no more flowers.

[orchidihcro]

hi everyone, i have a potted orchid (Phal.) that i got april 1st, and it flourished the first couple of months i had it. i haven't changed anything that i've been doing, but all of a sudden all of the flowers dropped off except for the most recent one, and the top of the stem turned yellowish. the leaves are still green and healthy, and the roots look well, but the flowers are really concerning me. do orchids go through periods where they aren't in bloom? or is there something i should be looking further into? thank you for your feedback!

[kmarch]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Orchids are just like any other flowering plant, roses, sunflowers, or apple trees, in that their flowers eventually fade and die off. Most orchids have blooming seasons just like other flowering plants. When the flowers drop off, you can either cut the stem off, wait for it to die back then cut it off, or you can cut it just bove one of the nodes or joints on the stem where it could rebloom again off the same stem. People differ in their opinions about which is best.

Phalaenopsis initiate their blooming cycle in Autumn/early Winter and usually bloom after the first of the year in North America.

Get a free culture sheet for Phalaenopsis form the American Orchid Society at www.aos.org. Give it a read and let us know if you have questions.

[charleyismydog]

Welcome too the forum. We only wish orchids would bloom indefinitely!