in a Pot concept
    18) Marbles
    19) Horse Manure
    20) Charcoal
    21) 50/50 bark/moss
    22) 50/50 coconut/moss
    23) 50/50 lava rock/moss
    24) 50/50 charcoal/moss
    25) Empty wooden basket
    26) Empty plastic Vanda basket
    27) Hanging net pot with bark
    28) Basket with green moss
    29) Mounted on branch
    30) Mounted on shallow wooden basket, no moss
    31) Mounted on shallow wood basket, with moss
    32) Wire through root ball, no media or any other substance
    33) Water only
    34) Mop
    35) Swamp cooler matting
    36) 50/50 bark/PET cubes
    37) Large lava rock
    38) 50/50 large lava rock/moss
    39) Pine bark
    40) 50/50 pine bark/moss
    41) Shredded rubber
    42) Crushed tempered glass

    Originally I just wanted to compare the SM to bark as I don't do well with SM, how did I end up with this monstrosity? Special attention will be given to the one in horse manure as I definitely want to place that one on my daughter's kitchen island when it blooms.

    Nick

  • petrushka (7b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oh, h-mm, my guess you are not telling her what's in that pot!?
    this is very-very impressive. and pretty mind boggling ;).
    i take it no vacations for you?

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have some one who can water, only problem is that he'll drench everything.

    I will tell her what's in the pot after it finishes blooming and I take it back. Uptight, button down, conservative Orange County may never be the same.

    My biggest problem is to guess how much moisture is retained in certain pots thus determining the required watering interval. I may have to unpot a few to see how wet the interior is.

    Actually James Rose from Cal Orchids gave to answer to all of the above. I bought some plants from him and asked whim what I should pot them in. 'Anything you want' he said, 'it ALL Works as long as you water correctly for the situation.' That's what will be my challenge in the next 2 weeks, determining how often some of these plants should be watered. The fact that it gets close to 100F with very low humidity does not help.

    Nick

  • shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dont unpot. Just take a pot in question and fill a pot with that same medium and no orchid. Side by side. Or several the same then you could unpot them at different intervals to check the moisture.

  • velvetCrochet
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You could also try a watering alarm (like this one: http://www.adafruit.com/product/1965). You set the 'dry point' on the monitor and whenever the soil gets to that dryness again it will chirp, letting you know it's time to water again.

    Can't wait to see the results of this experiment!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Chirp! Plant Watering Alarm

  • ReptileAddiction
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, that is a lot of plants! I can see almost all of them working as long as you water them correctly. I do not see the one in the water coming through the transition phase though.

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is a little update. All, except one, are doing Ok. sort of in a holding pattern. Some root activity beginning to appear. #13, the one in the insulation mush I though resembled rock wool, turned one leaf yellow. As I tried to pull it off, all the leaves fell off, the entire plant had rotted out in a very short time. I kept that one fairly dry with minimal watering as it did not seem to dry out. Oh well, scratch that one.

    The one in water (#33) had a change in the water which turned brown and yucky. I changed to water today and pulled the dead part of most of the roots in water. That was the source of the water discoloration as most of these roots rotted. But not all of them, a couple survived and there are 4 green nubbins where new roots are forming. This is all under water, the above water roots are inactive. You can see some of the above water roots on the right lower corner of the picture. I have the plant sticking out of the water by about 3/4", that's where these roots are from. The water plant seems well on it's way to adapt.

    Everything in the picture except the lower right corner has been under water since the beginning.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The plant growing on nothing, or in air, #32 seems to be at a similar stage. It has 2 nubbins of new root formation about the same size as the underwater plant. Most of the other bare root ones show similar development. This is a picture of the one mounted on branch without moss, #29.

    Nick

  • janartmuse
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Whoa! What a lot of trouble! I am amazed. it DOES sound like fun. i take it you have a greenhouse? Some of those things, like growing on nothing would not work in a regular house, especially once the heat comes on in winter. You didn't mention Perlite, did you? I have always wondered if it would be a good growing medium. A couple of my plants are in a 50/50 perlite, small bark mix (lycaste, oncidium).

    How about Leggo blocks? That just for everyone's amusement.....

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    100% Perlite would have been a good idea. If I get hold of another plant, I'll put it in it. I didn't do Lego blocks but I did marbles. Styrofoam peanuts would be another one but in reality all of these are basicaly bare-root growing as there is no real benefit of the media.

    I'm doing this for 2 basic reasons. One, I have too much time on my hand and like to mess with things. Second, I'm not really interested in growing hybrid Phaelies but have 3 daughters and a daughter in law who can't get enough of them for their homes. It's for them I'm growing these things.

    I've also become a rescue station for bloomed out HD or TJ Phaelies, my internist's office, a friend and a couple of relatives send me bloomed out Phaelies all the time. About 50% have deteriorated, black roots but quite a few are worth saving. I have a lot of room but soon will reach the point where I won't want any more of these. Then those poor things will have to be discarded which is what their growers in Taiwan intended all along. Buy them for cheap, toss them in the trash after bloom and buy more. Disgusting.

    Nick

  • garyfla_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi
    I grow almost all my phals mounted mostly on trees but some on cork and tree fern
    Wife brought home a miniature phal so I tried an experiment ,attached to cork but upside down supposedly to increase drainage . Has grown two new leaves both right side up ,also reflowered with stems upside down but flower is right side up lol Also added a bit of sphag to increase moisture roots are growing in the opposite direction lol Worth a shot ?? lol gary

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In nature they grow somewhat pendulous so there will never be water accumulation in the crown leaf. I have a few mounted upside down, they like it. The flower spikes start out heading down but quickly make a u-turn and then go straight up in the usual way.

    In my opinion, my mounted Phaelies grow best for me but that does not work when my daughters want to display them in their homes. It is for them that I grow them in pots. If you look at the list of the different methods, #16 and #17 are essentially bare-root. In other words mounted on pots. That also works well for me and they can sit on a dining room table.

    Nick

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The one in water continues doing just as well as the others. Way too early to pass any judgement but other than the one immediate and total failure, all seem to be thriving. The one whose roots are totally immersed in water has completely rotted out all of the old roots, nothing left of them but it's actively making new roots, under water and not only maintaining it's leaves but also making a new leaf just about in lockstep with the others..

    Tomorrow, I guess today, I'm giving a series of 'Orchid 101' lectures at our fall show. I'll take the one in water and the one in air and show the newbies examples of how adaptive these plants are. But how do you explain the one in water after making such a big deal out of the necessity of getting air to the roots and not over watering? That one is a stretch, I hope they don't ask me embarrassing questions.

    Nick

  • janartmuse
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am amazed the one in water is doing ok! Truly amazed! All my best! J

  • philpet
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok so now I am really amazed. I have always heard don't over water.so how does that not equal to be grown in water??.would the logic be that grown in water equals water roots, thus these roots would not survive in media?and then grown in media would not adjust to water, which would make sense as stated the old roots rotted and new roots are developing.so my logic tells me new roots would have to develope in any given situation for the plant to adjust thus thriving. Goes to show plants are much more adaptable than we could ever imagine, they have a drive to survive and thus modify themselves to survive.Amazing.Velleta

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have done this before so I know what to expect., The old roots, which were used to SM, disappeared and new roots, used to being submerged, in water are forming right now. There are 5 of them, one over 1" long. One year from now there will be a gaggle of roots under water equal to what you'd expect if the plant were growing in moss. If at that point you take the plant out of water and start growing it in moss or bark, the water roots will completely deteriorate and new roots will form which will be used to the new media.

    The plant simply produces roots suitable for the environment it is in. What I don't understand is why this process does not happen if you over water a plant in tightly packed moss. If you over water that one, all of it's toots will die. So far similar to the water grown one. But now there is a divergence as no new roots suitable for the new situation develop and instead the plant dies.

    Must relate to some chemical process inside the SM.

    Nick

  • westoh Z6
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nick,

    Interesting observation.

    Is it possible the spagh gets extremely tight because the roots have grown and pushed everything tighter? So tight that new roots can't push through so the plant just dies along with the old roots?

    Chemical process does make sense too.

    Just some thoughts..

    Bob

    This post was edited by westoh on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 6:39

  • philpet
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Or could it be that the plant is in two different situation at the same time? Media plus water, so it is confused as to which it should grow roots for? Thus it does nothing and the roots die.leading to the entire plant dying?just trying to figure it out.Velleta

  • allymarie
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are a few videos on You Tube about growing phals in water.They seem to adapt very well and even bloom beautifully.

    Allymarie

  • badanobada
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Nick,

    Blast from the past if you remember me- me and my old friend eva use to visit you and the chids years ago when you lived (perhaps still do) in south bay...

    Great experiment, albeit a little too fun!

    I believe there has been criticism for SM over the years to be too acidic but it's exactly the acidity that also keeps certain bacteria and such at bay. But because it is dead, sm after excessive amount of watering does lose it's acidity as it breaks down, acquiring a different sort of acidity, ie the kind of breakdown of carbon does, which allows flourishing of other bacteria, ie rot.

    Growing a plant in full water is different in that there's no breakdown of organic materials, or air pockets in organic materials that can harbor bacterial growth (aerobic anyway)... so I'm thinking it's possible for roots to grow itself accordingly and adapt without threat of bacteria/etc.

    In nature I also then guess that exposed roots is more what the plant genetically can handle, with any certain percentage buried in leaf litter, bark, etc... so it's more able to handle a certain amount exposed than completely covered (like in moss drenched)... especially than compared to terrestrial plants.

    Anyway, that's my musing, whether useful or not, on this thread... for now anyway.

    Looking forward to seeing what you find...

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Badalotus, is that not what you called yourself then? Nice to hear from you. You are so right, if the SM is handled right it can last 5 years but most of us don't handle it right.

    The plants are beginning to make their pleasure, or displeasure known. The one in water made a new leaf and is now starting the next new leaf. This means it's finished with the previous new leaf which was a grand total of 2" long. Should have been 8". My grade on the report card then is a D-, which is better than an F. It's alive and we'll see how much the leaf length increases as time goes by. Some have new leaves 1/2 the size of the last one others are doing better. It's early, next spring will tell.

    I'm living in Lakewood now and am mostly interested in cloud forest plants, going to San Francisco tomorrow for the Pleurothallis Alliance meeting which is taking place at the Hawk Hills greenhouse in Pacfica. I know I'll survive the trip, my bank account on the other hand, will be on life support after John Leathers unloads his latest crosses on me. How can one say no to such a deal!

    Nick

  • badanobada
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cloud forest epiphytes? wow all the way from bulbos... the warm wet growing bulbos... weren't u growing a bulbo phalaenopsis? or some other monstrosity? well, there are cooler growing bulbos too from cloud forests... yeah, the cloud dwellers had been the bane of my existence in years past but i was living in balmy santa monica... pleuros were coming out of the walls... do you get some coastal breezes coming through lakewood? I certainly don't in hollywood, but I do live in hills, so a tad cooler...

    good luck with the meeting... just reading he grows masdies in firbark... never heard that before... and treat yourself to a trichosalpinx of some sort, such an easy pleasure every one of those I've grown.

    Back to phals, I'm always amazed at how dry they can grow, meaning humidity wise, and still bloom year after year. My humidity levels are in the 20's and I don't bother to put even humidity trays for the few I have... maybe these GMO's may not be a fair assessment for growing medias... lol.

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Massive application of machinery and money is making it happen. I have a 380 sq foot cold greenhouse with 2 swamp coolers, a humidifier and of course an RO system. Draculas would not thrive otherwise. It never exceeded 80F all summer and I push it down to 55F at night. The Bulbos are alive and well in the warm greenhouse. The Mexican hurricane gave me a scare but it proved to be no problem.

    The main interest on the warm side remain the Bulbos. There was a guy named Bryant who was also into the macrobulbos, are you still in touch with him?

    Nick

  • nuts2
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! you have had some great ideas here - anything to do with the medicine I wonder! I just flowered my first one in about 15 yrs - all the rest gone to that big greenhouse in the sky. Look forward to seeing the results in due course. Just watch the ones in moss or getting too wet - this seems to have been my problem for 15 yrs!

  • charles1979
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nick I have 10 Phals, and 8 of them are growing on bark with clay pots and the other 2 are just left alone in it's root ball with moss (see pic). I have been growing the bark ones for about 3 months now, and new healthy roots have grown and leaves but not as many leaves as yours. Ironically the 2 phals that were left alone in its root ball are more recent (1 month since the last flowers fell off), and on one of them there is a spike growing already off a node (will upload pic next). So I am kind of doing my own experiment as well, but not as amazing as yours. Let me tell you that ALL of your plants look great, the leaves look amazing, abundant and healthy. Good luck to you and I hope you have a fantastic, colorful collection of orchids soon amigo.

  • charles1979
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    New spike.. will keep you posted on any changes. Nick, do you have any suggestions as far as growing more leaves?

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good culture is the only suggestions for growing new leaves. I don't encourage secondary spikes, they usually are sub-par. I break the main spike off at the base and am done with it.

    Nick

  • badanobada
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    charles, looks like your spike may have scale on it, you might want to check plants and get them off...

    Nick, i can't get over the marbles...

    I personally love seeing phals mounted, their roots are sooo cool when you can see them... really one of the things I love about orchids is how you can enjoy seeing the roots!

  • bea (zone 9a -Jax area)
    8 years ago

    Nick here is the original post

  • orchidnick
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    I just wanted it available for new members so they know what I'm talking about in the other blurb.

    Nick


0
Sponsored
Virginia Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars150 Reviews
Virginia's Award Winning One Stop Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Resource