Cut the rest of the spike?
Ken B Zone 7
2 years ago
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Ken B Zone 7
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Didn't cut spike after flowering... now what?
Comments (3)You will not get a positive Yes or No cut the spike off at the base because it is a depends situation. If i am on sales table duty at an orchid society show i might tell you to cut the spike down to a node on a standard type Phalaenopsis if i sensed you were not an orchid grower and were just buying a plant as a cheap bunch of flowers. You should not cut the spike on some of species Phalaenopsis such as Phal.violacea or on primary hybrids with violacea as a parent. One specialist grower of Phals cuts the spikes off at the base at the end of the show season here (Mid October) but by then his show plants had been out for several months had been to three of four shows and he figures that the plants need a rest and will in any case initiate new flowering spikes the following late autumn. Passing on giving advice re. growing in Norway. Though at least those night temperatures are sensible. Going back to the FAQ. Here is a picture of said orchid in the link. It is a tiny little thing that decides to bloom each summer so if you have enough Phalaenopsis you will be able to have some in bloom at most times during the year. In other words not all are stimulated to bloom by the cool down in Autumn. I have had the plant for at least six years and every year the routine is the same. Late October, initiate new spike January Flower Late March cut Spike down to base and so on. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse further. Also seek out complete cultivation notes re. Phals on google. Especially those that relate to growing in climates with very cold winters. Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid mentioned in FAQ...See MoreCut Phal Spike In Water! Let's See What Happens!!
Comments (1)Keep in mind that producing keikeis is very energy intensive and stressful for the mother plant. Since the plant is already stressed from its ordeal, you may want to try again later once the plant has fully recovered. I'd wait until it blooms again and put out more roots. The "Mother" plant should be of some size and be in top health....See MoreHoly Smokes, cut phal spike in water = keiki
Comments (27)Hi! ^ ^ I think it could be of use to someone if I type out my experience. Perhaps a collection of experiences will lead to some form of conclusion of the hypothesis about lighting etc. It began when one of my two orchids had a nasty little pussy cat tip over it's pot. The orchid's spike severed completely off. Since my orchids both bloom at the same time I cut the spike off the other orchid. Of both the spikes, the yellow had 2 blooms (1 bud spike was 6 inches long). The purple had 8 buds (one bloom spike was 10 inches long) which is the one the cat had tipped over. I will also note that I put the purple stem immediately into water since I had heard the plant crash. I have had both spikes into a clear glass vase (about 1-1.5 cup of water) in a pitch black game room except light from the teli and monitors. To be more specific the vase is in the shadow of the "light". The temp is always around 78 degrees fahrenheit. I enjoyed the blooms for a couple of weeks and the large bloomed ones finally started to look fatigued so I pinched those off (about 4-5). The rest dropped off by themselves. I totally forgot about these stems/spikes. Here is where it gets interesting, about 2-3 month later I was dusting and cleaning up the "mess" at the sink when I noticed the yellow spike was still green at the end, the purple was brown so I cut it under water to a healthy green looking point. I had decided regardless of the various postings on the intraweb saying that a spike couldn't grow roots I would still let these two try. It now has been 5 months, the yellow has a small root growing at the end, the purple is still green. They are in the pitch black room, I change the water sporadically from every 4 days to 3 weeks with tepid from faucet. Basically when I remember the poor babies but more so at the beginning than now (which changes now I see a little root). I will also mention I was using the cities icky chlorinated fluoride injected tap water, I will now change to bottled water and watch the results....See MoreCutting flower spikes of to get a Phal some rest
Comments (1)Here is a link to a link to a link on the eternal question. Till someone runs trials the question of the rest is that, just a question. Read the past posts, then you have to make a decision. Here is a link that might be useful: Some previous discussions...See Morejane__ny
2 years agoBillsc
2 years agojane__ny
2 years agoKen B Zone 7
2 years agoKen B Zone 7
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