5 new roots on phal, no flower spike

[meraki]

Hi all,

I bought this phal in April 2016 and it's been doing pretty well. It's been dormant and growing new leaves since it stopped flowering and looked healthy enough so I moved it to a cooler place last month to try to and stimulate a flower spike.

About a week or 2 in its spot, FIVE new roots starts coming out of the base/crown, above the medium. None of them have that "mitten" shape at the end and at least 2 of them have grown a lot and headed into the medium. Since I took the photos I attached, 2 more started to grow out between the leaves (like in the picture with the red circle) but neither have that mitten tip.

I'm just curious if anyone has any clue why I have 5 roots and no spike. I don't believe I recall ever reading that putting a phal in a cooler spot stimulates root growth? I could obviously be wrong.

I could also just be super impatient and a spike could be coming eventually but I wanted to ask the experts first!

[MrHappyRotter]

You're just being impatient. Often times when you buy orchids in bloom, they take some time off to rest, recover, and adjust to your growing conditions.

Additionally, sometimes the mass produced orchids are "forced" into blooming before they're ready via temperature drops, special fertilizers, and even hormone treatments so that the turn around is quick and so that the plants all bloom at the same time, on schedule.

At home, dropping the night temperature for Phals isn't really necessary. The plants will bloom when they are ready. Of course, in some cases you can induce blooming by dropping night temperatures into the mid-50s F for a period of time (I've heard conflicting info on how long), but it's no guarantee and you're almost certainly not going to be able to do this with the same kind of precision as a commercial grower.

The more important factors for getting regular and reliable blooming are all geared towards giving the plant good care rather than trying to trick it into performing. If the plant is mature and fails to rebloom, you can slowly increase the amount of light it is getting, since that's one of the more common reasons an otherwise healthy plant fails to bloom.

Also, as you probably know, many of these mass produced hybrid phals can bloom at almost any time of year. Just because you're seeing a flush of roots right now, doesn't mean that in the coming month, there won't be a flower spike. Complex phal hybrids are not as seasonal as many other common orchid genera.

[rbarata]

I might be wrong but the one in the red circle it's a spike...let's see what others have to say.

[cmcdonnell1]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I might be wrong but the one in the red circle it's a spike...let's see what others have to say.

To me, it looks like a root but it’s difficult to see in the picture. Any orchid that has grown 5 new roots and a leaf is not “dormant”. Vegetative growth is equally important for healthy orchids.

[jkofferdahl]

First, I'm going to disagree with rbarata about the red circle - and I do so with great respect and my apologies. I think it's a root. It's rounded like a root while a spike would be pointy and probably darker. And that said, I'd be glad to be proven wrong!

A lot of emphasis is put on the flowers of our orchids, and I agree that, in the end, it's what we're growing for. As a Phal Phreak I've watched these plants for decades. The more hybridized the plant, the less predictable is the blooming time. And yes, mass vendors do everything they can to quickly ship out blooming plants, with little to no regard to the longevity of the plant post-sale.

What excites me, especially this time of year, is the emergence of new roots. A healthy root system is, to me, the key to growing a Phalaenopsis. A good spurt of root growth such as you are seeing is your plant's way of saying that it's getting ready to get to work. As it develops healthy roots it will then be able to absorb plenty of nutrients, enough to store some for later. Healthy roots thus lead to healthy leaves, and a healthy system will lead to flowering. By the way, especially cool nights aren't important to a Phal, what matters is that there is a consistent drop between the daytime high temperature and the nighttime low.

Let your plant do what it wants to do. When it's ready it will bloom.

[Dollythehun]

Sorry, rbarata, I agree w John, it's a root.

[estación seca]

It only has a few leaves. I think it needs to get bigger before it blooms again.

[Bohata]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It only has a few leaves. I think it needs to get bigger before it blooms again.

The size of the leaves is more important than the number. A Phalaenopsis has to be really well grown to have a lot of leaves.
Yours seems to have four- not very many, but enough for rebloom.

[Arizona Jeanie]

I only have a few phals, but they're all doing well--so I'm certainly not an expert but I'll share my experience anyhow! Commercial growers do indeed "force" a bloom to get the plants ready to sell, that's their business. It may take 1-2 years for the plant to re-adjust to the natural cycle it will have in your environment. Mine all do this: bloom (if I'm lucky), then grow leaves, then grow roots, then rest, then spike. Last year was the first time I tried "chilling" in the Fall when things were cooling off anyhow, 3 out of 4 spiked on cue, and are still blooming now.
Keep the plant healthy and happy, don't overdo the nitrogen feeding, and wait for the natural cooling and shorter Fall days before trying the "chill" trick, would be my advice.

[MrHappyRotter]

I didn't really pay close attention to the photos, but I'm inclined to think the circled thing is a root as well. Though I've been fooled before, so maybe it's a spike.

One more suggestion for you, if you're looking for some instant gratification and you have a little extra spending money, why not head over to your favorite vendor's nursery (or website) and buy another plant in bloom, bud, or spike?

It's easy to diminish your impatience when you're having to split your attention among multiple plants, and frankly, many common orchid hybrids thrive on a little bit of neglect.