How to help my phals bloom?! - Orchid Board

Priya_H · #1 05-16-2014, 03:25 AM

I have 3 phals and they haven't been blooming. It's Spring and there's new roots and leaves, just like it was last year but no spikes. And I don't think there will be any. They're healthy plants, growing in Pro-Mix Orchid mix (coconut, coal and I forget what else is in there). I got Plant Prod Orchid fertilizer and it's the ONLY ONE I can find anywhere I look. I bought it...then found out it's a high nitrogen one...so it won't help with blooming. So now I can't even feed them to help bloom! Is there anything else I can do? Any homemade fertilizer (I can't compost...live in an apartment with no outdoor space

) Plants get plenty of sunlight and moisture (daily sprays). I do move them (because I don't want them to get too much and too little light). What can I do to get them blooming again?!

RJSquirrel · #2 05-16-2014, 06:35 AM

Ive read, and it seems to work for me, is the temp needs to drop for a few weeks to around 55-60 degrees...this initiates the spiking of a mature plant given enough light and fresh air. lots of fresh air. Dont forget to breathe on them a lot for xtra C02

hanzy08 · #3 05-16-2014, 04:30 PM

Stop fertilizing completely if your fertilizer is high in nitrogen. Put them in a cooler environment around 55-62F and bright shade. I learned that brighter light(no direct sun) and cooler temps induces blooming. No special fertilizer needed or "bloom booster" necessary.

RandomGemini · #4 05-16-2014, 05:30 PM

Stop moving them. Phals don't like to be moved around. I find that mine do best when I leave them the heck alone.

I water three times a month, fertilizing with each watering. I have some potted in bark. Some potted in moss. The ones in slotted pots seem to grow best, no matter what medium I'm using. NO MISTING. They don't need to be misted. Unless your conditions are significantly drier than mine, misting is not necessary for phals at all and often leads to compromised root systems.

Stick them in an east facing window sill and only move them to water/fertilize. When you return them to their spot, make sure they are oriented the exact way they were before.

Phals can be easy... if you learn not to fuss over them.

The problem is... I think we want to fuss over them. I think that we think, because we hear from "other people" that orchids are difficult to care for, so we assume that they need to be fussed over.

This is not true. Phals don't like the fuss. They like the "set it and forget it" attitude on orchid growing.

tarev · #5 05-16-2014, 05:55 PM

Give them a nice temperature drop, that should help trigger a spike. Maybe open a window near it and let the cool air come for awhile, early morning or early evening.

RosieC · #6 05-17-2014, 04:29 AM

If your home is kept at a constant temperature then that might inhibit blooming. Mine tend to start spikes as temps drop autumn/winter. I heat at certain times of day but let temps drop at night and that seems to be enough. It's not specifically a drop at night they need, however it works for me because I want to be warm enough myself the rest of the day.

High Nitrogen can also inhibit blooming, so reducing that by stopping fertilising can help. I like to use low levels all through the year so don't change my fertliser, but if you are using a higher strength then dropping the strength or even completely stopping fertilising may help.

I agree with Random Gemini that it's best to find a spot the phals like and leave them there. I do move mine when they start flowering and they might go back to a different spot when they are finished, but other than that I leave them where they are.

Priya_H · #7 05-22-2014, 04:49 PM

Mine definitely needs to be misted. I live in dry Toronto, Canada. Plants need water every other day in the Summer and a couple of misting/day. I tried to mount them last year on cork and almost killed my biggest plant...that's how dry my city and home is.

All my windows are South facing. They sit on a half window...they seem to like it. But in the heights of Summer I will have to move them from there or they will burn! If I move them anywhere else, the only light they will get is from the potlights. I don't know whether they will be OK with that. Even though it's warmer now, Toronto is experiencing cooler weather and our nights are chilly. Do you think I should crack open the window they sit on at night? Will that help? Indoor temps do fall at night, opening the window will make it cooler. I haven't fertilized them since founding out the fertilizer is high in nitrogen (what a waste of money). But they do need to be fed while growing, don't they? What should I feed them?

NYCorchidman · #8 05-22-2014, 11:21 PM

Plants in active growth all need fertilizing (whether naturally or by humans

so yeah, definitely feed them.

As mentioned above, phals initiate spikes in the fall when temperature falls. Unless you heat up your living space early in the fall, it should not be an issue. All my phals whether they are near the window at night or in the middle of the room all seem to to figure out when it is time to spike.

Just a subtle drop in the temp in the fall will do it. Wait and see.

MattWoelfsen · #9 05-22-2014, 11:33 PM

I do not mist my Phalaenopsis as the water drops can get in the crown and in the leaf to stem junction which could cause crown rot. Instead, I put them on humidity trays. I also run a space humidifier but now that winter is over here in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the humidifier is put away and I water more frequently and early in the day.

tarev · #10 05-23-2014, 11:47 AM

Our area is also so dry, but my Phals do not seem to mind. Maybe because it is not in a south facing window. But it gets to initiate its spike around Fall..sometimes a secondary spike on an old spike.

I do not mist the leaves of my Phals, I just water the root zone. And I always run the ceiling fan for air circulation after watering. And my Phals like that more. When it is summer here, it is really too hot and dry, triple digit outside and indoors can easily rise to 80F and higher. All the more I get those ceiling fans running. Helps cool them down.

But there is nothing like that Fall weather cool down to initiate that flower spike..the plant knows.