Phal won't bloom

[andtisjosh]

Hi


Need some suggestion to get my Phal to bloom again - I have had it over a year.

My region is Melbourne, Australia.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

[articuno75]

Hi Andtisjosh and welcome to the forum!

By the look of your Phal it doesn't seem to be getting enough light. The leaves look kind of dark. Where is your Phal located and what is the watering schedule? Phals like to be slightly moist before the next watering and don't like to dry out. Also some Phals require a temperature drop of 15-20 degrees at night for several nights to initiate blooms.

This information could be very crucial in the reblooming of your Phal.

[norris]

Hi andtisjosh, and welcome It could be that the plant is about to enter its flowering cycle for your area. Your plant looks good, the leaves are kind of dark green, so that might indicate a need for more light. You might try giving it a bit more light, and allowing a temperature drop to about 55-60 degrees ( 12.5-15.5 C.)at night to stimulate a spike to form. Good luck

[psyc1210]

That Phal looks healthy...and it may be the parentage that causes the leaves to be darker. I noticed some purple/red on the underside of the one leaf, and I have a few that have leaves that are darker than most of my other Phals. All of mine get the same light, just the Phals with the purple on the underside are always darker genetically it seems.

[andtisjosh]

Thanks for all the reply.

Currently going into Winter so I have just moved my Phal into my kitchen area which is North facing -

I usually give it a light mist of water on the leaves and bark every morning - maybe it needs abit more watering -

Will keep up updated on my progress.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by andtisjosh

Need some suggestion to get my Phal to bloom again - I have had it over a year.

When I can I try to buy orchids in bloom. It is common for new orchids I buy to skip a flowering cycle as they adjust to my conditions. Phals typically flower once a year so that means, if an orchid is in bloom when i buy it, and it skips a cycle, it may be as long as 2 years before it flowers again.

So my first recommentation is be patient, it may yet flower.

In Australia (I too live in Melbourne) Phals typically start to spike about this time of year, so your Phal may yet start to spike. So my second recomendation is: be patient.

I promise my thrid recomendation will be different.

If your Phal has lived and grown (?) for a year, your culture must be ok, but for it to flower, many phals, especially hybrids need about a 5-8C temperature difference between the daytime and night time temperature in order to initiate flowering. Sometimes this happens in our homes and sometimes it does not. So my thrid reccomendation is to give your phal a 5-8C temperature drop at night for a few weeks.