Phals refuse to bloom

[loreley]

I was away for two months. and the person who took care of my plants (and my cat) did a really good job. My phals have many new roots and all of them have also put out new leaves. They look shiny and healthy, but ... no blooms. I moved to this new apartment a year ago; my windows look east/southeast, there is plenty of sun in the morning. All the phals have been repotted in bark and I fertilize once a week. What am I doing wrong? Please help.

[Dendian]

If they are putting out new leaves/roots then you aren't doing anything wrong. Keep up the good work.

However, if you want them to bloom you will need to take into consideration that most Phals require a temperature drop at night to initiate spikes.

There are several really interesting threads here somewhere on what is done commercially to force Phals to bloom out of their regular season, and if it was done to your plants they may skip a blooming season while they recover.

There are also a lot of threads on what you can do to give it the temperature drop it needs during its blooming season to initiate spikes. I think it's something like a 10 degree drop in temperatures at night.. but don't quote me on that....

Mine bloom whenever they feel like it.. so I don't know for sure

[loreley]

Well, I'm afraid it would be quite impossible for me to have the temp drop at night. I have the A/C running non stop because of the extreme heat here in NYC. I guess I could do it in winter, though, by just turning off the heating at night; that would surely bring the temperature down.

BTW what is the blooming season for phals? Summer? Fall?

its not refusing to bloom: the phal is concentrating on growing leaves and roots...when it gets enough energy it will spike up blooms for you. I have a phal that keeps on blooming because it has a terminal spike. i am waiting for it to keiki and maybe it will die on me but for the meantime, I am enjoying the blooms...some orchids are triggered by drops of temperature and barometric pressures...but as of now we are having freak weather in NYC...too much rains, and too much heat and humidity...my vandas are so happy...some are blooming

[kmarch]

Dian is right. What they need (I'm assuming they are all complex hybrids) is a 10-15F day-night temp difference while staying in their normal temperature range (intermediate temps). Don't chill them in winter. Typically they initiate their flowering cycle in Autumn and flower in Winter/Spring. Keep them above about 55F or so but give them that difference. So if your apartment is 75F during the day, let it get down to 60-65 at night. If you like it cool and keep it at 70 in the day, let it get down to 55-60 at night.

Anky makes a good point too. Summer isn't the typical flowering time for most phals (some are summer flowering though).

[bearded orchid]

I agree with the above posts. I had a Phal that refused to bloom for 2.5 years. Indiana, being the fickle state it is, had a series of days back in June where we had days in the upper 80s/low 90s and nights in the low 60s. Come July, low and behold she begins shooting out two spikes

Some just tend to bloom whenever, even going so far as to become sequential bloomers, but the temp change is definitely a contributing factor. Good luck, I hope she blooms for you soon!

[ChryssM]

I also agree with ALL the above. You could say Phals are fickle and wouldn't be wrong especially if it's a hybrid !! Some of the hybrids get so deeply crisscrossed into generation after generation they don't have any idea what 'normal' is !! When I was mostly into hybrid Phals and I found ones that didn't bloom like the others with no special treatment, I would take them upstairs in my spare bedroom in September/October and open the window while closing the door to the room at night. Depending on the weather, it would get the 10 - 15 degree drop and I'd keep them there, closing the window & opening the door during the day, until I'd see a spike. It worked for almost all of the problem ones ! Usually about 3 or 4 weeks with enough nights with the temp drop would do the trick.

[lmartiny]

I've found that most of them bloom in the spring. It may take another season for it to bloom if it was a "forced" bloom, which they do for the stores.

[Ray]

Now that hybrids are so complex, it's hard to nail down a blooming season, but if you look at the species common to hybrids, those in the white/pink/mauve color range tend to be winter bloomers, as they need that cool-down to initiate spiking. Those influencing yellow/orange/red tend not to be so seasonal.

In addition to the good advice above, be sure to avoid super-high-nitrogen fertilizers like 30-10-10, as excess nitrogen can slow or stop blooming altogether.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Ray

Now that hybrids are so complex, it's hard to nail down a blooming season, but if you look at the species common to hybrids, those in the white/pink/mauve color range tend to be winter bloomers, as they need that cool-down to initiate spiking. Those influencing yellow/orange/red tend not to be so seasonal.

In addition to the good advice above, be sure to avoid super-high-nitrogen fertilizers like 30-10-10, as excess nitrogen can slow or stop blooming altogether.

Hi, running at the same constant tempature will stop flowering dead.
Even if you can get a drop of 10F for a few days it will trigger the initiation of the flower spike.
Usually no matter what is in the hybrid breeding, mine flower all year around because I have a lot of diference between night and day temp all the year arond.

As Ray said avoid excess highly Nitrogen fertilizers, and more of a high K fertilizers.
A good dose of epsom salts (1 teaspoon per 1 gallon of water a few times over a couple of weeks).
Just a litter difference in position and temp will go a long way to seeeing it flower.

[Dendian]

Well, this thread certainly told me why my Phals flower whenever they want to.

My house (where the Phals live with me - or should I say I live with the Phals? ) ALWAYS has a difference of about 10-15 F from day to night (or more) all year-round. That's why they flower whenever!

Summertime I open the windows at night to bring in the cooler air - winter time I use a wood stove which gets dampened down at night and so the house cools off.

Thank you, mystery solved!

[koshki]

I have recently decided to try some phal species. I was a bit concerned about providing the proper temperatures in my sunroom in the winter, so I decided to put them on seedling mats for additional warmth.

I had planned to plug the mats in for continuous heat, but now I'm thinking about plugging them into the "timed" side of my power strip, so that the mats will turn off at night, allowing the temps to drop.

Anyone see any holes in this idea?

[ChryssM]

Dian, is Jackson CA up in the mountains ? I know it's not in the bay area ! The last place I lived was Sacramento but I left before experiencing the winter there. You must be up high to get very cold winters !

Katherine, sounds logical to me ! But, I'm a Dennis Miller kind of guy !!!
.

[koshki]

I should remember what your Dennis Miller refernce means...however I have a good memory, but it's short!

[loreley]

Thank you all, guys, for your useful input! So it seems that the night drop in temperature is a must, huh? As I explained to Dendian, that is very difficult for me to achieve because of the weather conditions in NYC, but I'll try turning off the A/C during the day while I'm at work (God help my cat, though) and turning it back on again at night, although I don't think I'll achieve a 10 degree drop. Anyhow, I'll try.
You're right, Ray, I shouldn't be using a high nitrogen fertilizer, I'll switch right away to a high K one.
And, Ron, what's with the Epsom salts? Do I use it as a fertilizer? Pardon my total ignorance
BTW my GP had an amazingly beautiful phal, dark pink, almost purple, which kept blooming and blooming with no special care, just sitting there on its windowsill in his office and getting water now and then from his staff. Until it bloomed itself to death... I had no idea it can happen!! Fickle creatures indeed
Thanks again to you all.

[ChryssM]

I should remember what your Dennis Miller refernce means

Katherine, look at any of my posts again, just below my name and read the blue messages !

Loreley, I don't know about the others but if and when I do chilling it's in the fall between mid-September and October, What popped into my mind while reading your post was, why would you have your A/C on during Sept/Oct ?
.

[koshki]

Duh!

[Ron]

And, Ron, what's with the Epsom salts? Do I use it as a fertilizer? Pardon my total ignorance

While I am not scientist I have read many good articles on the use of Epsom Salts and its use on plants. In this case orchids, it is often reffered to as important as iron is to the hemoglobin in blood.
It plants it promotes cell structure in the leaves and its ability to promote photosesiss in the leaves.
So in growing Cymbidium for example I apply it to the folliage each week, Phallies mainly in the late summer/autum time frame as to help promote flowering etc.
It is one of those fertilizers that has a short life when water over the plant, so need to be done more frequently.

I have used it on my orchids regulary for years and have got excellent results from its usage.

[loreley]

OK, but could you be more specific? I mean, how much salts per gallon of water (or per quart as the case may be)? I would be more than willing to try it this coming fall on my phals!

[loreley]

Chryss, I don't think I ever said that I have my A/C on during the months of Sept/Oct.

[Dendian]

There is a thread around here on the specific use of epsom salts - just use the search box. Its a good one..

I wouldn't try to modify any current conditions to try and get spiking - it is coming into the season - but not yet. Let the weather change and cool off for you - then just put the Phals closer to the windows - you probably won't even have to turn down your heat. I would get a cheap stand-up thermometer at Wallmart or someplace like that - one that reads temps and humidity is what I use. That way you can see if there is a big enough temperature difference where your plant sits.

Good Luck!

[teh_Kibbster]

My understanding is that phals spike between October and November, and bloom from December to April.

Also, the cat > orchids blooming. Keep your A/C on for the poor thing.

I like to place mine right next to a window in September. At night the glass cools off and the cold radiates to about a foot from the window. This gets me my temperature drop without affecting the rest of the household.

/2 cents.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by loreley

OK, but could you be more specific? I mean, how much salts per gallon of water (or per quart as the case may be)? I would be more than willing to try it this coming fall on my phals!

About 1 level teason per gallon will be strong enough, I forget my school maths but if I remember correctly a quart is a 1/4 of a gallon so a 1/4 of a level teaspoon will do.
still can not get use to metricts
Best of luck

[loreley]

Thanks a million Ron, Dendian and Teh Kibbster for your info and suggestions. Yes, I think it's a good idea to hold off until fall comes and the lower temperatures set in. And plus, it'll spare my cat the discomfort of having to live through the day without A/C