Advice for Phal Joy Spring and Phal Hieroglyphica

[IvoPhal]

Do you have experience with those phals?
Any special requirements for care?
They are potted in bark.

 

[Morja]

Found a 10+ year old orchidboard post about Joy Spring "Canary"
https://www.orchidboard.com/community/hybrids/67798-phal-joy-spring-canary.html

If you google the phals' names and look at what comes up under Orchid Roots, you can see what plants went into these hybrids and see if any of their ancestors require different care via more google searches. I am no connoisseur of phals, to me a phal is a phal, but I don't have any special ones either, just a few noid grocery store hybrids.

Edit to add: i see the other one is not a hybrid, my bad! It's from the Philippines so it probably likes things warmer.

 

[IvoPhal]

Thank you! Joy spring is so slow growing and I thought that’s has to be some special regarding care, thanks for your time!

 

[Morja]

Thank you! Joy spring is so slow growing and I thought that’s has to be some special regarding care, thanks for your time!

I'm definitely not an expert but I wonder if it has some bellina influence? I've seen lots of people complain their bellinas are slow growing and others say that is because they like things hot and humid. This goes directly against what we just read on the other forum link, but, ya never know. Lol.

Any orchid I buy takes about a year to settle in.

You're welcome! Dunno how helpful I actually am but maybe with the extra replies someone who actually grows these will see it and comment. Haha

 

[IvoPhal]

Actually, the “ joy” is deep in sphagnum moss with kelpak influence, waiting for more roots…
It was ok in kanuma substrate (acid one for azaleas) and was doing ok but I had to water every day, at summer twice per day, I decided to change with small bark + perlite.

 

[Morja]

I hope that works for you! Kelpak will help.

 

[Ray]

“Deep in moss” is not a good idea, as it tends to lead to rots starting in the leaf axils. Make sure the base is “at” the surface, not under it.

For the most part, phals love heat. If your environment is too cool, placing them on an inexpensive seedling heat mat may be in order. It accelerates root growth, as well.

 

[big923cattleya]

I am sorry but I missed this thread here.
I have grown both. And I still have them both under my lights. Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica is not an easy species to grow. I have had three or four in "my career'. The first two just went slowly down hill from the day I got them. But being a sucker for species I tried a basket. I have this species, amboinensis, violacea and gigantea in four wire, teak wood baskets. All are hung up at a 30 degree angle from vertical. I did this by shortening the two back wires forcing the basket to hang on the slope or angle. They are in a mix of chopped sphagnum, perlite and fine orchiata. My humidity is so low, and they never go outside. As it turns out, it is the only way I can keep them moist enough. I water them every other day.
I still grow bellina and all it's varieties in plastic pots, hybrids too. I use the cookie or "oreo" method for them. Mixed media in the bottom, a good layer of sphagnum in the middle and then top dressed with media. Think of the oreo cookie with a cream filling. These all dry out quickly and are watered every 2 or 3 days. They are slow growers and do not like salt build up. I only fertilize my Phals. at every other watering and weakly. They like it warm, 65-80 degrees. But they are all slow growers. They are fragrant due to violacea and bellina and have flowers with incredible substance. They are summer bloomers, May through September.

As a note, my violacea and bellinas don't seem to show a preference for basket or pot. BUT they show a strong desire to be constantly moist, never drying out too much. Not swampy but evenly moist.

 

[IvoPhal]

Hi Ray, "Deep in moss" was a little bit figurative, I made it like a nice guy from Orchidweb demonstrated in YouTube. I was searching for proper video and try to made it this way, wrapping the roots of the phal. Right now, plant is placed in the kitchen (humid and hot) bagged above. Ray, thank you for idea with heat mat!

Hi big923cattleya, thank you one more for your deep and profound examples!
Actually, Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica is in plastic pot 5 inch, mixed with bark, oyster shell and some peat I think, I bought it 2-3 mounts ago. Phal is drying slowly for 7-10 days, cause of peat, I think and after winter I'll repot using your "oreo cookie" method. My conditions are similar to yours - dry and hot (central heating winter) and hot summers. The advice for keep them moist is crucial, thank you again.

 

[JustinR]

I've got both of them, just treat them the same as all my other phals and they seem to be fine so far. Winter is the danger time, I ease back on water to avoid the onset of rot. Apart from that I've got my phals in sphagnum, fine bark with perlite, coarse bark, it doesn't seem to matter that much. Water as they approach dryness. My Winter min is 18 degC which is probably a bit on the low side for some species. I think most hybrids are ok with it though.

 

[IvoPhal]

Thank you JustinR, I should cut fertilizing weekly cause I thought that I have a grow lamps but they are so weak.
Keep Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica humid like @big923cattleya explain so well and lightly fertilizing 1 month during wintertime with MSU analogue Rainmix (Europe version). Sounds a good plan to me.

 

[JustinR]

I also use RainMix

 

[IvoPhal]

With 1 gr per 2 l for all your orchids weekly? I was thinking to give double for phals and the recommended 1 gr per 2 l for paphs..

 

[big923cattleya]

I have no concrete information, no detailed intense scientific data to support a whole lot of what my fertilizing regime does or doesn’t do. I just watch the reaction of my orchids. I watch to see that leaf growth is consistently good. My leaves should show improvement in terms of length and width. Are the number and size of flowers being maintained? These are the visual signs that I look for.
Most of my Phalaenopsis species knowledge comes from working part time for an importer/vendor who regularly acquired them. I was fortunate to be able to take home a few plants in lieu of my wages. I could see that overall, a lot of Phalaenopsis species seem to do better in a basket. What detailed scientific proof do I have, what numbers do I have to back up my opinion? Absolutely NONE! I simply just look at the results. Back from 1983 through the early 2,000’s I had two sons to raise, a house and garden to maintain, a wife, 2-3 cats, a job, family obligations etc. I just grew orchids for pure joy and pleasure.
Every year though in the NYC area at shows and club meetings I was able to meet and “pick the brains of” such people like Lecouffle, Jones & Scully, Krull-Smith, Fred Clarke, Alan Koch, H&R, etc. I asked how they grew things, what do they look for, and so on. I fondly remember all of these contacts and friends I have met.
Not a single thing I mention here is meant to be taken as gospel! They are just snippets of what I have learned over the 5 decades that I have been growing these “flowering weeds”.

 

[IvoPhal]

Thank you that you share your experience ! Bigcalatea

 

[big923cattleya]

You’re welcome.