I tried both ways, do YOU cut a spent spike as soon as the last bloom
drops, or do you wait until the spike is all brown and dried-out.

yes

"henry wolf" wrote in message
.. .
I tried both ways, do YOU cut a spent spike as soon as the last bloom
drops, or do you wait until the spike is all brown and dried-out.

LOL!! Yes!

Of course, that's a disingenuous answer. Some phals rebloom or bloom
sequentially from old spikes, others don't. If I'm unsure which kind I'm
dealing with I wait till the spike is dead before I cut it off. I lazy and
don't want to commit the brain cells to learning (and remembering) which is
which, *G*. So I Iet the plant vote.

With ones I *know* do not sequentially bloom I cut the spikes off. I do not
like the appearence of oddly branched spikes and smaller, uglier flowers.
I'm secure enough in my ability to get the plant to rebloom next season, so
I cut it off the old spike as soon as the flowers begin to fade. I don't
even wait for them *all* to fade. Once they start, the spike is gone.

K Barrett

"Pat Brennan" wrote in message
...
yes

"henry wolf" wrote in message
.. .
I tried both ways, do YOU cut a spent spike as soon as the last bloom
drops, or do you wait until the spike is all brown and dried-out.

I'm no expert on this, but I know someone who is, and I've taken his
advice. So, I take mercy on the plant and cut off the spike so the
plant and its roots can go through a growth cycle and recoup energy.
Evidently, putting forth flowers is somewhat akin to being pregnant:
Nobody wants to be that way all the time.


In article , henry wolf
wrote:

I tried both ways, do YOU cut a spent spike as soon as the last bloom
drops, or do you wait until the spike is all brown and dried-out.

Evidently, putting forth flowers is somewhat akin to being pregnant:
Nobody wants to be that way all the time.

Aaarrrgghhh! Ain't that the truth?! Seriously, a lot depends on the health
of the plant. I tend to agree with Kathy; I don't like to overburden the
plant for the sake of a few extra, smaller and less colorful blooms. But
some Phals are so hardy and so inclined to send off keikis that it is hard
to resist. The 'City Girl' crosses come to mind, as they seem to love
pregnancy, and deliver keikis every year in addition to great flowers, so
they give me plants for the semi-annual auctions.

Basic rule of thumb: don't overburden the plant.

Diana

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 22:53:21 GMT, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

Basic rule of thumb: don't overburden the plant.

Diana


Always best to learn this from someone else and not lose the
plant. I had a Phal I did not watch closely enough. Multiple
spikes and in 18 months it bloomed itself dead. I was not
watching the leaves and roots, just enjoying the flowers.

SuE
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