You don't mention where you live and how you grow this plant. It appears the light is coming from one direction. Do you move the plant outdoors during the summer?

I try to grow my Phals upward. Some will naturally grow sideways as that is the natural way since they usually attach to trees.

If you live in a warm climate with humidity, you could move it to a basket and hang it under a tree. Otherwise, you can try to force the plant to grow upwards by directing the light overhead.

Spikes should be staked straight up. Start when they begin to grow and slowly attach them to the stakes to force them upright.

The Phal in the photo has the spike staked to grow upright and cascade. It doesn't matter what the leaves do as the plant looks better staked.

Jane

Sorry, your viewing my Orchid outside of my pot at my sink as I removed it this morning. I live in NYC and have great northwest light at my window. I don't bother with humidity, and obviously it does not hamper my growth as you can see by the photos. I did start with a stake and still the blooms seem too heavy, so they arched. I do not put them outside not even in the summer. I tried it once and it did not seem to any better or worse, so I leave it inside all year round. I do envy your Orchids the way they are displayed..wish I could have as much as luck as yours seem to have.

I have this problem too. The only solution I have found is wide, heavy ceramic or clay pots (with holes). Every time I've tried to mount an orchid, it's gets too dry. So, wide heavy (but holey!) pots it is!

Suza is right. Use clay pots and you can get stakes which clip on to the pot. It will keep the plant from tipping over. I would not mount any orchid in NY or Boston. Too dry and you'd go crazy trying to get it through the winter.

Try clay pots. I think you'll be able to stake the spikes. Don't worry about the leaves. They will lean toward the light as they prefer to grow that way.

Jane

Jane, I will try the clay pot, as for you not wanting to mount an Orchid in NY or Boston, cause its too dry, seems not to agree with my good fortune with my Orchids. In fact the picture that I show here, there is another spike appearing, so it seems to contradict your ideas of a dry environment. I keep mine indoors all year round.

I'm getting confused. Was this plant mounted? I am not aware of a contradiction. I did not mount phals in NY because I couldn't keep up with watering and maintaining moisture around the roots. Too much trouble. I got the best results potting most of my orchids.

Hey, whatever works for you. Just offering what worked the best for me. Good growing

jane

My error Jane, sorry..new to Orchids, so I now know what you meant by mounted. No, all my Orchids are potted, most likely, like yours, and I do not think watering once a week a chore for me. ..as you stated " what works for you" is working for me. LOL

Mounted plants in the Northeast requires watering 2 times per day or more, unless you can maintain humidity at 80% all the time. That really only works with a dedicated greenhouse with it's own heat source and humidifier. I think that's what Jane meant regrading "keeping up with the watering".

I do suggest getting your plants outside May-Oct if possible. They will love the summer air. I got mine outside last summer for the first time and was shocked by how much more they grew and thrived in comparison to years past.

I mounted few orchids and they were growing just fine. I had mounted brassavola nodosa, dendr. loddigesii, gastrochilus bellinus and rinchostylis retusa. But I'm in Alaska. We have really dry air indoors during winter (sometimes - 12% of humidity). My oncidiums had pleated leaves but mounted plants were just fine! I put some amount of sphag around the roots and covered it all in coconut fiber. I guess, success depends on the effort you are putting in the culture.

I keep reading some of the responses here to my OP. I have no desire or the area where I could do mounting Orchids. In my OP, I stated that mine are in pots only, and result of that one in particular, is really outgrowing that pot. that was the gist of my OP. Does one have to get rid of it eventually or drastically cut the roots and the hugh leaves, in order to do so?

Anthony,

I think at some point you will be forced to trim some roots and leaves from the bottom of the plant so you can plant it deeper. It appears the spike is coming from an upper leaf axis, so the bottom few sets of leaves probably won't generate more spikes, but they are supplying energy to the plant. That said, if you can use a stake or two to get the plant to stand up straight, that can work for a while. Otherwise, get your clean snips out and start trimming lower roots and maybe even a couple of the lowest leaves. Might want to dust any new cuts with cinnamon (sp?) to protect from fungal stuff.

Good luck,

Bob

It's so unusual that so many new leaves have grown in, while no older leaves have died! My mature orchids all seem to have a set number of leaves they like to have (5-7). When one starts growing a new leaf, I can count on the oldest leaf of that plant beginning to yellow within weeks.

I wish I had an answer, but the only suggestion I have is to find a deeper orchid pot and stake it in well. Hopefully some of those older leaves decide to drop and leave you with a more manageable plant.