Bad roots 
7. Preparing plants coming in to flower 
Once your flower spikes have appeared, 
it is important to look after them well. 
There are lots of hazards ahead for them, 
and good attention to detail will pay big 
dividends. Inserting a stake, into the pot- 
ting mix, alongside each spike, easily 
identifies where each flower spike is 
located. It can also act as protection for the 
spike, and enables early training. Be care- 
ful not to tie the spike too firmly at this 
early time. Many spikes grow quickly, and 
if it is tied tightly to the support, the spike 
will bend — sometimes they will break. 
Many flower spikes appear during the 
hotter and drier periods of the season. Make 
Well spaced out plants 
48 
To be dehusked 
sure the plants are watered heavily in this 
time. We water every day during the very 
hot months. They should be watered suffi- 
ciently, so that water starts running out of 
the bottom of the pot. In extreme tempera- 
tures, we also water for short periods (2 
minutes or so), every hour, from 10am till 
4pm, to cool the plants. Recently we 
installed foggers, which just produce a mist, 
and don’t even wet the foliage, but provide 
a huge amount of cooling. They work sim- 
ilarly to an evaporative air conditioner, and 
also greatly increase the humidity. We 
water very early in the morning at this time. 
Start time 2am. Note — some areas have 
water restrictions, and watering must com- 
ply with the supply authority rules. It can be 
difficult and certainly not ideal. 
Once the spikes appear, a blossom 
booster fertiliser is best used. This has 
higher levels potassium, the K part of the 
NPK component of all fertilisers. Again 
fertilise at a rate of about half of what is 
recommended by the manufacturer, but do 
it regularly — at least once per week. 
The grower needs to be particularly vig- 
ilant at this time for pests. Slugs and snails 
will damage new flower buds very badly 
and quickly, if allowed to build up in sig- 
nificant numbers. Most growers spread 
baits. We mix the green metaldehyde 
based baits, with the blue Baysol type 
The Australian Orchid Review, June/July 2009 
