On 2014-08-23 11:31:26 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

I bought one of these some time ago and it has bloomed from around
March until a week ago, when the flowers started to wither and drop
off. Pretty good value, I'd say. BUT having transferred it to the
'hospital' window in the kitchen, I glanced at it the other day,
wondering if the stem was dying back, To my surprise and pleasure, one
withered flower was still clinging on but further up exactly the same
stem, new buds are forming. I've never seen this happen before on any
of my other Phals.

Quite normal. It's why you should never cut the flower stem off a Phal
unless it goes brown and dead. The show experts use this trait to
enable them to produce lots of flowers by changing the temperature at
which the plant is kept so extending the flower spike a number of
times. You may find the spike branches onto a number of extended spikes
before flowering, I think that is when they are at their most beautiful.

Thanks, Bob. I've only had the 'shrivel up' experience with the stems.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"Sacha" wrote

Bob Hobden said:

"Sacha" wrote

I bought one of these some time ago and it has bloomed from around March
until a week ago, when the flowers started to wither and drop off.
Pretty good value, I'd say. BUT having transferred it to the 'hospital'
window in the kitchen, I glanced at it the other day, wondering if the
stem was dying back, To my surprise and pleasure, one withered flower
was still clinging on but further up exactly the same stem, new buds are
forming. I've never seen this happen before on any of my other Phals.

Quite normal. It's why you should never cut the flower stem off a Phal
unless it goes brown and dead. The show experts use this trait to enable
them to produce lots of flowers by changing the temperature at which the
plant is kept so extending the flower spike a number of times. You may
find the spike branches onto a number of extended spikes before
flowering, I think that is when they are at their most beautiful.

Thanks, Bob. I've only had the 'shrivel up' experience with the stems.


With me it's the opposite, I very rarely find the spike dies, in fact one of
mine has 5 green but flowerless spikes awaiting new flowers to form. It's a
yellow coloured one and I do find those the easiest to grow.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK