newbie phal questions
 

hi,
i am new to the hobby and got my first phal in early september.
since then all the buds have dropped off and now the remaining flowers are
starting to wilt and fall. but in the meantime it has grown in height and
leaves have grown bigger.
is there a problem with the way i am caring for it?

also, can someone recommend me a good comprehensive website or guide i can
refer to?

thanks
fab

newbie phal questions
 

sounds like you're doing fine with it; the flowers last only so long.

have you looked at

http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?S...ContentID=3373


http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?S...CONTENTID=3705

?

--j_a

newbie phal questions
 

The first order of business is always to NOT kill it. :-)
Don't make the common beginner mistake and take such "good" care of it
that you never let it get a little dry. If you keep adding water at the
first sign of drying out, the roots will eventually rot off and you'll
have a hard time saving it.
Also don't take extra "good" care of it and move it to a bigger pot. If
the pot is too big, it takes forever to dry out and, again, the result
will be dead roots. (If you over compensate and keep it too dry, it will
grow poorly but it isn't likely to die.)
About the dropping buds... it's common for them to drop buds when the
conditions change suddenly. Your plant probably went from a greenhouse
to a store then to your house. Grow it well and when it blooms the next
time, the flowers will all open and last for months. They don't need
high light as some orchids do but people sometimes take that to mean
very dim light, as some house plants can survive in. Again, that won't
kill it but it won't flower either.

Steve


fab. wrote:
hi,
i am new to the hobby and got my first phal in early september.
since then all the buds have dropped off and now the remaining flowers are
starting to wilt and fall. but in the meantime it has grown in height and
leaves have grown bigger.
is there a problem with the way i am caring for it?

also, can someone recommend me a good comprehensive website or guide i can
refer to?

thanks
fab

newbie phal questions
 

thanks for answering...i managed to read some articles and the blooms
dropping off is quite normal. so i won't freak out anymore ;)
jankey thanks for the links, i will look at them.
steve, thanks for the info and reassurances. i'm definitely one of those
"too good" beginners, so too miuch watering is not a problem!

and now to learn about pruning...

thanks again
fab


"fab." ha scritto nel messaggio
...
hi,
i am new to the hobby and got my first phal in early september.
since then all the buds have dropped off and now the remaining flowers are
starting to wilt and fall. but in the meantime it has grown in height and
leaves have grown bigger.
is there a problem with the way i am caring for it?

also, can someone recommend me a good comprehensive website or guide i can
refer to?

thanks
fab