My Phal is better than yours...
 

This post smacks of a newbie... so be it.

I love my new and first orchid.
A great looking Phal with four wonderful leaves,
and as of today 10 flowers with one more bud yet to bloom.

I do have a few questions though.

This plant was purchesed in a crystal vase/pot.
I mean there is no drainage.
Their are tiers or strata of aquarium gravel(about two inches,
then another or black stones(about another inch,
then about four to five inches of moss with the root ball
in it. Because the vase is clear I can easily see where the
water line is. I have watered twice since I got it. Using
tepid distilled water, and have never let the water line
get up as high as any of the roots. I like to
spritz the flowers in the morning.
I also have it in a plate of rocks and water to aid in
the humidity.

This plant is gorgeous and seems to be doing fantastic.
Perhaps because I dote on her, and speak to her
often throughout the day.

But all the web resources I see, say it should have
drainage.
If I'm careful not to let the roots ever stand in water
am I OK until next spring when I repot?

Thanks....Daniel

P.S. My Phal is better then your Phal, my Phal is better than yours...

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Personally, I would stop misting those flowers. Around here, wet flowers
attract botrytis [sp?] fungus, which mars the flowers with black spots.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Daniel" wrote in message
...
This post smacks of a newbie... so be it.

I love my new and first orchid.
A great looking Phal with four wonderful leaves,
and as of today 10 flowers with one more bud yet to bloom.

I do have a few questions though.

This plant was purchesed in a crystal vase/pot.
I mean there is no drainage.
Their are tiers or strata of aquarium gravel(about two inches,
then another or black stones(about another inch,
then about four to five inches of moss with the root ball
in it. Because the vase is clear I can easily see where the
water line is. I have watered twice since I got it. Using
tepid distilled water, and have never let the water line
get up as high as any of the roots. I like to
spritz the flowers in the morning.
I also have it in a plate of rocks and water to aid in
the humidity.

This plant is gorgeous and seems to be doing fantastic.
Perhaps because I dote on her, and speak to her
often throughout the day.

But all the web resources I see, say it should have
drainage.
If I'm careful not to let the roots ever stand in water
am I OK until next spring when I repot?

Thanks....Daniel

P.S. My Phal is better then your Phal, my Phal is better than yours...

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Welcome to the r.g.o and the world of orchids, Daniel.

Please depersonalize the phal a bit. It's a plant, not a daughter or
girlfriend, and to be correct, it's both a "he" and a "she," so "it" is
probably more appropriate.


Thank you. I stand corrected.

Daniel

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Welcome to the r.g.o and the world of orchids, Daniel.

Please depersonalize the phal a bit. It's a plant, not a daughter or
girlfriend, and to be correct, it's both a "he" and a "she," so "it" is
probably more appropriate.


Thank you. I stand corrected.

Daniel

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Ahh...don't take it as a correction, just a friendly jab (before I had my
morning coffee!)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Daniel" wrote in message
...
Welcome to the r.g.o and the world of orchids, Daniel.

Please depersonalize the phal a bit. It's a plant, not a daughter or
girlfriend, and to be correct, it's both a "he" and a "she," so "it" is
probably more appropriate.


Thank you. I stand corrected.

Daniel

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Welcome to the r.g.o and the world of orchids, Daniel.

Please depersonalize the phal a bit. It's a plant, not a daughter or
girlfriend, and to be correct, it's both a "he" and a "she," so "it" is
probably more appropriate.

You will likely also learn with time that it is doing well IN SPITE of your
doting, not because of it, although I must give you lots of credit for
paying attention to the details of watering, as you're right, that's a
terrible setup for long-term success.

Phals are epiphytic, and only have those fleshy leaves as water storage, so
their roots need to be moist but have lots of air flow around them. If the
moss is very compact, or stays wet for a long time, you are likely to
experience root rot. In it's current setup, lightly dampening the moss
every few days, as opposed to soaking it, is probably the way to go. The
reservoir of water under the moss and root system will raise the internal
humidity serve to keep it moist much longer than you may think, so don't use
the top surface as your guide of the moss' moisture content. Some find that
poking a pencil point down into the middle is a good way to check, as the
wood will absorb moisture to show you if it's damp.

While it's generally not a good idea to repot a plant in bloom, risking loss
of the flowers, if you see that the roots are starting to turn brown or
black, I'd suggest repotting right away, as you're likely to lose the whole
plant if you don't. The best time to repot any plant is right when new root
grow is occurring, so after it finished flowering (or several of the
blossoms have faded and dropped), if you see new root growth, go for it
right away. (In truth, phals use one of the least sensitive plants when it
comes to repotting, but why risk it unnecessarily?)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Daniel" wrote in message
...
This post smacks of a newbie... so be it.

I love my new and first orchid.
A great looking Phal with four wonderful leaves,
and as of today 10 flowers with one more bud yet to bloom.

I do have a few questions though.

This plant was purchesed in a crystal vase/pot.
I mean there is no drainage.
Their are tiers or strata of aquarium gravel(about two inches,
then another or black stones(about another inch,
then about four to five inches of moss with the root ball
in it. Because the vase is clear I can easily see where the
water line is. I have watered twice since I got it. Using
tepid distilled water, and have never let the water line
get up as high as any of the roots. I like to
spritz the flowers in the morning.
I also have it in a plate of rocks and water to aid in
the humidity.

This plant is gorgeous and seems to be doing fantastic.
Perhaps because I dote on her, and speak to her
often throughout the day.

But all the web resources I see, say it should have
drainage.
If I'm careful not to let the roots ever stand in water
am I OK until next spring when I repot?

Thanks....Daniel

P.S. My Phal is better then your Phal, my Phal is better than yours...

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Welcome Daniel, your plant sounds terrific! Would love to see a photo if you
can post it
at alt.binaries.pictures.orchids
Seems like it is in a Semi-Hydro system, except for the moss.
Ray is our resident S&H expert here so stick around.
Enjoy your flowers, start saving as you sound like an orchid nut already!
Sorry I can't help with the culture.
--
Cheers Wendy
Remove PETERPAN for email reply


"Daniel" wrote in message
...
This post smacks of a newbie... so be it.

I love my new and first orchid.
A great looking Phal with four wonderful leaves,
and as of today 10 flowers with one more bud yet to bloom.

I do have a few questions though.

This plant was purchesed in a crystal vase/pot.
I mean there is no drainage.
Their are tiers or strata of aquarium gravel(about two inches,
then another or black stones(about another inch,
then about four to five inches of moss with the root ball
in it. Because the vase is clear I can easily see where the
water line is. I have watered twice since I got it. Using
tepid distilled water, and have never let the water line
get up as high as any of the roots. I like to
spritz the flowers in the morning.
I also have it in a plate of rocks and water to aid in
the humidity.

This plant is gorgeous and seems to be doing fantastic.
Perhaps because I dote on her, and speak to her
often throughout the day.

But all the web resources I see, say it should have
drainage.
If I'm careful not to let the roots ever stand in water
am I OK until next spring when I repot?

Thanks....Daniel

P.S. My Phal is better then your Phal, my Phal is better than yours...

My Phal is better than yours...
 

I have been thinking how those of us who have only a few or only one orchid
are much more likely to personalize our orchids than those who have a
greenhouse full of them. Similar to how a farmer will be less likely to
personalize animals than someone who has just one pet.

I would think that some personification is a harmless part of the excitement
of having a new plant. Though it can be dangerous if taken too far -- if one
were to neglect ones family while caring for ones orchids, let's say. I must
admit that all my orchids have nicknames, and I do sometimes talk to them
"Hello, my beauties" and such comments. On the other hand, I thought that a
colleague of mine overdid it when he accused me of not having sufficient
maternal instincts, upon learning that the one orchid that I have grown from
keiki-hood is not my favorite -- though I am fond of it too. (He had asked
me the trick question "If you only could keep one, would it be the one you
grew from keiki yourself?" And I said, "No, since the older ones are more
impressive.")

Using "she" for an orchid in English is a form of personification, though I
think harmless enough (I have been doing it a lot I admit). Interestingly in
other languages where all nouns have gender, using he or she may be more
appropriate for orchid. For example, in Polish there are two synonymous
words for orchid. "Orchidea" is female, and so if one uses this word one
would say she. Whereas "storczyk" is a masculine noun for orchid. In German
the words for orchid, flower and plant are female, but the word for girl is
neutral!

Joanna

"Ray" wrote in message
...
It's a plant, not a daughter or
girlfriend, and to be correct, it's both a "he" and a "she," so "it" is
probably more appropriate.

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Welcome, Daniel.

Though Ray is correct about gender and bias theretowards, I confess that
some of my plants simply seem more feminine (or masculine) than others.
Most of the Phals are quite ladylike, as are yellow Oncidiums with their
little tutus, while Bifrenaria harrisoniana is really macho.

VBS

Diana

My Phal is better than yours...
 

Daniel, I'm new to orchids too and that's an interesting medium.
You've heard some good advice. Watch your watering and roots like they
say and maybe after it's done flowering go for the traditional spraghum
moss. It's easier to tell when to water as to when it looks dry. I
poke down into the medium to see the dampness down inside. Good
luck......Burr