New bloom fast wilt
 

Hello everybody, I have a few phals that are blooming like crazy. The problem is they wilt after just a few days of full bloom. Can anyone tell me what the problem is and how I can fix it?

Thanks!

What are your temperatures day/night, humidity? Are they inside or outside? Air circulation? How are you watering?

Any chance they were pollinated? Orchid flowers usually wilt quickly after that.

Temps are 55 - 80F, humidity around 50%, inside the house, open window, watering once a week. How do I know if they are pollinated? There is no pollinating insects here only tiny flies.

I think 55 F / 7C might have something to do with it. And perhaps you aren't watering enough. It's unlikely they were pollinated unless you did it.

Is it too hot?

No, too cold. People learn to keep them alive and flower them at much cooler temperatures than they prefer, but most Phal hybrids are warm to hot growing plants. 55 F is pretty cold for them, and would kill some of them if it goes on night after night.

They really like to be kept around 80-85 F / 35+C and humidity 60%-70%. At typical home temperatures they need much closer attention to proper watering.

While optimal is the temperature range ES gives, most Phals, epsecially hybrids, are perfectly happy with anything above 70F.

I agree that the low temps might be the issue, and an even more likely culprit is the huge temperature swings they are experiencing (going from 55 to 80F is quite extreme, and flowers don't always respond well to that).

Other question: are they new Phals bought in spike/bloom, or self bloomed plants? If they are new it's not that uncommon for plants to prematurely lose their flowers due to the change in conditions.

No, this is my first time self blooming.