# staking



## philoserenus (Oct 13, 2007)

i see a lot people do stake their paphs and phrags when they start to develop, but my question is: it appears that u guys just stake by shoving it into the mix... but doesnt that dmg roots? or is there a trick to it?


----------



## likespaphs (Oct 13, 2007)

yup. you could damage some roots, but hopefully, the plant has many roots and can take it in stride...


----------



## SlipperFan (Oct 13, 2007)

If you wiggle it in carefully, the stake will more than likely push the roots aside.


----------



## Ernie (Oct 14, 2007)

I'm a wiggler like Dot most of the time. You can use wire instead and bend it to clip onto the pot edge though.


----------



## philoserenus (Oct 14, 2007)

wiggle or wire eh? hmm, i guess the options are only so, haha. how do u guys feel about not staking at all. im gonna thing these guys have evolved strong enough of a spike to hold the flowers in nature... rite?


----------



## NYEric (Oct 15, 2007)

You should stake the spikes so the plant doesn't have to expend the energy into holding itself up and can you the energy on the flowers.


----------



## kentuckiense (Oct 15, 2007)

NYEric said:


> You should stake the spikes so the plant doesn't have to expend the energy into holding itself up and can you the energy on the flowers.



Are you serious?


----------



## NYEric (Oct 15, 2007)

Yeppers, that's one of the benefits of staking, think about it.


----------



## Candace (Oct 15, 2007)

Staking is done for aesthetics. It's also done to protect the spike from being knocked around and damaged by dunces like myself. Occasionally the flowers can become so large and heavy they can actually bend or break the spike. I see a lot of this in the large cattleyas that are bred for size of bloom and phals.


----------



## NYEric (Oct 15, 2007)

So, am I incorrect? :viking:


----------



## kentuckiense (Oct 15, 2007)

NYEric said:


> Yeppers, that's one of the benefits of staking, think about it.



I am thinking about it. I just think it is a stretch to say that staking makes the plant use more energy for bloom production.

Do you know how much energy a plant uses to support a spike?

If the plant is saving energy by being staked, how do you know that energy is being directed to the blooms?

While your statement may in fact be true, I don't think it's safe to conclude anything at this point, especially with so many factors combining to influence the result.


----------



## NYEric (Oct 15, 2007)

OK. I've seen it many times w/ tomato and other plants but to satisfy [your] curiosity, why don't you try it. Take a sample of plants in spike and stke some and compare flower production. Now I know tomatoes aren't orchids but I'm convinced the plant will produce more/better flowers if staked.


----------



## kentuckiense (Oct 15, 2007)

NYEric said:


> Take a sample of plants in spike and stke some and compare flower production. Now I know tomatoes aren't orchids but I'm convinced the plant will produce more/better flowers if staked.



For meaningful results, I would need dozens upon dozens of genetic clones all growing in the exact same conditions. No thanks.


----------



## NYEric (Oct 15, 2007)

Like I said, I've seen it w/ acres of tomatoes.


----------



## kentuckiense (Oct 15, 2007)

Probably because they will _literally fall over_ if you don't stake them. In addition, tomatoes have been cultivated by humans in the Andean highlands since time immemorial. The Paphs and Phrags we grow are, at most, a few generations removed from the wild. It's like comparing... tomatoes and orchids.


----------



## bwester (Oct 15, 2007)

In my opinion, if the plant isnt strong enough to support its own flower it should be tossed. I never stake them except for photos


----------



## philoserenus (Oct 16, 2007)

so itz gotten down to natural selection eh?... i never expected that my simple staking question could become this whole debate...


----------



## kentuckiense (Oct 16, 2007)

Sorry about the detour. Stake if you like that aesthetic of very upright blooms.


----------



## Heather (Oct 16, 2007)

I've been told at my society's show table I should stake, but I just don't like to unless for travel. In fact, I stake for travel and then unstake for the show table!


----------



## Corbin (Oct 16, 2007)

Tomatoes, before man got into breading for size were probably the size of a golf ball if that big. Now you can find tomatoes the size of softballs. They taste like c..p but they are big. But are the vines three or four times as big around. No, but you don't sell the vine. Orchids, at least some of them are also being bred for larger and larger flowers but I would bet, though I do not know for sure since I have not been in to orchids very long, you don't see stalk size increasing at the same rate as the flowers. So I would suggest that the staking of the flowers will have to be considered on a individual basis.


----------



## Inverness (Oct 16, 2007)

With respect to yields on staked vs. non-staked tomatoes; tomatoes are subject to a wide variety of diseases, many having their origins in the soil (fusarium, verticillium, and others). When staked, the vines and fruit avoid contact with the soil and minimize infection by contact. The elevated position also helps keep the foliage drier through improved air circulation, again minimizing disease incidence. The blossoms are also at a better advantage to pollination in a staked position. By minimizing disease and increasing pollination, yields are boosted. Staked tomatoes can also be planted at a higher plant density per acre than unstaked, again contributing to the better yield. I really doubt their is any direct connection between energy expended by the vine in a staked vs. non-staked situation.

Ken Brewer


----------



## Ernie (Oct 16, 2007)

Plants don't have muscles that require energy to function. The spike will require the same amount of tissue, and energy required to make that tissue, if you stake it or not. ??? Right? Tomotoes produce better when the PLANT is staked because they are floppy and can drown themselves out by excluding light and air to the interior parts of the plant. Keeping the tomato plant erect helps keep the interior portions healthy and thus producing fruits instead of dying off and letting the outer parts do all the work. Make sense? I can't back this by any data or literature, so feel free to knock my idea around. 

-Ernie


----------



## jblanford (Oct 16, 2007)

I just know that if this flower head was not staked you would not enjoy it as much. Jim


----------



## Candace (Oct 16, 2007)

I'm a big staker. Of course, I grow lots of catts which if aren't staked like Jim has shown, won't be as impressive. I try to stake all my paphs and phrags too, simply because I like them to "look" at me and not face downwards, upwards etc. This also adds another added danger to the greenhouse. I've been jabbed countless times in the forehead, cheek and mouth by stakes. So far my eyes have been left alone but I think I hear the plants plotting against me...


----------



## NYEric (Oct 16, 2007)

In general, w/ selected species and hybrids being grown for larger flowers and higher flower counts the ability to naturally support itself is being taxed; orchids or tomatoes. I prefer to stake even though I'm not good at it.


----------

