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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Big Phal noid not growing?


     What am I to make of my big phal noid?  I bought the phal in bloom last summer, and although its keikis are growing splendidly, the mother plant hasn't done anything in that time.  When I repotted the phal last Fall, it had a decent root system, but no growing root tips.  Even as my smaller noid phal grew a fresh crop of roots, this one hasn't done anything.  Neither has there been any hint of leaf growth.


     The phal lost one leaf in the Fall, and now the oldest two leaves are showing signs of age.  Is the phal waiting for the keikis to finish growing before it can produce any new growth?  I think it will be at least a few more months before they are ready to detach from the mother plant.  The largest of the keikis now has roots that are only 1 inch long, and the other two haven't yet grown roots at all.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Maria!! I'm a fellow orchid enthusiast, and I just happened upon your blog when I was searching for places to buy a Paph Sanderianum (my dream orchid). Of course I had to read your posts because I'm totally enthralled by anything having to do with orchids!

    I'm not a tremendously experienced orchid grower...I've just recently crossed the line from casual grower to "enthusiast." And now, well, I'm pretty much obsessed with them. But anyhow, I do remember reading somewhere that if an orchid is producing keikis, it will put most of its energy into doing that job. That's probably why your orchid isn't showing any new growth.

    Also, I have a Phal Bellina that I was concerned about because I didn't see any new growth for a while, but when I gently pushed the bark aside to see if the roots were okay I noticed it was building a whole new root system down deep in the media. I'm sure your Phal is just taking a break to work on other things. I know it's frustrating to wait for the plant to do something, though!

    On the bright side, look at all the new plants you'll have when the keikis are ready!

    Anyway, I'm off to check out your post on potting your Paph Sanderianum...I am OBSESSED with that orchid!! (Unfortunately I just dropped quite a bit of money on a collection of other orchids that were a great deal, so I don't have the fundage to get the Paph right now...but it's definitely top on my wish list!)

    It's very nice to meet you! I'm totally going to follow your blog and keep up with your orchid adventures! Can't wait to read more!

    Also, if you have problems or questions, I just joined a fantastic orchid forum called Orchid Talk. The people there are fabulous, and they will help you with any question you could possibly have!

    The web address for the forum is http://www.rv-orchidworks.com.

    Have a great week, and enjoy your beautiful orchids! I'm off to read some more of your posts! I'd love for us to connect and keep in touch...stop by and see me at my blog if you'd like! It's not an orchid blog, but it's fun reading all the same (I write a humor blog).

    Hope you can stop by!

    Smiles, Jenn @Misadventures in Motherhood

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words! I'll be sure to check out the OrchidTalk forum. I currently participate on the OrchidBoard, who have been incredibly helpful as I was getting started. One can always have more venues to talk about orchids, however.

      Enjoy your new orchid additions! I bought my paph sanderianum from Marlow's Orchids, where I believe he still has them listed as $65 for plants which are 2 years from blooming size. It's still quite a lot for one orchid, but better than paying over a $100 for a plant which may or may not thrive in one's conditions (what I tell myself to keep me from ordering the "FDK After Dark" catasetum hybrids)

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