CULTURE TIPS IN GROWING THE PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID
Butterfly
Orchids or Phalaenopsis, are one
of the most graceful and elegant group of orchid. It is locally known as
mariposa or moth orchid, as its flowers resemble butterflies in flight. It is
one of the most common orchid plant in the country and also in Asia, Europe and
America . In fact, the Philippines is the center of Phalaenopsis orchid diversity in the
world, since half of the Phalaenopsis
species and varieties worldwide are found in our country. It is
actually easy to grow and it takes a relatively short time to flower.
However,
the Philippines , most hobbyists are having difficulty in growing this orchid
due to the fact it has a different cultural requirement compared to Vanda and Dendrobium orchids, specially for its
requirement for light and water. Phalaenopsis requires shade, and do not like too much
water, as it excessive watering tends to cause the plant to rot.
The genus
name Phalaenopsis came from
the Greek word ‘phalaena’ meaning moth, and ‘opsis’ meaning appearance. Out of
the 42 species and 36 varieties, 20 species and 18 varieties are found locally.
Many of our Phalaenopsis species
have been ancestors of modern Phalaenopsis hybrids. There are more than 40,000
hybrids in this genus and there are more hybrids being registered in this
single genus than any other orchid genus. The advantages of growing this group
of orchids are: that it is easy to mass produce from seeds, and plants from
flasks can be flowered within 8 to 18 months. Phalaenopsis can easily be programmed to flower, by
exposing plants to night temperature 10 oC lower than that of daytime
temperature and increasing humidity. This is usually done by growing them in
cool areas like Antipolo, Tanay, Tagaytay, or Baguio . However, greenhouses can
be modified to produce a cool humid environment by evaporative cooling.
Breeding and large scale production techniques or protocols for these orchids
have already been developed and perfected. There are locations in the country
where Phalaenopsis can be
grown inexpensively. There is a very wide potential for Phalaenopsis for the foreign market.
Miniature Phalaenopsis hybrids
This is
due to the fact that Butterfly orchids offers a wide range of flower color,
from white to pink, Greenish, lavander-gray, with flower markings like stripes,
spots and blotches. In the United States alone, over 75% of all orchids
(flowering potted plants) sold are Phalaenopsis.
Orchid
sales worldwide have been increasing and large scale production of potted Phalaenopsis has been done in the Netherlands
, Germany, China , Taiwan , United States and Japan. In the US and Europe , Phalaenopsis have replaced the common
people’s concept of ‘orchid’, which was once symbolized by Cattleya and Cymbidium. Phalaenopsis is now
readily available, affordable and mass marketed in supermarkets.
An ocean of Phalaenopsis
orchid hybrids in the farm of VS Orchids, Tagaytay City.
Types. Phalaenopsis orchids are usually categorized either as
species or hybrids. Commercial hybrids usually created to follow a ‘standard’
plant form which is typically characterized by large, full and round flowers,
in arching flower stalk. They have round or oval thick leaves, in short stems.
Flower color ranges from white, semi-alba (white petals and sepals with colored
lip), yellow, pink, red, green and lavender, and with flower markings like
stripes, spots and blotches. There are also warm and cool growing Phalaenopsis.
General Characteristics. Butterfly
orchids has very thick, short stems, and fleshy, soft leaves. The leaves are
closely clustered in a two-ranked arrangement and oval-shaped. Inflorescence
are either very short to long with drooping to rigidly erect raceme or panicle
and bears from one to very numerous and some, mostly large delicate flowers.
Phalaenopsis are truly tropical and epiphytic in nature, and they are all very
sensitive to direct sun and rain.
Cultural Requirements.
Light. The plant is regarded as a
shade-loving plant, thus partial shade or diffused light is required through
nets or slat-house. The leaves are easily sun-burned or scorched. The plant can
tolerate high light intensities as much as 2,000 foot-candles. The plants are
ideally placed indoors or in an area where they will receive morning light, but
shaded or protected from direct light during noontime.
Water and Humidity. Phalaenopsis require plenty of water
but needs that their leaves and crown be kept dry between watering. Phalaenopsis need plastic roofing or
protection from too much rain when grown outdoors during the rainy season.
Younger plants require more watering than matured plants. This can be
accomplished by misting the plants instead of water sprinkling. Water all
matured plants twice per day during very hot and dry months, and only 2-3 times
per week during wet months (or none at all). Protect plants from too much rain.
For indoor growing, plants are usually watered by immersing the whole potted
plant in a bucket of water and permitted to drip dry. The crown needs to be
kept dry. Companion plants like ferns, bromeliads, and other foliage plants can
be placed near the orchid to help increase humidity. Normal humidity levels in
the home is sufficient for Phalaenopsis.
However, in an air-conditioned office, humidity levels might be less than
ideal. It is also best to place your potted plant over a dish of water with
pebbles
so that the pot is not directly sitting on water.
Air Movement. It is necessary to provide
enough space between plants and to allow air movement (slight breeze) to help
dry the leaves. Using an electric fan to induce air movement in indoor gardens
is common.
Flowering. Matured Phalaenopsis plants will flower when
exposed to the right temperature and light photo-period. They are seasonal
bloomers, usually during months of February and September, however, they can
now be artificially induced to flower.
Fertilization. Fertilize plants twice or
once a week. Seedlings could be sprayed with very dilute fertilizer everyday
after watering. Plants need to be watered heavily once a week to flush excess
salts. Wet plants first before applying fertilizers. Follow fertilizer dilution
for orchids based on the label, usually at a rate of 1 tsp or less per gallon
of water. Use balanced foliar fertilizer with trace elements for orchids.
Growing Media. Phalaenopsis can be potted on clay or plastic pots, with
charcoal and coconut husks, or mounted in wooden slabs. Currently, the use of
tree fern roots is being discourage for the conservation of our endangered
giant tree ferns. Pre-soaked coconut husk is another good medium for Phalaenopsis. Another alternative medium
is a 1:1 mixture of sand and coconut choir dust. In this method, Phalaenopsis is treated like a
terrestrial orchid, and irrigation is done by placing the potted plant in a
basin of water, where water comes up from the bottom up. Phalaenopsis can also be mounted in
trunks of living trees like coconut palms, Manila palms, acacia, narra and
caimito using U-nail.
Pest and Disease Control. Crown and
leaves of Phalaenopsis rots
easily if excessively watered. The plant is also sensitive to spider mites
infestation. Mites can be controlled by applying miticides (e.g. Omite or Ascend) once a week for 4
weeks. To control crown rot, soft rot of leaves and bacterial spot: fungicide like Dithane or Captan is applied as a prophylactic during rainy season at 3 times a
week. Systemic insecticides like Sevin or Lannate are applied when insect pests infestations are
presents. For slugs and snails, a molluscide bait can be used. Visit plants regularly for signs of pests and diseases, especially during the rainy season.
Propagation. Phalaenopsis can be propagated asexually by keikis forming
on old flower stalks or on sides of main stem. Top cutting could be done on
long drooping Phalaenopsis plants,
and after which, new plants will shoot from the remaining stem. Using lanolin
paste with Benzyl adenine (BA) on buds in flower stalk to induce keikis has
given successful results. Pot keikis in clay or plastic pots with chopped
charcoal and coconut husk.
Phalaenopsis can also be propagated
sexually through seeds. This can be done by pollinating the selected orchid
flower to form a capsule (fruit). However, one has to learn good plant breeding
techniques in order to produce good quality plants. The orchid fruit or capsule
will mature within 4 months. Then, mature capsules can be harvested and brought
to an orchid laboratory, where the seeds can be sown in an artificial nutrient
medium using seed culture technology. Viable seeds germinates in a month’s time
and seedlings will be ready to be transferred to the nursery in a year’s time.
Hundreds or thousands of seedlings can be produced in these way.
PLANTLET INDUCTION IN PHALAENOPSIS
Keiki
(pronounced "kay-key") is the Hawaiian word for "baby",
“anak” or "child", literally meaning "the little
one".
In horticulture, it refers to a plant produced asexually by an orchid plant,
usually used when referring to Dendrobium, Epidendrum (sensu latu), and Phalaenopsis orchids. The baby plant is
an exact clone of the mother plant, sometimes flowering while still attached to
the mother plant.
On a Phalaenopsis, a keiki is a small plant
growing from one node along the flower stem. On a Dendrobium, the keiki is typically
found sprouting along the length of the cane or from the end of the cane. This
is induced by the accumulation of growth hormones at that point, either
naturally, or by the application of keiki paste.
The Hormone paste. Keiki
paste is a cytokinin hormone (usually Benyzl Adenine or Benzyl Amino Purine) in
a Lanolin mixture which induces growth in the node of a Phalaenopsis
inflorescence. It should not be confused with paste or powder containing
auxins, which are used to force the production of roots.
Application of a benzladenine paste to induce plantlet or keiki development in a Phalaenopsis flower stem
Nodes on
Phalaenopsis spikes will form either vegetative growth (keiki) or floral growth
(a branch with flower buds). If the node tissue is already differentiated so
that it will become a floral branch, there is no way to change the result. The
trick is to get the paste onto the node before it is differentiated. However,
there is no way to predict if an undifferentiated node will become a keiki or a
floral branch.
Remove keikis with roots from mother plant and plant individually on plastic or clay pots
Removing Keikis. If a new plant is desired,
the keiki should be left on the mother plant until it develops a healthy root
system and have two or three leaves(for a Phalaenopsis) or canes (Dendrobium).
At this point, it can be carefully removed with a sharp knife and planted in
its own pot. Keikis are cut below and above the stem, leaving a small piece of
stem on the baby plant. A separated keiki can be expected to flower in
approximately the same amount of time it would take for the cross or species to
flower from a seedling. Some species orchids like Phal pulchra keiki frequently
and flower while still attached to the mother plant.
Article by: Norberto R. Bautista
For inquiries, kindly email me at
norby.bautista@gmail.com
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