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dooghie

ORCHID- blooms falling off

dooghie
15 years ago

Hello,

I have a PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID, where the leaves are falling off. I got them from Proflowers with the blooms about a month ago. How long do the blooms last? is it normal for the blooms to fall off? how can I encourage new growth and how long is the expected time between new blooms? Are there any tips on how to take care of the plant?

Thank you for your help!

Comments (5)

  • tab64
    15 years ago

    The flowers vary from a few weeks to few months, depending what is in its background. But if the leaves are falling off that is not normal. If the plant is loosing leaves, you my have some other issues that need to be addressed, you will need to save the plant before you can hope it have it bloom again.

    How have you been watering it? Can you pull the plant and inspect the roots? They should be nice pulp and fat. Can you take any pictures of the plant and roots and post them?

  • dooghie
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thank you for your response. Here is a link to some pictures i took. http://picasaweb.google.com/chig002/Orchid

    HOpefully the pictures will help determine if my orchid will live on.

    Thank you.

  • counselor4444
    15 years ago

    Um... I'm not an expert here yet.. but it appears from your photos that your leaves are in tact. Did you mis-type? What you meant to say is that your flowers are wilting and falling off? Right?

    From what I have learned on here, loss of flower blooms could be due to a number of things:
    1. end of it's blooming cycle (they don't last year round... but only for a few months)
    2. you are overwatering or underwatering
    3. potentially could have something wrong with it (bugs, fungus, etc)
    4. It's too warm or too cold

    most likely it's due to #1 or #2 by the look of your photos.

    If it's #1, there isn't much you can do. It will re-bloom again in a few months (hopefully)

    If it's #2, you need to determine if you are overwatering or underwatering. People here have suggested to me to stick my finger down into the potting medium about 2 inches to see if it feels damp. It should never dry out, but should never be overwatered either. Some suggest using a metal or wooden skewer to determine when to water.

    i'm still getting the hang of my orchids, but solid advice is given on this forum. I hope this helps.

  • dooghie
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Yes the blooms are falling off not the leaves. As you can see from the pictures, there are still some left. I have been watering it about every 2 weeks about 1 cup of water; is that enough or not enough?
    How often do they rebloom? How can I encourage new growth?

    Thank you for your repsonses.

  • richardol
    15 years ago

    Sometimes the plant has gone through a good percentage of the blooming cycle waiting to be sold. The plant, assuming good conditions between now and then, is likely to bloom again next fall. Read the FAQ above to see what's what with growing Phals.

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