Why won't my flower spikes regrow?

[lkipphut]

So I have had my orchid for over a year and it bloomed beautifully for a coupld of months. Then following the advice of my father-in-law who is an avid orchid grower, cut back the spike when the blooms fell off and the spike started to shrivel...it has never grown back! But the leaves continue to thrive and grow as well as the roots...causing me to not want to abandon what was a beautiful plant. Is there anything I can do to get the spike to regrow after all this time?

[Bird Song Farm]

Hi lkipphut,
I'm going to make an assumption here so if I'm wrong you'll have to tell me/us.
It sounds like you are talking about a Phalaenopsis orchid.

Phals need a cool down period before coming back into bloom. If you can give it about a 15 degree F difference (cooler) at night for a few weeks I believe you will see a new spike initiate. Around 58 degrees F is good.
I've over simplified this answer so if you have more questions just 'yell'.

Al

[lkipphut]

thanks Al,
the weather is getting a little cooler so we'll see how things go in the next couple of weeks!

[RosieC]

Again assuming Phalenopsis, I've found something similar to Al suggested.

Over the winter I keep my Phals on a window ledge over a radiator BUT the radiators are turned off all night. This means that over the winter the Phals get cold during the night but are kept quite warn during the day.

The treatment seems to have prompted them to flower each spring.

I didn't do this purposfully at first, it was just the most convinient place to keep them and I knew little about them. But I later heard that having a larger difference between night and day temperature could prompt phals to produce a new flower spike.

[JennS]

I am not sure if you are saying you cut the spike off all the way (back as close to the plant as possible) or cut it back to the closest node. If you did the later, then it could respike off the existing spike. If you cut it all the way back a new spike will come out but probably not until the cooling period passes and it gets through another season. Either way it is a good thing because now your plant can focus it's energy into growing itself and eventually the next flowers should be even more spectacular. Good luck!

[Ross]

Yeah, and I am unclear as to what type it is. I agree with the assumption, but it's just an assumption.