How to fertilize a Phalaenopsis in spike?

[Orchid grower]

Hello everyone!

It has been sometime since I have posted here and a lot has changed with my setup. I moved and now have a dedicated sunroom/den for my phalaenopsis orchids and they are so happy!! They get sooo much light now and I can see the results.

3 of my orchids have now spiked. It's very early on for 2 of them with me just discovering one of the spikes this morning. To date my fertilizing schedule has been weekly weekly and I use "grow more urea free 20-10-20" fertilizer.

In the past when any of my orchids have spiked they only produce 2-3 flowers and sometimes the tip of the spike will almost shrivel or just stop producing buds. I want to avoid this happening this time around.

So my question is should I change my fertilizing schedule at all now that they have spiked??

Also is it necessary to stake the spikes as they get longer?

I would also appreciate any general tips on how to alter my care so that my phals produce the most flowers. I have been waiting for this moment for so so long.. so excited.

Thank you to everyone in advance!

[Ray]

Your feeding regimen will have no impact on the spike development or blooming now, unless you overdo it and the excess salts start to dehydrate the plant.

Feeding is a very low priority to orchids, but for proper growth and blooming, the plant will have had to develop a decent stock of nutrient and energy reserves well before it initiates a spike. In other words, it is what you've done for the plant ever since it last bloomed that makes the difference, not what you do now.

It's not necessary to stake spikes, but some folks prefer the way that looks.

[Roberta]

Just keep on fertilizing... no need to change either schedule or formula for a spiking - or blooming- orchid. If the spikes start to get long, staking can "train" them for attractive presentation. Also, be very careful to keep them in the same orientation to light... spikes will try to follow the light, and so if you change their orientation they will twist... won't hurt them, but makes the presentation much less attractive. A plant tag, or a piece of masking tape on the pot can indicate the direction that if you move the plant (like for watering) you put it back in the same direction.

[Orchid grower]

Originally Posted by Ray

Your feeding regimen will have no impact on the spike development or blooming now, unless you overdo it and the excess salts start to dehydrate the plant.

Feeding is a very low priority to orchids, but for proper growth and blooming, the plant will have had to develop a decent stock of nutrient and energy reserves well before it initiates a spike. In other words, it is what you've done for the plant ever since it last bloomed that makes the difference, not what you do now.

It's not necessary to stake spikes, but some folks prefer the way that looks.

Hi Ray,

Thank you for your reply! I have been feeding them quite consistently since their last bloom so I'm hoping I'll be good in that regard.

---------- Post added at 04:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Just keep on fertilizing... no need to change either schedule or formula for a spiking - or blooming- orchid. If the spikes start to get long, staking can "train" them for attractive presentation. Also, be very careful to keep them in the same orientation to light... spikes will try to follow the light, and so if you change their orientation they will twist... won't hurt them, but makes the presentation much less attractive. A plant tag, or a piece of masking tape on the pot can indicate the direction that if you move the plant (like for watering) you put it back in the same direction.

Hi Roberta! Thanks for the response and helpful tips

I have them in this ikea plant ladder so it's really easy for making sure you put them back in the same way they were before. I think the spikes would look pretty being natural and hanging down the ladder rather than being staked

[Roberta]

I like natural, too. I have occasionally had a plant where the flowers were heavy enough that I had to stake to keep spike from breaking, but not Phals, they seem to balance the strength of the spike and weight of the flowers quite well.