Crazy orchid (phal)...
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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crazy orchids.....................
Comments (14)Well...mine are all inside...I caved, as I said...hehehe. I just couldn't sleep at night knowing they were out in the cold...no more than I could have left out my cat or parrots. :) My Florida room is still not a Florida room...yet. It presently holds "everything-in-the-free-world"...LOL...plus my 2 parrots, Griffin & Carey Firetail. Eventually, it will house a bar (oh boy-oh boy-oh boy!)...a TV and furniture for pool-partyin'. The man I bought the house from years ago was a woodworker. He had tons of equipment in there as well as extra outlets and tons of large hooks all over the ceiling to hold cords away from the machinery. My Vandas are currently hanging from these hooks. This morning I went down and sprayed them and all the others. Phew!...my hand is cramping...LOL More: and more: And the "Fritters", as I call'm, feel like they're back in the jungle and rain forest...LOL 'Spose it'll be cold again tonight, but nuttin' like I remember while living in PA years ago...UGH!!! Oh...and Miss Marcia...that roaring fire looks to die for!!!...See MorePhal Orchid from Walmart
Comments (7)Your phalie looks like many of the art shade or yellow clones on the market right now. I couldn't tell you the specific grex or clone. All very similar. A lesson to learn is don't buy a sick plant, no matter now cheap it is. It's a waste of time. It might be diseased or rotting. Better to find the healthiest plant you can find in the bunch (in bloom or not). It would be nice to have a label on the plant telling you what exactly it is. But that is the problem with buying plants from big box stores or supermarkets. The grower and distributer don't really care what the plant is either. As long as it is in bloom. Now, depending on where you live, some stores like Lowes carries named orchids. And some Home Depots too. Depends on their suppliers. Again, save your money and find a healthy plant. If you can't find any, just look around, you'll find some bargains elsewhere. But when you really get into growing orchids, go to shows. Many times you can find labeled, known clones for bargain prices. Especially toward the end of the show. Become more selective in what you buy (flower quality). I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but when you've seen as many flowers as I have in my 40 years of growing, you become very selective in what you buy and keep....See MoreOne of my phals in crazy bloom phase
Comments (3)Last but not least, the newbie growing from the base. I've also got a Phal Bellina F3 spiking for the first time in 2 years and a Phal Speciosa spiking for the first time from a seedling. I also have a Phal Carolina Bronze Meteor "Lenette", Phal Joy Fairy Tale Joy, and my oldest orchid P. Wedding Promanade orchid in full bloom....See Morehelp! my gf's phal orchid is dying!
Comments (23)Sean, a belated welcome, A couple of my earlier messages to you haven't posted here. You have my sympathy and empathy with your orchid loss, especially because it was a thoughtful and special gift for your GF, and she's loved it so. You've gone to great lengths to save this plant. Not many folks would have done that. Kudos to you. Dunno if this will help ease the loss for the two of you, but the beloved Phal could have been doomed before you got it because of the no drainage factor. The only retailers who raise orchids to last beyond that one (unnatural) flowering are the smaller commercial orchid growers, and some of those mistreat their plants, so you end up with poor quality too. You're in good company: virtually every orchid hobbyist lost at least a few of their first orchids. After you and your GF have had a chance to talk, & if you decide to get another orchid, I have two suggestions that will increase chances the new orchid will thrive and bloom again (no guarantees, unfortunately - we're talking orchids. :)). First, as Jane said, get Ortho's All About Orchids by Elvin McDonald; Meredith Books, 1999. It's a paperback, and Amazon's got them new for $2.79! Then there's shipping from their vendor, but the book was about $20 @ Home Depot a couple of years ago. The Ortho book's only 96 pages long and has guided tons of folks to success. After the two of you have skimmed through the book... Second suggestion - order a Phal from a grower who sells online. Picking out the new Phal together could help brighten your moods. There are lots of good growers who sell online, and folks here will suggest solid growers, if you decide to go that route. We can also tell you which Phals might be easier than others. One drawback is a new plant may not arrive in spike (have a "stem" maybe long enough to have buds on it already), or in bloom (flowers open). That's because the orchid's environment hasn't been messed with to force it to bloom way out of its natural cycle, like orchids you find in stores, even garden centers. This process could have compromised your orchid's health, too. But, you're in luck - this is the time of year lots of Phals are in spike. I live in Minneapolis, MN and see you're in SE Nebraska. We're geographically challenged in the orchid world. There may be small commercial growers kinda near you or your GF's school, but none that sell online as far as I know. Also, the only show around here where you can buy orchids is in conjunction with the St. Paul Winter Carnival in January, and only a few vendors attend. It's the absolute worst time to buy an orchid cuz of its exposure to cold temps. People in Chicago, S CA, FL, and farther up the E coast live in paradise re: lots of good growers and big shows throughout the year. I'll be thinking about you two. Please let us know how it's going. Whitecat8 Here is a link that might be useful: Ortho's All About Orchids, Amazon.com...See More- 6 years ago
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