Staking an orchid spike without snapping it

A phalaenopsis spike carries a lot of weight at the end of a long lever. Unsupported, it arches over and eventually the whole plant tips or the spike kinks. Supported badly, it grows into a stiff vertical rod that looks like a broom handle with flowers on it.

The timing and the placement are what separate the two outcomes.

When to stake

When the spike is roughly six to twelve inches long and the buds are still small and tightly closed.

Too early and you are training a spike that has not decided its direction, and it will grow rigidly vertical.

Too late and the spike has already set its curve and hardened. Bending a mature spike to meet a stake is how they snap — and a snapped spike does not regrow that season.

The tip is the part to leave alone. Let the last few inches, where the buds are, arch naturally. That arch is what makes a phalaenopsis look like a phalaenopsis.

Placing the stake

Push it in close to the spike, an inch or two away, and angle it so it follows the direction the spike is already going.

Two things to avoid:

• Spearing a root. In a clear pot you can see where the roots are — use that. In an opaque pot, push slowly and stop at any resistance. A damaged root is an entry point for rot.
• Forcing the spike vertical. Follow the spike; do not correct it. A stake is a support, not a splint.

Push the stake to the bottom of the pot so it does not lever out under the weight of a full spike.

Clips: how many and where

Two or three, spaced along the lower two thirds of the spike.

The first goes about a third of the way up — this is the one doing the work. The second above it. A third only if the spike is long.

Nothing above the point where the buds start. Clipping through the flowering section constricts the spike as it swells and can deform the flowers.

Clips should be snug but not tight. The spike thickens as it develops, and a clip closed hard in January will be cutting in by March. If a clip leaves a mark, it was too tight.

Types of clip

Sprung plastic clips — the standard butterfly or ladybird clips. Open with a squeeze, self-closing, reusable indefinitely. Easiest to adjust as the spike grows.

Soft ties and twist ties — flexible, cheap, and easier to over-tighten. Fine if you leave a loop rather than a knot.

Loop clips — the spike passes through the loop instead of being gripped. The gentlest option and the one to use on a spike that has already been damaged.

Whatever the type, check clips every few weeks during active spike growth.

Bendable stakes

Coated bendable wire stakes let you shape the support to the spike rather than the other way round, which is the correct order.

They are also reusable across seasons and across plants, and they can be bent into a curve that keeps the natural arch while still carrying the weight.

Rigid bamboo and acrylic stakes are cheaper and stiffer, and they work well where the spike is already growing straight.

Height

The stake should reach roughly to the point where the buds begin — around 15 to 18 inches for a standard phalaenopsis in a five or six-inch pot.

Longer than the spike looks awkward and offers nothing. Much shorter and there is nowhere to put the upper clip.

After flowering

Leave the stake in place while the spike is still green. Some phalaenopsis will branch and flower again from a node on the old spike, and that new growth needs the same support.

Once a spike has yellowed and dried completely, cut it out and remove the stake. Clean both before reuse — a quick wipe with rubbing alcohol, since anything that touches multiple plants can move disease between them.

If a spike snaps

It happens, usually while moving a plant. If it breaks above the lowest buds, cut cleanly just below the break and the remaining buds may still open. If it breaks low, cut the spike out at the base.

Do not tape a broken spike. The break does not heal and taped tissue rots.

Other plants

The same stakes and clips work on anything with a top-heavy stem — amaryllis, peonies, tall houseplants, young climbers. The clip designs sold for orchids are gentler than most general plant ties, which is why people who own one packet end up using them across the house.

Where to look

Bendable and rigid stakes, in the lengths a phalaenopsis actually needs, are on the plant stakes and supports page. Sprung and loop clips are at orchid clips. If the plant needs repotting while you are at it, that is clear slotted orchid pots and ceramic and self-watering pots.