New spikes on way! I dont know how!! winter advice!

[chrisjdurber]

Hello! just to say Ive never kept orchids before my partner bought me phal from waitrose (reduced and looking a bit worn out!) last february!
Weve got a large windowed victorian flat, so I shoved it on top of some gravel in its perspex pot and off it flowered! there was a first lot of flower (light pink) then they died off and I cut the spikes back a bit, once a week during the summer (it gets a lot of diffused light as is in a south facing window) gave it a bath in warm water for 45 minutes with a few drops of orchid food and bam!! 6 weeks later we had more blooms than it could shake a stick at!!

It quickly gre out of its tiny pot, (i then bought another one on its last legs from another supermarket! which I repotted straight away)

Anyway!! its started to look a bit lacklustre and the blooms were dying off so after a glass of wine, cut the spike right back, that was 2 weeks ago!! lots of new roots coming out and some new leaves and just poking out this morning is a little ' mitten' like growth which after checking on here looks like anew spike!!

Whats the best way to look after them during the winter months? they are happy where they are i think and both rooting well! Am carefull to make sure after bathing they are well drained and warm, the lounge never gets to chilly and the high ceilings mean good air circulation!!

Am thinking this is more beginners luck thananything else!!

Thanks

Chris

[shaz]

congrats

sounds like you have the magic touch

can you send some my way please

[terry_sealey]

If you have looked after the first one for nearly 8 months then your conditions must suit the plants very well. From what you have said they are developing well. Things to be careful of over winter on a windowsill:-

Make sure the plant is not behing the curtains (drapes) when they are drawn particularly if the window is not double glazed.

Do not water as much as you did in the summer ( I think a 45 min soak is too long anyway) check that the plant is dry before watering again. Of course this will depend on how hot you keep the room.

Be aware that as the sun changes position it could be hitting the plant directly for a long time during the day.

As this is your first lot of orchids what medium did you use to repot them, bark?

[LauraGR]

I've never heard of anyone giving a glass of wine to their orchids before - oh wait, do you mean you drank it yourself before tackling the re-plant? Good job!

[mayres]

Phals are warm loving plants - so the first thing I noted when starting to grow them is that if you don't keep them adequately warm in the winter months (as many/most of us might be inclined to do in order to save on energy costs) they will stall - basically just sit and not do anything for months until the weather warms back up. They will tolerate being down in the 50's but would prefer 70's or even more temperate conditions. This is partly why we tend to get the majority of the new growth during the summer months. As noted, the watering needs may be greatly reduced as well, depending upon what media you are using and what temperature you keep the conditions. I use a very moisture retentive mix and some of my plants only get watered every 3-4 weeks in the dead of winter......

[mehitabel]

I want to chip in my two cents of agreement with the others about watering needs in winter:

A *balance* of light, warmth, air, water and fertilizer is needed for healthy growth. In winter, as light necessarily decreases, the water and fertilizer needs are reduced. So be extra careful with watering in winter. You don't want a phal to go completely dry-- it needs even moisture. But it musnt' be *wet* either. And you do want to fertilize less. Fertilizer and poor light = weak, spindly growth.

One other point -- I have phals in two south windows. In one room, there's a ceiling fan that runs all the time, in the other, no nearby fan. The phals in the room with fan need watering several days sooner than the ones without.

Just remember *balance* all the crucial factors.