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afbq

4 years and bloom-less

afbq
10 years ago

I got this orchid from a supermarket some 3 or 4 years ago with some beautiful blooms, either white or purple, I don't remember. Ever since they lost their blooms the orchid has never rebloomed. Currently I have it on a bow window where it gets good indirect light. Before that it was in a window where it got indirect southern light. I repotted it to this current pot where it seems to be happy. I see a lot of root growth. Is it common to have an orchid that does not rebloom? It's my only orchid and I don't know much about them.

Here's a pic:

{{gwi:203247}}

Comments (7)

  • jbw1984
    10 years ago

    Hello. Check out the recent thread on this forum that I link below. There was a lot of good information in there about what kinds of factors influence flowering in phals.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Link to forum post

  • terpguy
    10 years ago

    To tailor it specifically for your situation, two things come to mind.

    1) "indirect light". Despite all advice you see, phals want some direct light. If you can give them a few hours of light in the morning, or in the evening, that would be much better. Increase your light.

    2) The other big trigger is the requirement for a drop in night time temperature of about 15F beginning in the fall (september-ish). If daytime high is 75, night time needs to be 60F or below. Best way to achieve this is to grow your plant outside during the summer where it can get a little bit of morning or evening sun. You'll get that natural drop.

    Something I'm also noticing is your top few leaves are smaller than the leaves below them. THats usually an indication that the plant went through some kind of stress. If that stress was great enough, it would keep the plant from blooming that year. Only cure for this is time...
    and light...
    and drop in temperature.

  • westoh Z6
    10 years ago

    If you can't put it outside for the temp drop for 2-4 weeks in the fall, move it to where it could sit by a cool window (even opened a bit at night if possible) to get the temp drop. Depending on where you live and the temps, you still may have time and could get spikes/flowers by late Jan or Feb?

    The plant looks fairly dark green also, usually a sign of not enough light for phals. Bright east window or slightly shaded west/south window.

    Basically reiterating what Terp said.

    Good luck,

    Bob

  • afbq
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    thanks for the tips. It does get direct light too, in the afternoon. I don't have a good window where it would get morning sun so it gets afternoon sun. Right now in the winter my house stays at 70 durning the day and 60 at night. I can't make it any colder or we'll freeze. :) So I guess I'm stuck with pretty leaves in a pretty pot.

    Forgot to mention that my mom's always reblooms sitting in her kitchen with no 15F difference in temps. She's got the green thumb.

  • masia4u
    10 years ago

    i live in NJ and all my phals spend September, October and even part of November outside. It does the trick :-)

  • afbq
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So got to wait another year, I guess. :( Seriously, she has not bloomed in 4 years. :( I moved her up to a different window where she might get more light. I'll report if I see a difference.

  • terpguy
    10 years ago

    If it's blooming, it's getting the drop. Make no mistake about it, the drop is a prerequisite.

    If your moms phal is in a window that gets a lot of sun, that extra sunlight heats things up higher than the ambient temperature. In essence being in a sunny window created a microclimate. When the sun goes down there is a bigger drop than is felt in the rest of the room.

    Hence you get the required drop.

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